Facebook understands the game-changing capabilities of video content for social media so it added video support in its Audience Network platform.
The feature will spread on the platform over the following weeks and will allow advertisers to use video ads in order to increase brand awareness and recognition. A notable mention is that the ads will land not only on the mobile apps, but also inside Facebook's desktop property.
"With a single checkbox, [advertisers] are extending campaigns beyond the walls of Facebook," says the lead product marketing manager for Facebook Audience Network, Brett Vogel.
He goes on to say that this will lead to brands getting "more audience, more scale and more reach."
Ads get displayed in-stream, which will position them prior, during or after existing video content from third-party sites or apps. Users will also see them in-article, which will place them inside Instant Articles on Facebook as well as on the mobile websites of publishers. It should be noted that as long as the two options are live, advertisers cannot choose one or another. In-article ads let users opt for sound.
According to Facebook for Business, Jack in the Box is the spearhead advertiser that will use the new feature. From the publishing pack, names such as Mashable and Daily Mail will set out to have video ads on their sites and apps.
The company mentions that for publishers to make use of the ads, they need to pass through a beta program that whitelists them. Non-publishing sites can simply embed a JavaScript ad tag on their page to enable video tags on their pages.
Facebook's Audience Network dates back to 2014 and uses the social network's capability to tap into individual profile data, making sure that brands get their message across to the right audience. In 2014, Facebook catered to the needs of 1.5 million marketers with the introduction of the ad network.
More than 100 million hours of videos are counted by Facebook each day on its proprietary platform. This high ranking number is why brands will want to use Audience Network to stay present in Facebook users' minds.
"What you're doing is taking unique characteristics of Facebook and applying it to the rest of the Internet," Vogel mentions.
Vogel explains how the Audience Network system works. He points out that once an advertiser goes to the ad manager, they need to simply select "video views" and check the box. This spreads the video ads beyond the social network's premises, increasing reach.
The social media company affirms that, should the targeted audience stay on a non-Facebook, non-Instagram app for long periods of time, the ads will appear in that app or website instead of redundantly showing on Facebook or Instagram.
Facebook touts that advertisers who tap into Audience Network's potential will get as much as 10 percent extra reach than those who rely solely on the News Feed. Facebook makes it clear that video ads will also land on stationary properties. We can speculate that the future will bring a full myriad of ad formats on desktop systems as well.
How do you feel about the increased focus Facebook is showing in ads and marketing efforts? Let us know in the comments section below.
