If you happen to’ve used Dynamic Inventive to dynamically create a number of variations of your adverts, you perceive the fundamental idea of Versatile Advert Format. They operate very equally, with some minor variations.
Let’s take a more in-depth take a look at what Versatile Advert Format is and the way you may use it. Contemplate this your information to what’s changing into an more and more necessary characteristic.
What Is It?
If you happen to’re an old style advertiser who wishes management, Versatile Advert Format might not be for you. However, if you happen to’re capable of let go of that management and lean into automation and optimization, it is a time-saving choice.
Versatile Advert Format permits you to submit as much as 10 pictures or movies for a single advert. Carousel variations may even be created from the photographs you submitted. Meta’s advert supply system will then routinely decide which format to point out individuals to get the perfect response primarily based on placement and viewers.
Advantages
The first advantage of Versatile Advert Format is extra automation and fewer effort on the a part of the advertiser.
Within the typical state of affairs, an advertiser may need advert inventive concepts utilizing a single picture, video, or carousel. There isn’t a choice for one format or the opposite, so that you’d create separate adverts to see how every choice performs. You may additionally customise by placement since not all codecs work with all placements.
With Versatile Advert Format, you possibly can submit a number of pictures and movies for a single advert. There’s no want (or potential) to customise the advert by placement. Meta’s methods will routinely optimize the advert format to point out the proper model by placement and viewers.
Much less effort, much less guessing, and extra automation.
Marketing campaign Targets
This seems to be a little bit of a shifting goal. When Versatile Advert Format was launched in November of 2023, it was solely out there for the Visitors goal. I do know as a result of I wrote a weblog put up about it and located that requirement to be odd.
As of at present, Meta’s documentation signifies that Versatile Advert Format is offered for 2 marketing campaign targets: App Promotion or Gross sales.
If you happen to use the Gross sales goal, make certain to toggle off “Use a Catalog” when creating the marketing campaign. Versatile Advert Format won’t be an choice when that is turned on.
Additionally, when utilizing the Gross sales goal, make certain to pick out both the Web site or App conversion location inside the advert set.
Be aware that the “Web site and App” conversion location doesn’t qualify for Versatile Advert Format.
Lastly, there’s a little bit of a contradiction as I write this. I famous on the high that this characteristic was initially out there for the Visitors goal, however that Meta’s documentation has been up to date to mirror its availability just for Gross sales and App Promotion. Properly, I’m nonetheless capable of choose Versatile Advert Format when utilizing the Visitors goal. Though, it appears to work extra like Dynamic Inventive.
My guess is that that is non permanent whereas we’re in a transition interval. Throughout June of 2024, Meta started alerting customers that Dynamic Inventive was going away and it is best to use Versatile Advert Format as a substitute.
The caveat: Dynamic Inventive was solely going away for the Gross sales and App Promotion targets.
So, if we take Meta’s documentation actually, that is what they need us to do:
- Use Versatile Advert Format for Gross sales and App Promotion targets
- Use Dynamic Inventive for all different targets
Create
Inside Advert Setup below Format, choose Versatile. As described, Meta will present your advert within the format they predict could carry out greatest.
Below Advert Inventive, you possibly can add or choose as much as 10 pictures or movies (or a mixture of each pictures and movies).
Go forward and add or choose a couple of pictures. Then click on the Add Media dropdown once more to add or choose a couple of movies.
Whenever you’re performed, you’ll see thumbnails for the entire pictures and movies you’ve chosen. Click on “Edit.”
You possibly can select to crop the photographs, if mandatory. Normally, it is best to depart this alone. The picture could also be cropped or expanded routinely, relying on the position.
You can too select to crop and trim the movies.
It’s possible you’ll need to trim movies down to fifteen seconds in order that they’ll qualify for all placements.
Then add major textual content, headline, description, and CTA button, as desired. Be aware that the a number of choices right here aren’t technically a part of Versatile Advert Format. Textual content Variations is a regular choice that you need to use if you happen to’d like.
Preview Variations
You possibly can preview the entire potential variations of your adverts. You might preview all variations in the proper panel. Filter by placement or format.
I discover the Superior Preview a bit simpler to make use of since I can see extra variations in a single view. Click on “Superior Preview.”
As soon as once more, you possibly can filter by placement and advert format.
Recall that one of many codecs is Carousel. Although you didn’t create a carousel, a number of variations are generated for you.
Photographs and movies are routinely cropped or expanded to suit placements.
These previews actually are for informational functions. There’s no approach to edit or take away one of many variations, at the least at this second. I discovered it unusual that one of many carousel choices doesn’t show major textual content within the preview.
If you happen to see something that simply doesn’t look proper due to the cropping or adjustment in a placement, chances are you’ll want to make use of a special picture or video that works universally.
In comparison with Dynamic Inventive
That is one thing that I’ve struggled with from the beginning. What’s the distinction?
Let’s think about the definitions of every of those options.
Dynamic inventive takes a number of media, similar to pictures and movies, and a number of advert elements, similar to pictures, movies, textual content, audio and calls-to-action, after which mixes and matches them in new methods to enhance your advert efficiency. It permits you to routinely create personalised inventive variations for every one who views your advert, with outcomes which might be scalable.
This characteristic was launched in 2017 and it’s turned on inside the advert set. As famous earlier, Dynamic Inventive is not out there for the Gross sales and App Promotion targets.
The versatile advert format is designed that will help you routinely optimize your advert format to point out individuals what we predict they’re more than likely to reply to primarily based on the precise placement and viewers. When you choose Versatile as your advert format, you possibly can choose as much as 10 pictures and movies in a single advert marketing campaign, and the advert supply system will routinely decide what media or media mixture, similar to single picture, video or carousel, to point out to individuals.
This characteristic was launched in 2023 and is turned on inside the advert. It is just out there for the Gross sales and App Promotion targets.
Dynamic Inventive documentation additionally particularly mentions offering advert copy variations for major textual content, headline, and outline — in addition to CTA buttons. Previous to Dynamic Inventive, offering textual content variations was not an choice.
Versatile Advert Format documentation doesn’t point out textual content. However, in fact, textual content variations are actually normal for all adverts. You might technically present 10 pictures and as much as 5 textual content variations when utilizing Versatile Advert Format. The main target right here, although, is on the advert format.
When it comes to options, there are two major distinctive variations:
- Dynamic Inventive permits you to choose a number of CTA buttons
- Versatile Advert Format generates carousel variations primarily based on the photographs you supplied
In any other case, many of the variations are subtleties, nuance, and presentation. In both case, you might use a single advert to submit as much as 10 pictures and movies and Meta will routinely and dynamically ship variations to get you the perfect outcomes.
Viewing Outcomes
There’s official documentation from Meta on viewing outcomes when utilizing Dynamic Inventive. Until I’m lacking one thing, such a web page doesn’t exist but for Versatile Advert Format.
A breakdown by Dynamic Inventive Ingredient choice is offered for segmenting your outcomes by submitted picture, video, textual content, headline, description, or CTA button.
It’s best to technically be capable to do that when utilizing Versatile Advert Format, too. As of this second, solely the breakdowns by textual content, headline, and outline are at the moment useful.
The breakdown by picture and video don’t at the moment work. I don’t consider that is intentional — it looks like a short lived bug.
One other approach to get deeper perception into outcomes with Dynamic Inventive is to take the next steps:
- Click on to edit your advert
- Choose “Share” beneath the Superior Preview button
- Choose “Fb put up with feedback”
You’ll then see feedback in your high 10 combos primarily based on engagement.
Sadly, this similar method doesn’t appear to work for Versatile Advert Format. In contrast to the breakdowns, this can be intentional.
I do suppose that the breakdowns will ultimately work. In any other case, you’ll battle to get deep insights into what picture, video, carousel, or model is working greatest.
My Take
Whether or not or not Versatile Advert Format appeals to you relies upon closely in your method to promoting and what you suppose is necessary. I can see this in my emotions about it in comparison with what I felt about Dynamic Inventive through the years.
If you happen to demand management, you might be unlikely to make use of Versatile Advert Format. In case your objective is to search out the perfect performing inventive, this isn’t for you. You probably have a deep mistrust for “the algorithm,” I can’t think about that is one thing that appeals to you.
If this description of a hypothetical advertiser sounds particular, it’s as a result of that was me for a few decade. It’s precisely why I wasn’t a fan of Dynamic Inventive.
However, I’m not the identical advertiser anymore. My belief in Meta’s automation and optimization has improved. I now want algorithmic concentrating on over obsessing over reaching particular teams of individuals. And I restrict my variety of advert units for issues like concentrating on and optimization to present a single advert set extra focus.
Versatile Advert Format now appeals to me as a result of I want low-maintenance arrange with one advert as a substitute of a number of adverts. I consider the weaknesses in automation and optimization exist, however they’re offset by the advantages.
And finally, I care much less at present about “discovering a winner” with advert copy and artistic than I ever have earlier than. As an alternative of obsessively turning adverts on and off primarily based on small sample-sized, nearly meaningless outcomes, I discover it extra environment friendly to present the algorithm the copy and artistic and let it kind it out routinely.
That’s not a matter of proper and unsuitable. However, I do consider that the camp you fall into will decide whether or not a characteristic like Versatile Advert Format is value utilizing.
How and When You May Use It
Don’t overcomplicate this characteristic.
You probably have very particular combos of copy and artistic that you just need to use, create separate adverts. That’s not the time for Versatile Advert Format.
You probably have a number of related pictures and movies, however you don’t have any attachment to that are used probably the most or least, it is a good choice for you. Particularly you probably have a spirit for journey.
I’ve lastly come round to Versatile Advert Format, and there are many causes for that. First, it’s a matter of getting extra comfy with Meta’s automations, as described above. However, there’s additionally a matter of reaching the purpose of desperation with some promoting.
An instance is that I had been attempting for months, unsuccessfully, to advertise my Cornerstone Promoting Ideas lead magnet with adverts. It was irritating as a result of I used to be getting leads for my Newbies lead magnet at a fraction of the value. However, I simply couldn’t get this one to stay.
I attempted a number of issues. I’d surrender. Then I’d come again and check out one thing else. Finally, I attempted Versatile Advert Format.
I let go of my attachment to a single inventive method. The screenshots on this put up truly characteristic among the pictures I supplied. As an alternative of obsessing over pictures, I used a filter on my telephone and took a bunch of selfies.
A bizarre factor occurred. I began seeing higher outcomes. It’s unlikely that there’s something magical about these pictures. However, offering the algorithm a bunch of choices and simply getting out of its approach can have advantages.
Your Flip
Do you employ Versatile Advert Format?
Let me know within the feedback beneath!
