In June 2014, Facebook announced two major enhancements on its advertising platform.  The enhancements aim to make re-marketing more efficient including updates in custom audiences and introduction of multiproduct ads. While the enhancements mean more for the social media marketing company Philippines, this also means better and more targeted Facebook campaigns.

 

Custom audiences

Facebook adds a new feature called ads manager and power editor. Ads manager allows customization of the kinds of audience you want the ad to be advertised to. For instance, any business can target previous visitors of your website or those who have visited only a very few pages on the site.

Another new feature is the capability of choosing limits on a new audience. Such a feature allows segmenting target audience of different product categories. On the other hand, the feature also allows building audiences automatically based on past activities on the website.

 

Multiproduct ads

Facebook also introduces multiproduct ads for the purpose of displaying up to three products with own image and description within a single ad unit (as a slideshow). Businesses can choose between desktop and mobile.

Such ad unit is specifically useful for ecommerce sites that want to reach users who visit the website, but did not make a purchase. Further, multiproduct ads is more beneficial if tied with custom audiences so the business may display items that the visitors view before he or she leaves the site in the form of news feed.

 

Making sense of custom audiences and multiproduct ads

For one, the enhancements made by Facebook empowers marketing in general, not just remarketing. This is more so for those users who have already visited the site. These users are already further in the sales funnel. This means they have viewed and explored the product but did not buy it.

More than building brand awareness, the updates can build more brand mindshare. When we say ‘mindshare,’ this refers to user’s top-of-mind brand or company upon the mention or sight of a particular product (e.g. smartphone – Apple).

With these features, Facebook increases the chance that previous site visitors will see a previously-viewed product and click on the ad further. Seeing products simultaneously in a not-so intrusive way will feel more like online shopping and not necessarily advertising. Notably, this is how users want advertisements – not forced, not invasive.

 

The bigger picture

Both changes offer an opportunity for Facebook to compete with search as well as the direct responses that this provides. As a business entity, Facebook is now offering free and paid services though some of us might say the platform is quickly evolving as a prominent advertising platform in the same capacity as Google AdWords.

What we are witnessing today is Facebook’s initiative to develop more advertising features that both users and advertisers are comfortable with. Moving towards conversion is thus more apparent on the platform.

 

If there is one company that changes how we see ‘social’ that would be Facebook. Facebook has come a long way now as it ventures into advertising. Why not? Facebook is not only strong with more than 1 billion active users, but it also presents itself as a venue where you can connect with your target audience in a personal level.

As Facebook puts it, matching the right message to the right person at the right time is a must. Indeed, the enhancements can be very powerful in turning previous visitors into paying customers. After all, it is the goal of advertising wherein it is not enough that the users are aware of your brand. What’s more important is they will buy from you and not from your competitors.

If you are the social media marketer, the best benefit is evident – you are in control of who to target with what. Now that’s true remarketing! Remarketing is critical in capturing both mind and market share.

 

Source: Search Engine Journal | Inside Facebook | Business2Community