As Facebook continues to de-emphasize branded content in its News Feed, brands must strive harder than ever to run compelling campaigns, pouring bigger ad budgets and organizational resources into the platform.
With so much at stake, how can brands drive a true return on investment with a Facebook campaign? By making those campaigns as enticing to their audiences as possible, of course.
On March 13, PR News will explore strategies for doing so in its webinar, "How to Increase the ROI of Your Facebook Campaigns," offering case-study examples of campaigns that, beyond winning impressions and shares, truly tie back to brands' business objectives.
For a taste of tomorrow's program, here are four ways brands can increase ROI on Facebook:
Tell video stories that suit the platform's formats and technical specifications. While communicators and marketers have been hearing that "video is king" for several years, it can be a challenge to discern what types of video are most successful now that so many brands are hip to the medium. At SXSW, Facebook showcased mini-sets and props to demonstrate the ease with which brands can create Boomerangs and stop-motion videos that have been proven to drive clicks and engagement on Facebook and Instagram—especially on mobile.
In an Adweek interview at SXSW, Bob Gruters, Facebook's group director of global marketing solutions said, “It’s about storytelling through a mobile video lens; that’s where consumers are. Their devices are in their hands 24/7 and they’re shooting amazing video…so the power of creativity and innovation sits in your hands. Take advantage of that moment and how you weave your message into that because then we can together deliver really good business outcomes."
Keep content relevant for your audience. It can be helpful to keep an audience checklist handy to make sure your Facebook campaigns stay on target. Tina Starkey, national director of social media at American Cancer Society, who will be speaking on the March 13 webinar, uses five categories to keep her Facebook campaigns audience-focused:
USEFUL – Does it provide valuable information?
INTERESTING – Does it offer new information or educate?
COMPELLING – Does it have a clear CTA?
RELEVANT – Do we have a right to be part of the conversation?
IMPACTFUL – Does it encourage & inspire?
Ready to revamp your Facebook campaigns to suit the platform's latest algorithm changes? Join PR News for its March 12 webinar "How to Increase the ROI of Your Facebook Campaigns" and hear from communicators at Adobe, PwC and American Cancer Society about how they're tying their Facebook efforts to business goals. Use the discount code "FACEBOOK" for $100 off of registration.
Experiment with Facebook's new augmented reality tools. The upcoming films "A Wrinkle in Time" and "Ready Player One" leveraged augmented reality to launch whimsical 3-D scenes whenever a user points a smartphone using Facebook's native camera at a movie poster. And in December 2017, Facebook launched an AR Studio for developers, so even brands without a Hollywood advertising budget have access to the technology.
Give audiences something to share with others. On social, giving can be its own reward, as Starkey has found by offering her audience "snackable" content to share with their own followers. American Cancer Society's audience includes cancer patients, survivors and their families, so educational infographics, statistics and quotes about preventing certain types of cancer are particularly successful. Using Starkey's five categories above, communicators should be able to craft visual content for others to pass along, spreading the brand's message and ultimately tying back to campaign goals.
Follow Sophie: @SophieMaerowitz