Sequential Advertising: Leveraging Ad Sequencing on Facebook

Did you know that according to Facebook,  conversion rates for individuals exposed to sequential advertising were 14x – 17x higher than conversion rates for individuals not exposed to sequenced ads? This data was derived from instances where a sequence of two to three ads was used to convey a message to an audience.

Needless to say, sequencing your ads is a powerful tactic that can help companies increase their impact on their target audiences and boost conversions. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can leverage sequential advertising on Facebook, then look no further than these next few lines.

This article will explain to you exactly what sequential advertising is, why you should use it and how you can implement it on Facebook to generate greater leads and acquire more customers.

What is sequential advertising?

Sequential advertising is a method used where  a set of ads is presented in a pre-defined order or sequence (hence the term "sequential"). For example, if you were selling a product, you could create an initial ad that focuses on telling people about your brand,  then follow up with another ad which addresses a customer pain point. These ads could then be further followed up with third ad which focuses on showing how the audience can benefit from using your product. This granular approach results in greater audience impact and as a result, is an extremely effective strategy for advertising.

Benefits of sequential advertising

There are numerous benefits to be had from using sequential advertising. Perhaps the most notable of these is that it is an effective method for storytelling. A recent study found that ads which focused on telling a brand story in addition to including a CTA were more effective than ads which focused entirely on their CTA. Presenting ads in a story format is not only more interesting, but also creates a more immersive and personalized experience. Other benefits of using sequential advertising include:

• Versatility. Sequential advertising is a highly versatile strategy which can be implemented on just about every platform and channel (including Facebook).
• Reduces ad fatigue. Presenting the same old ad over and over again can quickly create ad fatigue in your audiences. It is also a less effective strategy because it doesn't give you the ability to diversify your content so that you are able to target various segments of your audience.
• Focused targeting. With sequential advertising, you're able to effectively target your content to individuals who match different buyer personas or those who are located in specific stages of the buyer's journey.
• Maximizes ROAS. With increased focus and targeting, you're able to make a greater impact on your audience and thus maximize your return on ad spend.
• Increased viewer rates. Since sequential advertising entails creating different types of ads to show sequentially, ad fatigue is decreased. Your content becomes more interesting and relevant to your audience which in turn correlates to increased viewer rates.
• Higher  conversions. Using sequential advertising is statistically proven to give you 14x-17x higher conversions when you use two or more ads. This is due to the fact that you have greater control over who sees which creatives. This targeted focus increases engagement and thus also leads to a boost in conversions and the collection of quality leads which can be nurtured into paying customers.

Using sequential advertising on Facebook

Users can take advantage of sequential advertising on Facebook through their reach and frequency buying feature, which is currently being offered to a number of qualified accounts and is slowly getting rolled out to the general public. As of now, it currently allows users to create up to 50 different ads which can be displayed in various orders to audiences.

So, what exactly is reach and frequency?

Reach and frequency is a buying type that allows users to select a fixed CPM. This effectively enables you to figure out exactly what you'll be spending in order to reach your audience prior to creating your campaign. When you set up a reach and frequency campaign in Facebook, you are able to reach your audience in a predictable manner. It allows you to select specific days and times of the day that your audience can see your ads, as well as the order in which your ads are seen and the number of times your audience is exposed to them. As you can imagine, this is an awesome tool for people who have a preference for planning ahead.

When you use the sequencing tool, Facebook is able to determine which ad your audience has seen and then moves forward with serving them up the next creative in line. At this point, users are unable to control whether or not an individual has to engage with their content in order to see the next ad, but we're happy to know that this is something that is at the forefront of Facebook's mind.  Perhaps in the future this may be an additional feature.

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Steps to setting up a reach and frequency campaign

If you're interested in sequencing your reach and frequency ads, you can simply head towards your Ads Manager in order to begin the process of creating your campaign.

At the Campaign level, you'll then want to reserve your reach and frequency campaign. To do this, you simply select Reach and Frequency as your buying type. Keep in mind again that this feature is currently only available to qualified accounts and so if you don't happen to see the Reach and Frequency option, then chances are it's because you don't currently have access to the feature at this point in time.

Once you've selected reach and frequency, you'll need to determine your objective. Are you looking to spread awareness about your brand, increase traffic, conversions or video views? This is the time to determine this.

After this is completed, you'll need to set your lifetime budget. Your lifetime budget is the maximum amount that you want to pay for your ads over the entire course of your campaign. As you adjust this budget, Facebook's predicted results will auto-populate in order to reflect the amounts entered.

Now, you will move on to selecting the maximum amount you'd like to spend over the course of your campaign in the Budget field at the Ad Set level. This feature also gives you the ability to adjust your budget manually on the graph provided on the right according to the number of people you are interested in reaching.

From here you will select the Facebook Page and Instagram account you would like the ads to run for.

Once this is completed, you can then move on to setting your ad schedule. In order to enable sequencing, you will first have to book and purchase your reach and frequency campaign.

The next step is where you define your audience.

Once you've finished choosing your audience parameters you will then need to move on to choose your placements. Your placements are the places where people are going to be exposed to your ads. Many times people just select Automatic Placements. This gives Facebook the authority yto run your ads where they believe they will achieve the greatest impact for the best value. However, you can also choose to Edit Placements and check/uncheck boxes based on your preferences. Keep in mind however that by choosing fewer placements can be a more costly method.

After you choose your placements you will need to select your optimization and delivery settings. This is where you set your reach and frequency balance. This balance influences how frequently your audience will be exposed to your ads during your campaign. As you can imagine, choosing the right frequency is going to be a large factor determining your success.  The platform recommends choosing Balanced frequency. According to the platform, this option defaults to the "optimal balance between reach and frequency for your campaign".

From here you can click Continue to move on to the process of designing and crafting your creative. Once you are finished, you simply click Review to look over your selections and Confirm to reserve (purchase and book) your campaign.

Tips for using sequential advertising

If you're looking to truly be effective with your sequential advertising efforts, then you should know that patience and experimentation are going to be the key determinants of success.

Visualize

So, take the time to make sure you get it right. Print and lay out your creatives so that you're able to see them, feel them and experience them yourself. Do they tell a story about your brand? Is it unique and/or engaging enough to draw your audience in? Does it feel personalized on an individual level as well as on a holistic level and not too sales-y? Would these creatives convert you if you were your audience? These are all questions to consider when finalizing your decision.

Experiment with different formats

It's also important to experiment with different ad formats. Static images are extremely popular and straight to the point, however their conversion rates tend to be lower when compared with other formats.

For example, carousel ads are extremely effective and efficient ways to drive clicks. According to Convince and Convert,  they can drive conversions for 30%-50% less than single-image ads.

Video on the other hand is extremely effective for generating engagements as well and has quickly become an industry favorite. It's easy to understand why -- according to Hubspot, 72% of individuals would rather watch a video to learn about a brand's product or services. Furthermore, marketers who use video grow their revenue 49% faster than those who don't.

Experiment with pacing

However, experimentation with different formats isn't enough. You should also consider experimenting with the pacing of your creatives. If your ads are paced too quickly, you'll make your audience feel rushed. This is especially the case when ti comes to making significant purchasing decisions. On the other hand, if you happen to sell products and/or services with low price points that don't require much consideration, moving too slow can be detrimental to your efforts.

Conclusion

Sequential advertising is a highly effective strategy that is becoming increasingly popular to use due to the numerous benefits that it offers. With sequential advertising, you're able to tell a story and create immersive experience with your audience as you gracefully guide them through the buyer's journey.

Sequential advertising is not only a highly versatile and targeted approach to take to advertising, it also can help companies prevent ad fatigue, increase their viewer rates, maximize their return on ad spend and boost conversions.

If you're interested in learning more about how you can leverage sequential advertising for your company, VisioneerIT can help. Our diverse set of services can assist your company with everything from display advertising to content marketing and social media management. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you get started off on the right foot.

‍Have you implemented sequential advertising in any of your latest campaigns? Have you been thinking about it? Let us know your experience in the comments below! We'd love to hear from you!