Facebook Rolls Out Autoplay Video Ads for Messenger. What could this mean for you?

It’s been more than a year since Facebook started selling ads on Facebook Messenger. These ads were static and when clicked, you are either directed to the company website or to a direct message with the company. You are even able to book an Uber or make restaurant bookings from these ads.

Now, Facebook has announced a new type of advertising for its Facebook Business users. On June 25, 2018, Facebook Business users can now advertise through autoplay videos on Messenger. This will be similar to the video ads you see on your News Feed, where the videos are muted until you click on them. This is quite a quick move since Facebook only just recently announced that they are enabling ads on Marketplace. According to Facebook, they will be “rolling out video ads gradually and thoughtfully” and that for now, only a small group of people will see them. They are continually monitoring user behavior to see how the new addition affects usability. They add that there has not been any notable changes in user behavior since the beginning of its testing phase.

What could this mean for businesses?

Firstly, it’s important to note that Messenger is ranked the second most popular social network, with 1.3 billion monthly users. That said, advertisers will have a large audience to target. And unlike scrolling through your feed where ads may sometimes get lost between posts, video ads on Messenger will have a tendency to stand out more between messages in an inbox.

However, there is a caveat to this. Advertisers are worried about how the users will receive their ads. The concern is that it will cause annoyance to users. In contrast, some believe this is an opportunity to reach out to their market. This, I believe, will ultimately depend on the content of your video. How relevant is the ad to your target market?

Facebook has been extremely successful in strategizing how they position ads on their platform. With proper content planning, video ads on Messenger could be a great opportunity to connect with your target audience.

If you'd like to find out more information about Video Ads on Messenger and how to utilize it for your business, or if you'd just like to speak with an expert, feel free to contact me.