Facebook's Canvas ad option is having an update, with a new name, some tweaks and improvements in load time and performance.
The social media giant rolled out Canvas ads to all advertisers back in 2016, essentially offering them as mini-website experience within Facebook itself.
With the ads taking up the whole page when clicked, Facebook's hope was to make them have high engagement rates.
But apparently, they didn't.
Canvas ads don't really communicate what the ads are all about, making them have a relatively lower performance for advertisers. For this reason, Facebook is changing its name, renaming Canvas ads as ‘Instant Experience’ ads.
With the Instant Experience name, Facebook should convey the idea better, while at the same time, improving the speed and performance to woo more advertisers' interests.
Instant Experience ads have creative template options that can be used on both Facebook and Instagram. They include:
- Instant Storefront to help businesses sell products in a grid format.
- Instant Lookbook enables businesses to display products in the context of a lifestyle image.
- Instant Customer Acquisition helps businesses drive customer action by displaying offerings with clear call-to-action.
- Instant Storytelling uses images and video to give people a better feel for brands.
These templates should make it easier for businesses to create immersive ads, even when they have no knowledge or skills in design and tech.
Facebook is also rolling out 'Instant Form,' which enables users to quickly and easily share their contact information to learn about offerings.
And in addition to that, the social media giant is also integrating Facebook Pixel and third-party pixels into the Instant Experience process. This makes it possible for advertisers who use the Pixel on their website to re-engage with site visitors who interacted with the ads on Facebook.
As explained by Facebook:
"We are also introducing new ways for businesses to understand their customer’s progression from seeing an Instant Experience to completing a purchase, and opening new opportunities for businesses to re-engage with those customers."
While the update only involves a name change and minor improvements, they can certainly make Facebook in better conveying its message. With better performance and immersive capacity, Facebook hopes that Instant Experience can better appeal more mobile audiences.