Dive Brief:
- Meta has begun testing a new ad format called promotional ads to help consumers more easily utilize digital promotions, according to a company announcement. It also unveiled new lead generation tools.
- Using promotional ads, consumers on Facebook can click through an ad that appears in-feed to claim an offer, which will be automatically applied at the time of purchase. If a purchase isn’t made, they will receive a reminder notification prior to the deal ending.
- New lead generation tools revolve around form submissions, allowing for more personalized experiences and smoother data collection. The new features arrive as Meta continues to explore new ways to buoy its ads biz following its recent return to revenue growth.
Dive Insight:
Meta’s latest advertising releases seem to revolve around practicality, tapping into opportunities for a more convenient user experience while also offering marketers additional resources to drive conversions. A focus on expanded advertising muscle comes at a critical time for Meta, which in its first quarter returned to revenue growth following a long stretch of declines.
Using promotional ads, consumers could more easily take advantage of brand deals by automatically applying available discounts gained by clicking through an ad within their feed. The new format, which will be available first in the U.S., U.K., India and Canada, is backed by research cited in the announcement that found 85% of shoppers actively pursue promotions and offers before making a purchase. While deals have often been sought after, enabling the format as inflationary pressures endure could help to boost success.
“In today’s economic environment, it’s important for businesses to find the right customers, and for people to find the best deals so their dollars go further,” said Helen Ma, senior director of product management for Meta in emailed comments to Marketing Dive.
Among new lead ads features is the ability for advertisers to overlay Meta’s Instant Form, which allows consumers to easily submit contact information, on a business webpage within the in-app browser. The tool allows consumers to gain more detailed information about a brand, and if they decide to submit their information, the form will be auto-filled with information already provided to Meta, which is often their name and email address, per the announcement.
Additionally, question and answer forms will now be more customizable to the consumer with the ability to automatically update based on information provided. In an example provided by Meta, a form from a higher education institution could ask users what type of degree they are interested in, to which the form’s next question would adjust based on the answer provided.
Last, advertisers on Facebook can now attach a contact form to the “Contact Us” button on their brand profile, which will allow consumers to engage in a conversation with the brand via Messenger, a move that compliments Meta’s plans to reintegrate its messaging platform within the Facebook app.
The new advertising tools join a slew of other advancements by Meta as of late, namely surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI), which CEO Mark Zuckerberg credits to boosted ads success. Earlier this month, the company unveiled a new AI Sandbox, billed as a “testing playground” for generative AI, that is currently being tested by a small number of a advertisers.