Humans love stories. That’s a fact.

And the reason why we’re thrilled with stories is that they stir up our imagination. Brands that use storytelling end up engaging and converting their audience.

Do you leverage advertising in your business? Then you shouldn’t miss out on Facebook story ads.

Facebook Stories have reached 500 million daily active users (as reported in April 2019). This means an opportunity for you to reach a global audience —  and grow your business faster.

Eager to learn more about story ads on Facebook? Keep reading.

What Are Facebook Story Ads?

Facebook story ads are like Instagram story ads. You can see these ads in between people’s Facebook Stories, at the top of your News Feed.

Story ads provide an immersive, vertical full-screen experience on mobile. As for the creative, you get to take advantage of both photos and videos.

Here’s what a Facebook story ad looks like:

Photos show for 6 seconds while videos play up to 15 seconds. Your audience can swipe up on a call-to-action to be able to reach the destination of your choice (your landing page).

A Facebook story ad consists of the following elements:

• Progression bar – It’s the bar at the top of your ad which indicates how long your photo or video will play.
• Profile photo – At the upper left corner of the story ad is your profile image. When clicked on, it will take your audience to the account you specify.
• Scroll option – People can scroll forward or back to leave or return to your ad.
• Pause – By pressing and holding the screen, people can pause the ad to take a closer look at it.
• Call-to-action – Available CTAs depend on the advertising objective you choose. Examples of CTAs include Download, Get Quote, Learn More, Shop Now, Book Now, and more.

For the advertising objectives, Facebook ads in stories support the following:

• Reach
• Brand Awareness
• Lead Generation
• Video Views
• Traffic
• App Installs
• Conversions

Related content: Get the Best Campaign Results with These 11 Facebook Ad Objectives

How Does Facebook Story Ads Provide Value to Your Business?

You might be wondering:

“What kind of results can I expect by using Facebook Stories as an additional placement in my ad campaign?”

Here are some benefits of story ads you can’t ignore:

1. Brand awareness

If you’re trying to increase the discoverability of your business, a story ad helps you do that.

Financial institution CIMB Malaysia used story ads as part of their Facebook campaign for the Chinese New Year. Their goal was to reach as many people as possible. The result? Their video ads reached 8.8 million people in Malaysia.

2. Traffic

The more visitors that reach your website or physical store, the better. But what’s more important is the quality of your traffic. When people are truly interested in your business, they’re likely to become your customers!

In an Ipsos survey, it was revealed that 34% of people went to a store to look for a product after seeing it in a Facebook story.

With a clear and compelling call-to-action, you’ll also be able to effectively encourage your viewers to visit your website.

3. Authenticity

A story ad is a powerful means of showcasing your brand personality. It’s a chance for you to offer tips and advice, share fun moments, and highlight your values.

4. Positive word-of-mouth

Word-of-mouth is perhaps the most valuable form of advertising. Not only is it free, but it also positions you as an expert in your niche.

If you provide your audience with an amazing experience in your story ad, they can’t help but share your message with their friends and family!

Related content: These 3 Things Will Get People Sharing YOUR Business

5. Conversions and sales

Want people to sign-up for your newsletter, download your lead magnet, or buy your product?

In the same Ipsos survey, more than half of the participants said that they made an online purchase after seeing Facebook stories.

Furbo Dog Camera, Amazon’s best-selling dog camera, already had success with Instagram stories. But this time, they wanted to see if they could get better results by adopting Facebook Stories as well.

Their Facebook story ads (in addition to Instagram stories) were able to help them get 20% more leads. Furthermore, they achieved an 18% lower cost per lead acquisition.

How to Create Facebook Story Ads in Ads Manager

Ready to create your first Facebook story ad? Let’s go through the simple step-by-step process of doing it.

First, go to Ads Manager. Choose Create New Campaign.

Next, select a marketing objective that allows for ads in stories. (I’ve marked all the objectives below that support story ads.)

Click Continue, then select your Audience.

When choosing a placement, click Automatic Placements (Recommended).

This option allows your ads to be seen by as many people as possible since you’re taking advantage of multiple placements. One of these placements is stories. (Again, be sure to pick an objective that supports stories.)

If you want to view your placements, just click Edit Placements.

Once you’re done with Placements, set your Budget & Schedule. Then choose the Facebook page and Instagram account you want your ad to represent.

As for the format, click Single Image or Video since you’re showing your story ad on Facebook. (The carousel format applies only to Instagram).

Complete the remaining steps. Upload your photo or video, add your text and links, and call-to-action.

Finally, click Confirm to complete your ad.

And you’re done!

Customizing your single image ad for Stories

To make your ad most engaging and suitable for Stories, take advantage of stories Templates and Creative Tools.

Here’s how to do it:

At the Ad level > Media, choose Select a placement to customize. Then select Facebook Stories.

A pop-up will open where you can select from different templates and change the media and text.

You may also use tweak your story ad by adding a unique background color, music, or call-to-action effect that fits your brand.

Click Save when you’re done.

(To see more design specs for ads in stories, see this guide in Facebook’s Help Center.)

5 Tips to Take Advantage of Facebook Stories

You already know how to create facebook story ads. Now it’s time to learn how to take your ads to the next level.

How do you ensure that they stand out and reach your business goals? Check out these tips:

1. Use high-quality visuals.

Whether you’re running a story ad to show off your product or simply raise brand awareness, use a winning photo or video. Icons and illustrations should match your brand and get your message across.

2. Consider your marketing objective.

If your objective is to increase conversions such as purchases, it makes sense to highlight your best product or service. At the same time, select the right call-to-action which is Shop Now.

3. Enhance, don’t distract.

Creative Tools for your story ads should make them more engaging (not distracting) for your audience. For example, when choosing music, select a track that emphasizes the mood and message of the ad.

4. Optimize your post-click landing page.

You can have an amazing creative, but still not get the desired results. This is especially common with ads that optimize for leads and conversions.

The problem could be your landing page.

Is your landing page directly related to your story ad or is it irrelevant? Does it resemble your ad or does it look completely different? Will mobile users be able to view it properly? Does it load fast?

5. Use simple language.

Ad content in stories is consumed faster than other placements. That said, keep your copy simple and straightforward. The more understandable it is, the better the response you’ll get.

Run a Successful Facebook Story Ad

Facebook story ads are great for promoting your business and campaigns using a full-screen, highly engaging experience. Now that you’re aware of its benefits, all that’s left for you to do is to take action!

I would love for you to GET MORE out of your story ads.

Here at Connectio, we offer tools that help increase your ROI, improve your targeting, re-engage your audience, and more. Check out Connectio’s solutions right here!