March 2017, Facebook announced the release of a new ad format -- Collection.
This new ad format marries a video with a collection of products featured below the video. In Facebook's words, the format was designed to "tell a story and showcase relevant products".The story or video should entice the viewer in, while the product carousel removes barriers by making the ability to purchase accessible and convenient.
Once a user clicks on a product, Facebook launches a simplified webpage, similar to their Canvas ads, that can display up to 50 products.From there, clicking on a particular product will take the user to your retail site to complete the purchase.A handful of brands tried Collection ads out before it's official, public release, and most brands were surprised by the overall performance of the ads.
Avery Baker, Chief Brand Officer of Tommy Hilfiger, noticed an ROI increase of over 200% [source].Tommy Hilfiger's most successful ad featured a video of their recent fashion show and carousel of products featured in the video.[caption id="attachment_2716" align="aligncenter" width="1463"]
Tommy Hilfiger's Collection Ad[/caption]
Taking advantage of the new ad format, Sport Check ran a Collection ad during the holidays that increased conversions by 2x and online sales by 28% [source].Troy Lemens, Chief Merchant at Sport Check, mentioned, "the collection ad format perfectly marries our goals to drive storytelling and sales. We delivered a seamless advertising experience that inspired people and allowed them to click through to specific products..."[caption id="attachment_2717" align="aligncenter" width="1480"]
Sport Check's Collection Ad[/caption]
1. Create a catalog from Facebook's Business Manager Navigate to the Catalogs tab in Facebook's Business Manager and click '+ Add' to create a new product catalog.
Choose 'Create New Catalog' then specify a name for it and choose 'Products' from the dropdown since we will be selling products from our e-commerce store.
If you want to collaborate, you can add colleagues as contributors to the catalog. If not, just click skip.
Choose Pixels and/or Apps to be associated with your collection. In this case, just choose your store's Pixel if you have one installed.
2. Add Items to Your New CatalogFrom the Catalogs tab with your new Catalog selected, click 'Add Items'.
You can upload a data feed of your current products. Facebook also supports scheduled data imports if your products are constantly changing. For more information on data feeds, view an article Facebook published on their help center.3. Create a New AdNavigate to your Facebook Ads Manager.Click 'Create Ad'For objective, choose either 'Catalog Sales' or 'Conversions'.
On the next page, specify which product you want to be shown.Choose your audience and appropriate settings as normal.For format, choose 'Collection'.
Add an image, video, or slideshow to be featured above the product carousel.
Finish the rest of the ad as normal, and watch as e-commerce sales BOOM!Have you given Collection ads a try? Let us know in the comments below. We'd love to hear how it worked out for your brand.Ready to start growing your brand on social media? Cloud Campaign makes it simple and saves you hours each week. Get started with a free 30-day trial.
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