Stories swipe up on messaging, LinkedIn brings on Boolean, and Mean Girls celebrates 15 years with a Facebook Watch Party.
October 4, 2019
Swipe Up and Send
It seems like it was just last week we introduced you to Facebook’s latest love interest, c-commerce (because it was last week). Well, that relationship is getting steamy. FB has taken the next step and added a “swipe up” function to Stories ads across all its platforms that takes users directly to a Messenger chat with brands. This “Send Message” CTA seems to be a perfect bridge between Stories and conversational marketing — in a recent test, seven out of nine brands who implemented it in their campaigns saw increased conversions (including app installs, registrations, and purchases). Typically, we don’t recommend marketers get involved in love triangles, but when it involves Facebook, Stories, and c-commerce, we say get your swipe on.
It Goes Down in the Data
LinkedIn is helping B2B brands get seriously sophisticated, savvy, and specific with their ad campaigns. Brands now have deeper demographic insights into their intended audiences and can target those audiences even more precisely using “And/Or” queries (aka Boolean logic). On the reporting end, marketers have access to the demographic data of users who open their Sponsored InMail, watch video ads, or fill out Lead Gen forms. These additions boost marketers’ ability to reach exactly who they want (by narrowing audiences by job function, industry, education, seniority, etc), as well as craft campaigns designed to resonate with precisely defined groups. LinkedIn has an unmatched wealth of data on the professional workforce, and it continues to provide marketers the tools to put it to use.
Read It on Reddit
Is Reddit on your radar? With more than 330 million monthly active users and 130,000 active communities across pretty much every interest, it should be. This week Reddit announced improved video ad options, with an updated landing page flow on mobile, additional aspect ratios, and optional referral URLs for cost-per-view campaigns. The platform is growing a lot (and fast) with a 30% increase in views year-over-year, and it seems dedicated to becoming a viable advertising space for brands. As marketers begin building content and ad strategies for 2020, Reddit should definitely be considered — because, chances are, there’s a perfect subreddit out there for your brand, you just have to find it. (Case in point:r/content_marketing for starters).
SPARK OF THE WEEK
On October 3rd, He Asked Me What Day It Was.
If you know what the line is from, you probably wore pink on Oct. 3. (If not, it’s a "Mean Girls" reference.) The iconically fetch movie, which has been adapted as a Broadway musical, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. Does this make anyone else feel old? To celebrate, Paramount Pictures and "Mean Girls" on Broadway teamed up for a viewing party, hosted by the film’s (and musical's) writer Tina Fey and "Mean Girls" superfan/actress Busy Philipps. It took place on Oct. 3 (of course), and the free party consisted of trivia, fan Q&A, and prize giveaways. Anyone and everyone was invited — because it all took place on Facebook Live.
Just a few weeks ago, Facebook implemented several updates and additional metrics to both Facebook Live and Watch Party — and the "Mean Girls" viewing party took advantage of them. By scheduling the Watch Party in advance and letting viewers RSVP, "Mean Girls" was able to hype the event, build anticipation, and create the feeling that it was an IRL celebration. And with the newly added live commentary feature, Fey and Philipps could interact with fans during the showing for a fun, authentic viewer experience. For marketers interested in hosting a Watch Party or Facebook Live event, take note. Treat it like an in-person event, get viewers excited, and don’t be afraid to interact with them throughout — because on Facebook, everyone goes here.
