If you’ve been around for quite some time, you’ll know that Facebook likes introducing continual improvements and updates to its platform—not just for the sake of user experience, but also to be more helpful and accommodating to the businesses using the said social media.
The folks over at Facebook have recently released some important updates to the platform. Some of them are already up and running while some are changes we should look forward to in the coming months.
We at Search Insights know how important it is to be on top of all the latest Facebook Business news, so here are 12 updates you need to know for 2019. Knowing these crucial updates will help you plan early and keep your business ahead of the pack.
Ads on Facebook Stories: Back and here for good
In spite of achieving less stellar turnout compared to its sibling Instagram (as of this writing, that is), Facebook announced that its Facebook Stories feature is now ready to cater to advertisers from all over the world.
Riding on the popularity of the immersive, full-screen experience that Stories bring to its audience, Facebook’s new ad placement option will support the same objectives that Instagram Stories currently supports—such as brand awareness, conversion, video views, reach, app installs, and lead generation.
Messenger Stories Ads to be released soon
In the future, Messenger Stories will support ad placements, as well.
Wait, what? Isn’t Messenger Stories and Facebook Stories one and the same?
Without a doubt, you’re right; Messenger Stories and Facebook Stories are pretty much the same for users. However, ad placements on the two platforms will be kept separate—which makes a lot of sense, since that way, advertisers will have the option to place ads on either platform or both, depending on their specific objective.
Facebook explores Augmented Reality Ads
We’ve all heard about Snapchat and Instagram augmented reality (AR) filters. They’ve played a monumental role in the surge of these two platforms’ popularity, after all.
Facebook is now planning to take it a notch higher by introducing the said feature to Facebook ads. With AR ads, audiences will be able to interact with and visualize different products on the Facebook platform. AR ads will make virtually trying on products—such as sunglasses or a specific lipstick shade—possible using the front camera.
Playable Ads arrives
Playable Ads are geared towards gaming marketers who are aiming to reach new players. The said feature will allow people to test out a game before they install it in order to see if it’s something they’ll be into or not.
Playable Ads are also expected to drive higher-intent installs, since people who have already experimented with the game are more likely to actually play after installing it on their devices.
Shopping on Instagram Stories is now available
Instagram has announced that its users can now actively shop through Instagram Stories . Business accounts can feature their products on their Stories and add clickable product stickers that will take a user to a product details page once tapped.
The product details page will have a link to the company’s mobile site should the potential buyer decide to push through with the purchase.
Lookalike Audiences gets a Value-Based upgrade
What this basically does is it creates a Lookalike Audience that is most similar to your business’s higher value customers. It should help you increase your ROI and maximise your ads’ impact, since Facebook will identify and market to the people who are more likely to generate higher business value.
Minimum ROAS Bidding for Value Optimisation rolls out
This update will let businesses set a minimum acceptable return on ad spend (ROAS) for their campaigns. Facebook will then bid to match or exceed the set figure, which means you’ll have more control over the generated value of a campaign.
Mobile-optimised redesign for Facebook Pages
Last August, Facebook announced that Facebook Pages are getting a makeover to make them more optimised for mobile viewing. This update makes business pages easier to navigate. Performing certain actions like booking appointments or ordering a product should also get easier for users.
Facebook Page Reviews is now Recommendations
What used to be known as Facebook Page Reviews is now called Recommendations. This revamped feature lets customers share richer feedback about businesses, in turn letting brands establish their reputation better.
This update also aims to offer enhanced transparency to users so they’ll have a better idea of what to expect from a specific business.
Video Creation Kit launched
At this day and age, we all know that videos play an important role in any marketing campaign. But what if your brand doesn’t have the capacity to produce videos?
This is what Facebook was trying to address when it rolled out an all-new Video Creation Kit, which helps businesses to easily create lightweight video ads from still image ads.
Self-Serve Brand Lift rolls out in Test and Learn
There are new self-serve options available which should help brands see how specific Ad campaigns affect their audience’s perception of them. Through rigorous testing, this will help businesses answer the following questions:
- How much impact does my campaign have on brand perception?
- How many of my conversions occurred because of my Facebook ads?
- Which campaign strategy results to the most conversions at the lowest cost?
Updates made to Facebook Video Metrics
Facebook has introduced new metrics to help advertisers get better insight regarding actual video engagement and consumption. Taking advantage of these new metrics will help you optimize your creatives according to these insights.
And that wraps it up—12 Facebook updates you need to know for 2019. Facebook evidently tries to evolve its platform towards being more business-friendly. Knowing the nitty-gritty surrounding these updates can either make or break your brand’s success in 2019—so use your knowledge wisely.
Let us know if you have any concerns about your Facebook Ads, so we can help you devise a solid and cost-efficient campaign. Call us or send us an email today.
