What Are Facebook Messenger Ads?

Facebook Messenger ads are ads that appear on users’ Facebook and Instagram feeds and/or in the Facebook Messenger app, encouraging users to start conversations with businesses. The beauty of Facebook advertising is that there is a solution out there for every business goal. Facebook Messenger ads allow you to reach a wide audience, capture their attention, start conversations, and retarget customers on Facebook – AKA one of the leading social networking apps in the world. 

There are two types of Facebook Messenger ads: 

1. Messenger Ad Objective – Typical ads that open a conversation in Messenger.
    
2. Messenger Ad Placement  – Sponsored messages in a user’s Messenger inbox.

• Have a ‘Messages’ objective
• Use a ‘Send Message’ call-to-action (CTA) button
• Direct interested users to Facebook Messenger to start a conversation with your Facebook business Page. 

On the other hand, a Messenger ad placement is the option to run an existing ad in the Facebook Messenger app as a sponsored message, rather than in the user’s feed.

Why Should I Use Facebook Messenger Ads?

The benefits of using Messenger ads go beyond just some impressive statistics but, in case you were curious, here are a few Facebook Messenger stats anyway:

Businesses of all sizes take advantage of Messenger ads to achieve the following:

• Reach people by placing ads where your audience is less likely to miss them: Facebook Messenger inbox. Reach your target audience at scale. Then, connect with each one individually in the Facebook Messenger app.

• Capture attention right away with Messenger Stories ads that are designed to be fast, engaging, and fun! Messenger Stories ads are only available for purchase as an addition to a campaign already running in the feed.

• Start conversations with your target audience in a way that’s easy, convenient, and effective. Tailor your conversations in a way that gets you closer to the desired outcome.

• Retarget customers with sponsored messages in the Messenger inbox of users who have already engaged in conversation or are already aware of your brand.

If your business’s marketing strategies look anything like the list above, then try exploring Facebook Messenger ads to start driving the results you’re looking for.

Messenger Ad Objective

Running ads that click to Messenger looks and feels like a typical ad from any other objective, but there are some key differences when setting up the ad:

• The objective selected is ‘Messages’.
  

• The primary goal of the ads is for users to start conversations in Messenger.

• Ads direct users to the Facebook Messenger app whether the ad is placed on Facebook or Instagram.

• Advertisers can use different ad creatives for Facebook vs. Instagram in the same ad set! 

4 tips for success with a Messenger ad objective:
With the right tips & tricks, using a Messenger ad objective can be one of the most effective ways to generate real results, one conversation at a time.

• Convince your audience to start a conversation by making the ad copy crystal clear as to how they can benefit from sending a message to your business.

• Everyone loves a good discount! Offer immediate incentives to your audience to boost the chances of users taking action.

• Take advantage of the best of both worlds and use Messenger ad placements to retarget users who have already started a conversation with your business Page.

• To make it clear to users that the call-to-action is to start a conversation with the business, try using a headline that encourages them to send a message like “Chat with Us!”. 

Now, let’s take a look at Facebook Messenger ads as a placement rather than an objective.

Messenger Ad Placements

When creating a typical Facebook ad, there are multiple placement options that include Stories, feeds, Facebook Marketplace, Messenger, and more. Messenger ad placements give you the chance to place sponsored messages in the Messenger inbox of your target audience. 

Facebook Messenger ad placements have many valuable benefits, including higher click-thru rates. Think about it – Users are typically scrolling endlessly through their cluttered news feeds. However, with their inbox, the odds are high that they will see and click the message to at least read what it says.

Once users open the sponsored message, the full ad creative and copy will display, where users can then directly respond to the ad.

The Messenger ad placement allows businesses to reach their target audience on a more personal level than other Facebook advertising solutions. In a way, it’s similar to sending an email directly to your audience’s inbox.

How to set up Facebook Messenger ad placements:

• Begin your typical process of setting up a Facebook ad campaign in Ads Manager.

• At the ad set level, identify the Ad Type as ‘Sponsored Message’ rather than ‘Click to Message’.

• Under the Placements section, select Manual Placements.

• Make sure Messenger is toggled off as one of your chosen placements.

5 tips for success with Messenger ad placements:

Make sure you take full advantage of using a Messenger ad placement with the following tips that can help ensure successful results.

• Promote a discount offer to incentivize your audience to click the sponsored message.

• Since the ad creative appears as a small preview image in the user’s inbox, try using vibrant creative imagery to be sure that your audience’s attention will be captured.

• Advertising in a user’s Messenger inbox works to create a more personal connection with your audience, so use ad copy that is engaging, relatable, and friendly.

• Be prepared for the incoming messages headed your way. Anticipate not only a flood of messages but also a likely increased flow of web traffic. Learn how to prepare your website for Facebook ad traffic here!

Try using a sponsored message in Messenger to retarget customers who have started conversations with your business but have not yet become a lead.

Wrapping It Up

There’s a lot to learn about Facebook Messenger ads but here’s what you need to take away – Messenger ads are worth giving a try for businesses looking to explore new ways to interact with their audience. Brands of all sizes see consistent and valuable results with Messenger ads and take full advantage of the benefits it offers:

• Generate leads and spread brand awareness effectively.
• Gain a high-level understanding of who your customers are.
• Stay ahead of competitors by building connections & staying front of mind.
• Boost web traffic by directing users to a landing page on your website.

Still have questions about Facebook advertising? Schedule a call with us!