How are social media ads changing to better engage audiences?

Interactive ads in each known platform are designed to boost engagement and compel the user to move down the funnel. As a marketing manager and also a daily ad consumer I like how TikTok designs interactive ads (interactive Add-ons as an official naming goes). They are low production and are quite effective in boosting engagement. You can go basic with Gift Code Sticker or Display Card, or create a memorable user experience with Pop-out Showcase, Gesture or Superlike. Curious to see more developments by ad platforms that will make grabbing the user's attention and generating the buying intent even more effective.

We all love LinkedIn carousels, right? Whatever level of interactivity and decision-making can be permitted in a user's experience should be considered.

Just like everything else around us Social Media Ads are evolving and for the better, here's how Firstly, personalization is at the forefront, with ads becoming more tailored to individual preferences and behaviors. Platforms are increasingly leveraging user data to deliver content that's relevant and appealing. Video content continues to dominate, as it's more engaging and shareable, making it a top choice for advertisers. Also, engagement is increasing, with features like polls, quizzes, and shoppable posts, allowing users to actively participate. With an increase in e-commerce websites SM Ads are transforming ads into direct shopping experiences, reducing friction between discovery and purchase.

Social media ads are adapting by focusing on personalized content, leveraging interactive features, and refining targeting strategies to resonate more effectively with audience interests and behaviors. Additionally, there's a shift towards more authentic and relatable storytelling to establish meaningful connections with users.

Different organic and paid post formats can enable you to interact/engage with your audience in many ways. Take an Instagram Story for example; it could be a simple image or you could integrate a poll, a quiz or other elements which add value to your audience's experience of interacting with your brand. Consider how you can ensure that this aligns with your brands values and your objectives of being on social media. Are you looking to gather honest feedback from your community (ie: Asking a question on Instagram Stories to showcase your favourites in another post?) or find out which of two colour laptops your audience prefers? (ie: A poll)

Stories ads are a game-changer. With their short and engaging format, they capture the attention of users who are constantly scrolling through content. The use of stories ads allows brands to create immersive and creative experiences that seamlessly blend in with organic stories. Brands have a unique opportunity to reach a large and active audience through these expressive and visually captivating ad formats. With the ability to create tailored campaigns that resonate with their target audience, businesses can effectively communicate their brand story and generate engaging experiences.

Stories is something to have the deepest respect for. As a company you might end up looking like an uninvited guest at a Christmas party. As a format however it is very attractive, that is if you manage to tell a story. Not only documenting a day a the office thru images. Polls and quizzes seem to engage at a basic level. Building up suspension between every frame is sort of the magic trick overall.

Don't create content FOR your audience. Create content WITH them! Tell their stories. Collaborative content development strengthens relationships. Content is NOT king. Relationships are. Put your community first... not just in principle, but on your social media channels, for amazing results.

Over 500 million users globally use Instagram stories daily, so whether you are using Instagram stories for your company or just for fun, they are a key part of growing your audience and simply posting them isn't enough anymore. You don’t want your followers to just tap through your stories — you want to engage them, make them tap that link sticker, vote on your poll, share their opinion or listen to your new song or podcast on Spotify.

Social media ads are evolving to engage audiences more effectively by emphasizing personalization, interactivity, and authenticity. Marketers are using advanced targeting algorithms to deliver content tailored to users interests and behaviors, making ads feel more relevant. Interactive formats like polls, quizzes, and AR filters encourage user engagement and create a two-way conversation. Moreover, brands are prioritizing transparency and authenticity in their messaging, building trust with audiences. Short, attention-grabbing videos and stories have become popular, as they suit the shorter attention spans of social media users. These changes aim to make ads less intrusive and more appealing to the modern, digitally-savvy audience.

Video is the future. It humanizes your brand and is able to convey more with less. The question is less video or no video but more of what kind of video. I see a simple dichotomy of low-fi and high-fi ads. The high-fi are those that take a ton of time/money/effort to develop and will likely be longer and cut into multiple ads. This can result in high-quality ads that perform well. Another approach is the low-fi where you aim to go with a more realistic feel. This would look like someone holding a camera selfie-style recording themselves talking about a product or service. Possibly using simple screen grabs to compliment the video. Both are effective and can be used simultaneously. Make sure to tie the desired outcome to the style.

I often see companies doing videos for the sake of video. They'll do an animation or turn pictures into a GIF and expect better results. That is different from seeing some faces and body language and having them share their expertise. Moreover, it's essential to acknowledge that while some enjoy watching videos, others prefer consuming text-based content. Therefore, it's advisable to strike a balance between different forms of creative content rather than solely relying on video in advertisements.

While not a new kid on the block, video ads remain the maestros of social media advertising. 🌟 Why? They grab attention and tug at emotions through compelling storytelling, visuals, and sound. 📹💫 Versatile, they seamlessly adapt to different formats and placements - in-feed, in-stream, or in-article.

While video ads aren't by their nature interactive, they are one of the best ways to capture users' attention and more ways to interact (other than just simply watching) have developed around them. Interactive end cards (IECs) are interactive cards that appear at the end of a video, and that allow users to keep for e.g. playing with the ad after it's over. Branching allows users to pick the video's narrative and to have a say on how the story plays out and 360 videos immerse users in every angle of the video.

In my experience, TikTok-style videos in ads perform super well on all channels. They are interactive, fast, and informative. The story and the message of the brand can be told in an effective way using this method.

(UGC) marketing campaigns highlight the feelings of the end user of your product or service. This lets active community members know they're appreciated and provides great content for top-of-the-funnel eyes. You can use those videos for creative marketing strategies in addition to using a parsed-down version to sell

Speak with the eyes/experiences of your consumers - it doesn’t get more authentic than this. Make your consumers/followers be part of your storytelling and guide them in the direction you would like to achieve with the content.

User-generated content (UGC) ads can help to add some authenticity to your social media advertisements. Although high-quality photography has been proven to perform well, UGC advertising enables you to shine a light on your incredible community that is supporting your business whilst showcasing your products/services in truly relatable ways; after all UGC is from social media users who have ALREADY purchased from you! Keep this in mind as you put together your UGC ads as there is real power if you are able to clearly communicate this to audiences who haven't already purchased from you - it can really help to drive conversions!

UGC talks about the state of your brand according to your own community. If users feel comfortable and proud to share or upload content related to your brand, that's good news.

I think User-generated content ads are indeed important because it shows the appreciation of the costumers on your product that they bought and it could convince others to buy your product.

AR ads can provide users to test the products and to virtually see how a pair of sunglasses or a shade of lipstick would look on them, which helps both remove their hesitations about buying but also reduces the amount of returns made by users - so it's a win-win from both the business and sustainability side. While face filters might bring bunny-ears or the one that turns you into your old self to mind, they can be more than just fun and games and also used by brands to increase engagement with their products and to encourage users to spend time and play with their brand.

Augmented reality (AR) ads enable another level of personal connection compared to more traditional advertising/post formats. Given the investment, consider how AR could help to bring your product/service to life in a way that your audience can appreciate how it could benefit their day-to-day lives. For example, this could be from showing how products could physically look on the user (ie: AR filter of a hat you are selling) or the physical size of a laptop by using AR to 'place' the product in the social media users immediate environment. Get creative, get innovative and use AR to surprise and delight your audience!

Shoppable ads are a great example of social commerce and are currently available on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and Pinterest and seamless catalog integrations bring shoppable ads just a few clicks away to us marketers. Shoppable ads can take many forms, from tagging products to your social media posts or ads, to creating dynamic carousel or collection ads by syncing your webshop to commerce manager and utilizing it's up-to-date stock and pricing information, or to AR experiences that allow users to both test the products on their real-life environment and try them on but to also take action and make direct purchases. All of the formats are great at providing users with a more simplified buying experience.

Social commerce ads are taking over the social media world right now. On TikTok for example, you can't scroll on there anymore without going past an ad for a TikTok Shop product every few videos. I think this is only the beginning, and if you're a B2C brand you're missing out on an extreme amount of sales if you're not putting out ads on social media. Something widely popular right now is "relatability" so one way to put yourself ahead of the hugely saturated market is to make your video and picture ads not seem like ads. Your ad should stop people from scrolling and trick them into thinking you're just another person posting. A TikTok ad example would be to follow a popular trend that incorporates your product and make that into an ad.

Social commerce ads are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people are shopping on social media. In fact, a recent study by eMarketer found that social commerce spending is expected to reach $1.9 trillion by 2025. Increased reach and engagement: Social media platforms have a massive reach, and social commerce ads can help businesses reach a wider audience of potential customers. Additionally, social media ads are often more engaging than traditional advertising, as they allow users to interact with the ad and learn more about the product or service. Simplified purchase process: Social commerce ads allow users to purchase products or services directly from the social media platform.

Shoppable ads will become norm for most of FMCG. So much value in moving people at speed from media to purchase. Think as frictionless as possible.

In general the platforms come up with new ad formats to keep people on their platform. That has always been the case. LinkedIn document ads and document lead ads are a perfect example for it. Before people used traffic ads to get users to their website ( traffic for LinkedIn was gone).

Find the ratio of different kinds of posts that your audience prefers, but "4-1-1" is a general rule for content posting. Post 4 pieces of valuable content, 1 promotional post, & 1 post that encourages engagement. Create a balanced mix of content that is informative, engaging, and promotional. Avoid overwhelming your audience with too much promotional content. Here is an example of how to use the 4-1-1 rule for content posting on social media: 4 valuable content posts: Articles, blog posts, videos, or infographics that are relevant to your audience's interests. 1 promotional post: About your product or service, a special offer, or a contest. 1 engagement post: A question, a poll, or a behind-the-scenes photo.

Social media ads are more engaging than organic ads because they allow us to target our exact customers based on their problems and needs. For instance, if a person is dealing with dandruff, creating an ad with user-generated content increases the likelihood of engagement. Aligning our content with their problems and needs enhances the overall engagement of the social media ads.

The core difference in the new age social media ads is the length of the ads. As the attention spans are diminishing, there are only about 3 seconds to hook the audience to listen to you. Therefore, the ads have become shorter and more effective hooks are needed to retain the audience.