At Connectio, we understand this vast digital world presents both opportunities and challenges for companies to connect with their audiences. Yes, technology and the many channels and platforms now available have significantly increased the ways businesses can communicate with customers.

However, as we see with many clients we work with, bigger doesn’t mean better, and fighting to keep a message from disappearing into the wall of advertising sound is a constant battle.

Fortunately, we have some good news for businesses that might feel like they’re swimming against the advertising tides. Some of the larger online channels have launched new advertising platforms designed to give you access to their vast user bases while retaining the ability to customize your message.

Facebook, for instance, uses its Messenger Ads platform to deliver a massive user base to advertisers in a handful of customizable ways to intensify engagement with their target audience. When used correctly, we’ve seen Messenger ads have a significant impact on conversions and ROI.

With three distinct formats to choose from – News Feed Ads, Home Section ads, and Sponsored Messages – advertisers are given flexibility and freedom as each uses the reach and potency of Facebook Messenger in unique ways.

As powerful as these ad solutions can be, however, we can’t say they are a cure-all that will solve all of your ad woes.

Creating engaging content with concise, informative copy and appealing creative is still a critical component in helping advance the consumer along the sales funnel and enhancing the customer journey. When used as a component of an overall strategy that includes message testing, efficient metric tracking, and strong calls-to-action, we’ve seen Facebook Messenger ads give advertisers the ROI they crave in this dynamic and shape-shifting marketplace.

At Connectio, our innovative solutions help you take advantage of the unique benefits Facebook Messenger ads can bring to campaigns, helping their voices rise above that background noise. In other words, we ensure your business gets noticed and remembered by exploiting the positive difference Messenger advertising can have on your bottom line.

(Source: Adobe)

Facebook Messenger Ads at a Glance

The endless progression of social media channels and online platforms has created a digital Darwinism of sorts. It has segmented the audience according to an infinite number of evolving tastes and interests that seem to shift on a whim. Facebook, of course, is the embodiment of that notion, reaching into nearly every imaginable facet of society.

With over two billion monthly users, everyone from the elderly grandmother down the street to the fast-talking CEO is on Facebook, sharing their insights, opinions, reviews, and annoyances with anyone who will listen. One of the most popular components of Facebook’s different services, Messenger, grew to be such a favorite that is was spun off from Facebook’s core platform and now functions as its own entity. Still, despite being a separate app, Facebook Messenger now touts over 1.3 billion monthly users of its own.

Such massive figures might seem like a veritable goldmine for advertisers who are continually fighting to expand market share in an extremely competitive environment. Given those countless customer segments, however, we too often see that goldmine turn into a minefield as businesses try to navigate through the masses without a map to reach their target audiences.

That is why we feel Facebook Messenger ads can be so beneficial to companies striving to magnify the impact of their voice. By offering three different formats, you can maintain agility to not only use the best format for their needs but, perhaps more importantly, infuse those ads with customization that can speak directly to those different affinities.

Of course, with over 2 billion messages sent between businesses and users each month, and over half of Messenger users preferring to interact with companies rather than being spoken to through traditional ads, the statistics certainly support our thoughts on the service.

Simply put, rather than needlessly wasting resources by screaming towards those masses to reach just a few individuals, advertisers can use Messenger ads to speak directly to them in close quarters. In that sense, these three Messenger ads formats improve ROI by both maximizing the effectiveness of the message and lending the process a far higher level of efficiency as well. When you throw your own unique insights and abilities into the mix, these Messenger ad formats can be very impactful, engaging and beneficial to your sales.

News Feed Messenger Ads

The reliance a typical Facebook user has on their News Feed ranks just beneath oxygen and food in terms of sustenance requirements. It’s a convenient way for people to stay up to speed on everything from status updates and new pictures to posts from Pages and their groups. Naturally, given its prime real estate on a Facebook page and streamlined layout, News Feeds are a significant target for advertisers wanting to grab a user’s attention.

The trick, of course, is like we already said – ads are at their most effective when they fully engage their target audience. As people browse through their News Feed in search of clever memes to share or updates from their friends, ordinary display ads can easily blend into the background and never realize any discernible impact. That’s precisely why we place so much emphasis on News Feed ads.

Rather than a static picture with a call-to-action button that leads the user to a landing page, these ads go directly from the News Feed to the Messenger platform to engage the user in conversation. With 53% of Facebook users more open to a company’s message when interacting with them, News Feed ads provide that heightened level of engagement that only enhances the customer journey and intensifies ever-important brand recognition.

(Source: Adweek)

This is a good example from Jasper’s Market, who use Messenger to instantly communicate with its audience when they click on the ad. Even though the initial message is automated, the open and friendly tone is an excellent way to connect with potential customers. The aim is to get the conversation going.

Home Section Ads

We describe News Feed and Home Section ads as first cousins to each other—similar enough to see they’re related but with some crucial differences. First and foremost, Home Section ads don’t appear in News Feeds but within the Messenger app itself. This distinction can work in a Home Section ad’s favor by removing an additional step to engage the user in conversation since the ads are already in Messenger.

With 73% of customers preferring to communicate with companies through a chat or messaging function, Home Section ads are a natural fit for businesses trying to develop a rapport with the audience. These types of Messenger ads are innately engaging in a way that immediately envelopes the potential customer. Recent research has shown interactive ads like Facebook Messenger’s Home Section ads can resonate up to 29% more with an audience than their traditional counterparts, showing a 25% boost in emotional response as well. When an ad forms an emotional bond with a user, the chances for conversion rise dramatically.

(Source: Mobile Marketing Magazine)

Here’s a typical Messenger home screen ad to give you an idea of how it works. Not only would your ad be targeted, they tend to be placed at the top before the reader scrolls down to read their personal messages.

If you’re looking to broadcast your business in a targeted, perosnalized way, home section ads are the way forward.

Sponsored Message Ads

We emphasize an intelligent, well-organized approach to consumer preference data with good reason – it automatically creates warm leads between a business and its potential customer base. Whatever a Facebook user might be passionate about in their life – whether that’s farm-to-table eating, muscle cars, Hollywood gossip or funny cat videos – they are bound to be far more open to ads that speak to those interests rather than an ad designed for mass appeal.

Sponsored Message ads give companies a convenient conduit to distribute highly customized messages according to those specific interests. For instance, let’s say you’re a pet food manufacturer that is trying to expand your line of organic dog food. The data indicates there is a particular segment of Facebook users that are dog owners and place emphasis on exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Using Sponsored Message ads, you can distribute a tailored message to the inbox of the users that belong to that particular segment.

We’ve found Sponsored Message ads to be very useful when communicating with isolated consumer segments over affinities that they’re already passionate about. It’s a responsible yet effective way to use consumer data for the benefit of both the customer and your business, educating a Facebook user on a service or product that could very well have a positive impact on the person’s life.

However, with the platform placing a re-emphasis on the user experience, we must explain a small caveat before you leap headfirst into the Sponsored Message pool. You must have already communicated with the particular customer in Messenger to have the ability to send them Sponsored Messages.

Likewise, a company must also have a certain amount of open conversations to target customized user segments in the first place. These requirements place even more importance on the Destination and Home Section ads we already discussed, given their ability to initiate conversations with a Facebook user in the Messenger platform.

(Source: Adweek)

Australian airline, Qantas uses Messenger to deliver the latest news and deals directly to its followers. Given the fact the receivers have already demonstrated an interest in the business, they are likely to be receptive to such deals.

The “Learn More” CTA helps to soften the “hard-sell” tone and engages with the target audience.

Make the Most of Messenger Ads

We emphasize Facebook Messenger ads because their unique attributes stand out from any other form of Facebook advertising. Not only do they provide you with the opportunities we mentioned, they are important from a comprehensive advertising perspective as well.

They provide the opportunity to retarget your message when conversations get interrupted, give interested users immediate responses, are highly scalable and offer extensive local targeting options to hone your message further. Get in touch with us now and we’ll show you precisely what Facebook Messenger ads can do for your brand identity, customer base, and ultimately, your bottom line.