What’s this about Facebook Messenger Ads?
This is an extract from TWIS SEO Update 14 July 2017.
Facebook is about to infuse Messenger with ads. There will be three types which will be available to all advertisers, and which cannot be blocked by users. You can read about the details of these ads in this post.
If you would like to discuss ways Facebook Messenger Ads could impact your web business, please feel free to contact me.
#Facebook #FacebookMessenger #DigitalMarketing #SocialMedia #AdBlocking
Facebook Messenger Ads Released
Messenger Ads Summary:
- Facebook has released a suite of ad types which will be available in users Messenger feeds.
- There are three types:
- Messenger ads, which are straight ads like the NewsFeed ads.
- Click to Messenger ads, which initiate a conversation within Messenger (perfect for chat bots).
- Sponsored messages, which are ads which look like messages.
- These are starting to be available in the Facebook ad manager interface.
- There is no organic way to appear in Messenger, but organic traffic can affect which ads surface.
Facebook Ads Actions to take:
- If you use Facebook ads, log into Ads Manager and see if they are available to your accounts yet.
- Follow the Facebook guidance for initiating and placing ads.
- If you use them, target your website visitors by using Facebook Pixel.
- Contact me if you would like to discuss this further.
Facebook Ads Discussion:
Facebook is becoming a bit of an advertising powerhouse, only behind Google in terms of the money spent on ads on its platform. Unfortunately, it has also been running out of inventory, meaning in time honoured fashion that new ad spots are needed. This could also be a function of fewer user posts on Facebook, meaning there are fewer posts to slot the ads in between.
I’ve not yet seen any user complaints about this, but I can imagine there will be quite a few. The messenger feed is private, or feels that way anyway. Using this will make users feel like brands, sites etc are stalking them and invading their space, especially if re-targeting is used.
I haven’t yet tested this, but I would imagine that Ad Blockers which already block NewsFeed ads will also block Messenger ads. This could be a driver to install ad blockers.
The other thing I haven’t tested yet is whether people sharing links etc via Messenger is enough to allow a re-targeting cookie to sit on your device (loading the preview may fire the cookie). I suspect it will.
There isn’t a way into the messenger feed organically, aside from people sharing links & good old word-of-mouth, unfortunately. However, if you use Facebook ads and Facebook Pixel, you can create a Custom Audience to retarget those visitors – and your competitors can use Lookalike Audiences to target visitors like yours.
More info:
Mobile First is NOT Mobile Friendly
TL;DR
- Facebook is about to fill Messenger with ads. Oh joys.
- Organic traffic can affect which ads are surfaced to users.
- Read The State of SEO in mid-2017.
- Read about how Google’s Mobile First Index is not Mobile Friendly.
Thanks for reading. If you would like to discuss what these changes mean for your web property, or would like to know how to implement them, please feel free to contact me.
