Facebook is once again demonstrating its determination to swipe a larger piece of the mobile advertising market with a new ad format that lets smartphone and tablet users scroll through multiple images in one ad unit.
By letting advertisers show up to five different product or brand images (and headlines) with links, the “carousel” format allows for richer storytelling, should increase engagement and drive down cost-per-click and cost-per conversion, according to Facebook. The ad pricing will vary, determined through the Facebook ad auction system already used for Facebook’s self-serve ad options.
“Supporting up to 5 images with links, the carousel format is interactive, attention-grabbing and helpful for both direct response and brand awareness marketing,” said Facebook in an announcement posted to “Facebook for Business” page.
The format was launched for desktop last June. Since then, car brand Mini used it to provide a “virtual tour of the new Mini Hardtop 4 Door,” while Neiman Marcus used it to show different items in its Spring Show & Handbag Collection.
Facebook also said that by using carousel to show different watches to people that had visited its website, MVMT Watches increased click-through rates by 75%.
According to Facebook, advertisers using the format saw cost-per-conversion fall 30% to 50% and cost-per-click rates that were 20% to 30% better than standard single-image ads.
The carousel format also tells advertisers which links are performing the best and gives the option of changing the order based on engagement. “Early analysis shows that this optional feature has helped increase click-through rates by an average of 12%.”
After what some in the industry considered a slow shift into mobile, Facebook has been moving aggressively into the space in the last few years. Last quarter, nearly 75% of Facebook’s advertising revenue came from mobile ads, up from 69% in the previous quarter, while the numbers of users visiting Facebook from mobile devices rose 24% (1.25 billion active users on mobile out of a total user base of 1.44 billion).
According to eMarketer, Facebook took in 17.4% of the $42.6 billion worldwide mobile ad marketer last year compared to 16.4% the year before that.
—with files from Canadian Press
