How Carousel Ads Can Up the Social Media Advertising Ante

When you’re telling your brand’s story, there’s one way to stand out: carousel ads – social media’s gift to advertising. Not only do they offer a break from the boring static displays, but also engage the audience because of their interactive nature. Let’s find out how you can use carousel ads to run your social media ad campaigns even more effectively.   

Carousel ads – they take the fun of the county fair and put it in advertising, quite literally!

While B2C companies, especially those in retail and e-commerce, have benefitted from the advent of carousel ads, B2B brands too have taken a particular liking to the format. And why not? Carousel ads allow you to engage your audience, serve content personalized for them, and bring them straight to your site – creating a higher potential for sales. 

According to FacebookOpens a new window , carousel ads drive 30% to 50% lower cost-per-conversion and 20% to 30% cost-per-clickOpens a new window versus single image ads.

Using the carousel format to promote its app, FoodpandaOpens a new window  increased click-through rates by 180% and reduced their cost per install by 39%. Information and Pic courtesy: FacebookOpens a new window

Facebook introduced the format in 2014, the same year that Instagram brought it to its photo-and-video-sharing platform. In fact, in February 2018, Instagram introduced the format to its StoriesOpens a new window form as well. LinkedIn was late to offer carousel ads, only starting in July 2018. 

Also Read: LinkedIn Introduces Carousel for Sponsored ContentOpens a new window

What are Carousel Ads?

A carousel ad is simply a collection of three or more images and /or videos, headlines, links or calls to action in a single ad. The audience scrolls through the carousel cards by swiping on mobile phones or tablets or clicking on the arrows on a computer screen.

Carousel ads allow you to:

• Showcase specific products or apps
• Give details on particular products, packages, or apps
• Tell a story through the successive carousel cards or to showcase one long imageOpens a new window
• Avoid manually creating and uploading individual product images
   

What are some Best Practices for Carousel Ads?

Carousel ads are a fun way to engage your audience. But there are certain things you need to keep in mind. These are four best practices to follow as well as pitfalls to avoid while crafting your ads.

1. Pick Theme-based Images or Videos:

Carousel ads are visually attractive and easily grab the viewer’s attention. The images or videos you use in the different cards should be related in some form or manner. Remember, you are telling a story. Try to use images or videos that showcase a similar series of products or represent individual pieces of a larger photo. Do not use random photos or videos as it will end up confusing your audience and will result in lower ROI.

2. Pay Attention to Your Copy:

Carousel ads need to be big on visuals, but low on content. Limit your copy to a few words or calls to action. And if you want to avoid the generic ‘Buy it Here’ or ‘Click Here for More’ copy options, you should try to bring in a little bit of your brand’s message in the ad. Try not to overload your ads with too much emphasis on the sales pitch. The ad is meant for sales, alright, but don’t be heavy-handed.

This ad by Pura Vida Bracelets emphasizes lending a helping hand in the title, while also promoting free shipping in the headlines on the individual cards.

3. Show How Your Product Works:

Carousel ads encourage audiences to engage with the ad through swiping. Use this format to demonstrate how your product works. A step-by-step demonstration through a series of images, with a video short at the end, or before and after images of product use will not only create curiosity, and it will also keep the audience interested in clicking further, thus increasing engagement.

4. Cater to Various Goals:

Carousel ads need not be limited to sales. You can use them with different goals in mind. But, if you don’t have a distinct purpose in mind, before you sign-up for a carousel ad, you are going to feel like the metaphorical headless-chicken of the ad world. Don’t be the chicken!

There are a number of goals you can achieve through these ads:

• Build buzz around a new product launch
• Add more subscribers to your email list
• Generate leads through a discount or promotion
   

Also Read: Social Media Marketing Basics: How to Increase ROI from Social?Opens a new window

How to Boost Sales through Carousel ads?

There are certain things you can keep in mind to give your sales a fillip through carousel ads. These include:

1. Keeping your buyer in mind: For effective, people-based marketing campaigns, carousel ads can cater to potential customers’ needs and goals.
2. Providing eye-catching visuals: Your first tile card should always grab your user’s attention; that’s how you make them engage with your ad, that’s how users would feel compelled to swipe through the length of the ad.
3. Creating a positive post-click experience: Through a compelling CTA ensure that when a user clicks on your ad, they’re directed to a landing page that supports the ad’s message.
    

Advertisers and marketers know that a successful ad or marketing campaign depends on the ability to prove good ROI. Carousel ads, in addition to the standard metrics, also offer “Like” click-through rates and number of leads per ad unit. You can also see clicks and impressions by individual card, thus adding weight to your ROI.

Also Read: How to Ace Social Media Marketing with Limited ResourcesOpens a new window

Conclusion

Today, ads on social media are all about standing out. As an advertiser, you need to ensure that consumers do not grow tired of the content while you continually provide a new creative to the ads while staying relevant. Carousel ads give you the opportunity to not only grab the attention of the consumer but also get him to engage with your brand. There’s a higher possibility of sale when a consumer is compelled to check out your interactive ad. You must, therefore, consider carousel ads the next time you are chalking out a social media advertising campaignOpens a new window . 

Fan of carousel ads? Let us know how you used or plan to use carousel ads on your social media campaigns to drive sales or any other goals.

Don’t forget to share this article on your social media and tag us, so we can create more awareness around this engaging format of advertising.