Meta launched Versatile Advert Format in 2023. It appears that only a few advertisers use it, however I’ve discovered it to be a wonderful possibility.
I’m sure that the primary cause advertisers don’t use it’s confusion. Whereas the essential perform of Versatile Advert Format is almost indistinguishable from Dynamic Artistic, each choices exist. Advertisers additionally are likely to have the unsuitable causes for utilizing it, and so they’re disenchanted when discovering it’s a nasty artistic break up testing possibility.
My aim is to clear up a number of the confusion with this publish. Versatile Advert Format is one in every of my favourite little secrets and techniques. However it’s not some magic potion that can repair your unhealthy outcomes. It’s a instrument that may be helpful for particular conditions.
With this publish, I’ll share the construction and circumstances when Versatile Advert Format is most helpful, in addition to a few particular examples of how I’m utilizing it right now.
Let’s get to it…
The Fundamentals
The everyday advert consists of one of many following artistic codecs:
- Single picture
- Single video
- Carousel of photographs and/or movies
Your selection of artistic is paired with textual content (main textual content, headline, and outline) to create your advert. In case you present textual content variations, a number of variations of a single advert can exist, however all will embody the identical artistic format. If you wish to experiment with a unique picture, video, or carousel, you would want to create a separate advert.
That’s, after all, except you employ Versatile Advert Format (for “Versatile” when deciding on a format).
When chosen, you may present as much as 10 photographs or movies (or a mix of each). Along with the one picture and video variations, Meta will generate a carousel variation. These creatives are then paired along with your textual content variations to generate many variations of your advert.
Advantages and Limitations
There are a number of advantages of Versatile Advert Format…
1. Keep away from Artistic Fatigue
If both your price range or potential viewers measurement requires the common introduction of latest artistic, Versatile Advert Format is a superb different. Present as much as 10 artistic choices from the start and folks will see completely different variations. This may help stop artistic fatigue in order that your advert stays efficient and secure for an extended time frame.
2. Leverage Meta’s Automation and Optimization
Do you have got a number of artistic concepts, however you aren’t certain which to make use of? Whereas creating a number of adverts could possibly be an possibility, it could be extra environment friendly so as to add creatives into the identical advert utilizing Versatile Advert Format. Meta’s methods will then present the model that’s anticipated to carry out greatest for every individual by placement.
3. Much less Handbook Work
In case you benefit from the fixed tweaking and micromanagement of adverts, this might not be the most effective answer for you. However should you’d choose a extra hands-off strategy to let the algorithm do its factor, it may be an incredible possibility.
There are additionally some limitations. In some or all instances, these aren’t essentially negatives, assuming you might be utilizing Versatile Advert Format for the precise causes.
1. No Customization by Placement
When utilizing the one picture, single video, or carousel choices, you may customise how your advert seems by placement. This may be useful to leverage a unique format or side ratio that could be extra helpful primarily based on the place your advert is seen. This can be annoying busy work.
When utilizing Versatile Advert Format, the choice to customise by placement disappears. Crops and variations are generated for you, the place mandatory. Video variations you’ve supplied will probably be used for video-first placements. Meta might robotically convert teams of static photographs into slideshow-style movies.
2. No URL Customization by Artistic
When customizing by placement with single picture or video adverts, it’s also possible to customise the URL so that you simply ship folks to a unique web page relying on the model of your advert that they see. In case you create a normal carousel, you may present a unique URL for every carousel card.
However, you’ll present just one URL to your advert when utilizing Versatile Advert Format. Since you can not make any additional customizations, every carousel card will ship folks to the identical vacation spot. Likewise, each model of your advert will make the most of the identical URL.
3. No Breakdown by Artistic
What’s lengthy been assumed to be a bug will need to have been intentional at this level. Since Meta’s breakdown by picture or video doesn’t work with Versatile Advert Format, you’ll by no means know which artistic model will get the most effective or worst outcomes.
4. Not a Cut up Testing Function
That is intently tied to the shortage of breakdown performance. Whereas it could definitely be good to know what performs greatest, it’s additionally not crucial. The principle level of utilizing Versatile Advert Format is to offer the algorithm choices to point out the precise model to the precise individual by placement. That is not meant for break up testing. Chances are you’ll worsen outcomes from one model, however it could even be used for placements which are much less prone to result in outcomes.
Total, such a breakdown would slice and cube your outcomes a lot that solely the biggest budgets would possibly get a lot worth from it anyway. In case you submit 10 photographs which are paired with 5 main textual content variations and 5 headline variations for a pair dozen placements, the consequence would be the prototypical definition of “small pattern measurement.”
Was it the picture that led to higher outcomes? The headline it was paired with? The first textual content? The position it was usually utilized in? There’s no cause to make grand proclamations about what your outcomes imply on this case, so there’s no true want for many advertisers to obsess over it anyway.
Necessities and Really useful Specs
There are a number of fundamental necessities to utilizing Versatile Advert Format…
1. Gross sales or App Promotion Marketing campaign Goal
Versatile Advert Format is barely out there when utilizing the Gross sales or App Promotion marketing campaign targets. If you wish to use a unique goal, you’ll solely have entry to Dynamic Artistic, which is Versatile Advert Format’s shut cousin.
In case you’re questioning, I don’t know why that is the case. It initially appeared as if Meta was phasing out Dynamic Artistic in favor of Versatile Advert Format. However this will need to have run into some technical roadblocks since now we’re caught with the present scenario of entry to 1 or the opposite (and in some instances each) by goal.
The 2 accomplish largely the identical factor. However there are variations, significantly in setup.
I ought to word that I usually discover artistic methods to make use of the Gross sales goal to get entry to Versatile Advert Format and Viewers Segments (one other characteristic which is barely out there for this goal). You’ll be able to accomplish most of the identical issues with a Gross sales marketing campaign that you could with different targets. The principle query will probably be whether or not your most well-liked efficiency aim is on the market when utilizing the Gross sales goal.
2. Web site Conversion Location
Assuming you’re utilizing the Gross sales goal, you have to choose the Web site conversion location throughout the advert set to entry Versatile Advert Format.
3. No Catalog
Versatile Advert Format isn’t suitable with product catalogs. Meaning you’ll want to show off Benefit+ Catalog Adverts on the marketing campaign degree…
You can also’t activate Benefit+ Catalog Adverts on the advert degree. Versatile Advert Format will disappear.
4. Sq. or Centered Content material
That is the place the lack to customise by placement can develop into limiting. With the standard single picture or video, you may present a number of side ratios or customise by placement. Neither possibility is on the market with Versatile Advert Format. You’ll be able to present as much as 10 photographs or movies, however they need to all be the identical measurement. Meta can crop your photographs and make changes for you by placement.
The simplest answer is to solely present sq. photographs and movies. However you could wish to higher leverage the 4×5 and 9×16 placements, so you may as an alternative present solely 4×5 or 9×16 artistic. In case you do, be sure that it would crop down correctly to sq.. The best way you do that is by designing artistic the place an important half is inside a centered sq. secure zone. I supplied a template to assist with this.
It’s not fairly as scary because it all sounds. Use the Superior Preview earlier than publishing your advert to ensure it appears to be like tremendous in each placement.
Really useful Construction
This half is vital as a result of advertisers usually strategy the utility of Versatile Advert Format with the unsuitable concepts. This isn’t about flooding Meta with any 10 photographs or movies. There must be planning and construction behind it.
The principle cause for that is the carousel that Meta will robotically generate for you utilizing all the photographs and movies that you simply’ve supplied. When you take into account how this carousel will look, it’s best to rapidly notice what is going to and completely is not going to work.
1. Group by Design Theme
Simplest carousels have a constant design theme that runs by every of the person photographs and movies. And you’ll completely present a mix of photographs and movies, however they need to all work collectively.
I’ll share an instance of this additional down.
2. Variations Primarily based on Artistic Textual content and Visuals
Whereas the theme could also be constant, the messaging ought to be completely different. By “messaging,” it could possibly be merely altering the textual content inside a picture to focus on completely different advantages and ache factors. It might additionally embody highlighting completely different objects and visuals with out altering the general theme.
3. Textual content and Artistic Consistency
Let’s assume that you simply present 10 photographs, 5 main textual content variations, and 5 headlines. All of those property will probably be swapped round. Which means each picture must work with each main textual content variation and headline. You’ll be able to overcomplicate this and make it troublesome, however it’s much less difficult should you persist with fundamental themes.
4. All Identical Facet Ratio
As soon as once more, a constant side ratio will probably be useful for the carousel. When you might technically submit a number of side ratios so long as all of them look good when cropped right down to sq. for the carousel, it’s probably simpler to easily design these photographs with the identical template in thoughts.
5. Create Separate Adverts as Wanted
What do you do in case you have a number of teams of design themes? You’ll be able to create separate adverts, all utilizing Versatile Advert Format.
Notice that some advertisers have an alternative choice that I’ll get to after my instance, however it’s not clear if or when everybody could have entry to it.
Instance #1: Easy Textual content-Free Portraits
I’ve been utilizing Versatile Advert Format for a lot of the previous yr.
My preliminary experiment with Versatile Advert Format was to advertise my Cornerstone Ideas lead magnet. On the time, I used to be overwhelmed with the thought of making a number of photographs. I additionally struggled with ensuring the messaging and themes had been constant between photographs and advert textual content.
My answer was easy. I used the Portrait setting on my iPhone and took a number of selfies. They got here out much better than I anticipated, and I submitted a number of of them for this function.
By doing it this fashion, any of my photographs might work with any of my combos of textual content. So simple as these selfies had been, they had been fairly efficient (one is even used as my profile photograph now).
Instance #2: Grouped Themes
I not too long ago created a brand new lead magnet referred to as The Loop and I wished to take a extra subtle strategy to Versatile Advert Format. With the assistance of ChatGPT, I got here up with a artistic strategy that highlighted 4 issues:
- The title (“The Loop”)
- Icon representing The Loop
- Textual content overlay advantages and CTAs
- My firm branding (emblem)
I didn’t wish to make issues too sophisticated, so I stored the title, icon, and branding the identical on all variations. However I generated three shade themes and wasn’t certain which to make use of:
- Darkish
- Gentle
- Darkish palette with pale portraits
The third utilized most of the portrait selfies I used for Cornerstone, however they had been used as extra of a pale watermark.
Every of those three themes leveraged three completely different textual content overlays. In all, I’d have 9 completely different artistic variations.
After all, I wouldn’t wish to lump all 9 into the identical advert as a result of that might imply {that a} carousel model would come with solely three completely different messages, however with completely different shade types. To make sure every carousel was constant in theme and messaging, I created three separate adverts — one for every shade theme.
Right here’s the darkish theme…
The sunshine theme…
And the darkish theme with pale portraits…
Right here’s a more in-depth have a look at a number of the variations generated when trying on the Superior Preview. Discover that there are single picture, carousel, and each sq. and 4×5 variations (I solely submitted 4×5).
Even the 9×16 and video variations (which Meta generated by turning the photographs into slideshows) got here out effectively…
All three adverts make the most of the identical textual content variations. The one distinction is that the photographs inside a single advert will observe the identical theme.
Artistic Teams
Whereas I’ve created separate adverts to leverage completely different themes, all using Versatile Advert Format, some advertisers have an alternative choice: Artistic Teams.
I wrote about Artistic Teams in 2024 once I came across the choice in one in every of my advert accounts. Sadly, I don’t have entry to this characteristic for the advert account I used to create these adverts. It could have been helpful.
The idea is generally the identical as creating separate adverts, however you might be placing your entire variations into one advert. When you’ve got it, you’ll see an possibility so as to add a Group.
In my instance, I might have created a separate group for every theme. The carousels would then apply to every artistic group.
The first destructive to doing that is that you simply’d lose all visibility into distribution by theme. If you separate the themes by advert, you may not less than see how every advert performs. By lumping them collectively, you’d lose that because the artistic breakdowns aren’t practical.
Ought to You Use Versatile Advert Format?
As I’ve mentioned, I’m a giant fan of Versatile Advert Format, however I notice I’m within the minority. I’m sure that the primary cause for that is that almost all advertisers demand detailed reporting breakdowns that might not be attainable when utilizing this feature. However I consider these breakdowns are largely irrelevant anyway, given the small pattern sizes sometimes concerned.
In case you’re keen and even hoping to take extra of a hands-off strategy and don’t really feel the fixed want to separate take a look at each artistic variation, Versatile Advert Format could possibly be an incredible possibility for you. I encourage you to not less than strive it out in case you have the precise scenario.
Your Flip
Do you employ Versatile Advert Format? In what conditions?
Let me know within the feedback under!
