In the past, social media networks were mostly used by teens or individuals who wanted to start a relationship or simply meet new people. Today, the situation is much different and social media networks like Facebook have become powerful advertising tools because these networks are used by people of all ages and people looking for many different things. Facebook has more than one billion registered users and most of them are active. By using ads on Facebook you can reach millions of people.
Many internet marketing experts like Facebook because Facebook advertising brings several benefits like – better business exposure, targeted advertising, low advertising cost and customer loyalty. But, in order to get the most from any Facebook advertising campaign you must understand how their ads work. For instance, you can choose to publish news feeds or you can use right column ads. So, which one is better and why? In order to answer this question we will analyze these two options separately.
News feed ads
News feed ads were introduced about four years ago and the audience and advertisers were satisfied with the way these ads were working. As the name suggests they appear in the news feed of every Facebook user. These ads appear between the news stories related to Facebook fan pages and the friends of the user.
According to some statistics, news feed ads are more popular among advertisers and ever since their introduction their use is growing all the time. They provide high conversion rate and click-through rate which are two very important indicators for any advertising campaign. In addition, the return of investment from these ads is very high. The best thing about news feed ads is their contextual appearance. They appear close to stories that are related to the subject of the ad.
Right column ads
Right column ads or right side ads are available for many years. They appear on the right side of the Facebook page even when you are not viewing the news feed. The popularity of news feed ads has forced Facebook to start making plans to boost the effects of right column ads. They have recently revealed that right column ads are changed and that they are similar to the ones found in the news feed. Their size is larger and their creation is easier than before. However, we must point out that Facebook has decided to publish fewer right column ads because they want to improve user experience.
So, what is the best option for advertisers that want to get the most from their Facebook advertising activity? This is a difficult question because it depends on what you are trying to achieve. In case you want great conversion rates (500% more compared to right column ads) you should select news feed ads. On the other hand, in case you want to unleash your creativity and make more attractive ads, you can opt for right column ads. Whatever option you choose, you should know that Facebook is a very popular platform and that you are investing in something that will eventually pay off.
