Facebook sequential ads

Sequential ads are an excellent choice when, for some reason, you want to display ads to users in a specific order and at a frequency you specify. However, it is only available for purchase type Reach and frequency.

What is a purchase type Range and Frequency?

This type of purchase has only three optimization goals available – Recognition, Traffic and Activity – so we have no way to indicate which actions we care about getting after seeing the ad. This means that this form of advertising will be mainly image-based.

Purchase Reach and Frequency allows us to choose a fixed CPM rate, thus giving us information on the campaign reach and required budget even before the campaign is launched. This gives it more predictability than a traditional campaign based on auction buying. By modifying the budget, the estimate changes, so we have real-time feedback on the predicted effect of the campaign.

We also have an impact on the frequency of ads displayed, with a sustainable frequency recommended by Facebook being a maximum of 2 displays every 5 days. We can also bet on greater reach, higher frequency – or set these parameters as we see fit with a custom setting.

We can also set the frequency of our ads to a higher frequency.

Other campaign settings, such as display placements, are no different from campaigns in the Auction purchase type – they already depend specifically on the type of ad material you will use. According to the official information from Facebook Help, the possibilities are as follows:

• At the Recognition goal you can use ads in the form of a link, in the form of a photo, carousel ads and instant material, as well as video ads. The available broadcast venues, in turn, are News on Facebook and Instagram, Express Articles, In-stream Video, Suggested Videos, Instagram Stories and Explore on Instagram
• For Movement objective the above forms of advertising do not change, but from placements we only have News on Facebook and Instagram, Instagram Stories, Express Articles and Explore on Instagram.
• The greatest possibilities are with the Activity goal – in addition to placements from the Recognition goal, here we can still use impressions on the Audience Network, i.e. other apps and sites.

Range and Frequency purchase is both a great tool for planning and setting up campaigns lasting up to 90 days in advance – up to 6 months ahead!

This is not a feature for everyone, however – this type of purchase is introduced for advertisers who meet the requirements. If you don’t have access to it – you probably haven’t been qualified yet.

If you don’t have access to it – you probably haven’t been qualified yet.

It is worth bearing in mind, however, that for this type of campaign, Facebook’s system prioritizes reach and frequency limits, only secondarily optimizing for the target Therefore, if you are concerned, however, with getting your audience to take a specific action after contacting your ad, an auction is definitely a better choice.

What are sequential ads?

By creating a sequential ads, you can determine exactly in which order your ads will be displayed, allowing you to build engagement and create a story. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that with a sequential campaign, we have no way to control the interaction – the mere display of a given ad is enough to qualify a user to view the next ad content.

Sequential ads are best set up in advance – if the sequential model is set up after the campaign has already been launched, the first ad in the queue will not be shown to users who have seen previous ads.

Another issue to pay attention to is the frequency of the campaign. For example, if we have 5 ads to broadcast, but our campaign settings allow a maximum of one display per week, our sequential campaign must be set for at least 5 weeks of broadcast. If the campaign setup does not coincide with our plan, Facebook will only allow as many ads in the sequence as it can actually display to users.

When we want to use one ad multiple times in a sequence, this can be achieved by duplicating existing material and allocating it additional space in the sequence.

Example uses of a sequence campaign

It could be said that we are limited by our imagination, however, there are a few scenarios that can serve as inspiration:

• you can start the sequence by presenting the brand itself, then showing the consumer’s problem, to end the sequence with a presentation of the product itself responding to that problem;
• You can also use the sequence to show the process from discovery to solution of a given problem. Starting with a discussion of the problem you are solving, moving on to presenting the history of the product (for example, why it was created), then  showing the process of its creation or distribution itself, ending with showing the person using the product, to end the sequence at the very end with closing material that encourages people to use the offer;
• With a sequential campaign, you will also be able to address potential objections without repeating the message. By showing material in the sequence that addresses the consumer’s most common concerns, you build engagement and awareness of the offer;

This type of campaign is precisely the perfect tool to use storytelling in our operations, i.e. showing the brand in a broader context, so we bring our potential customers closer to the story built around the products.

Are the sequential ads for everyone?

Decidedly not. Traditional Facebook remarketing will be a better choice if you want to specify the exact conditions for qualifying to see sequential materials, however, this way also has its limitations.

Defining remarketing groups, yes, we can indicate the people who have previously interacted with our content, but the exact indication with whom only takes place in the case of videos, instant materials (including forms) or profile events. If we want to reach people who have simply interacted with posts or ads, we won’t be able to determine such a precise sequence.

Another risk with traditional remarketing is the scale of the campaign – remarketing lists that are too accurate may contain too small an audience to effectively broadcast the next ad material. In other words, if you really care about ensuring the order of ads – use a sequential campaign.

On the other hand, if we present a long video, we will be able to reach people who have watched half of the spot, for example, through traditional remarketing. With a sequential campaign, this possibility is not available to us.

What to watch out for with the sequential ads?

Start with the fact that campaigns in Purchase Reach and Frequency edit a little differently than auction ones. Facebook may not allow us to pause an already broadcast campaign, in which case the only solution is to cancel such a booking campaign.

On the other hand, if for some reason we want to pause an ad from a sequence, it is necessary to first remove it from the sequence itself, and only then disable the ad. Otherwise, withholding an ad that remains in the sequence will result in stopping the emission of ads following the paused one, and thus stopping the display of the sequence in its entirety.

The ad will not be displayed.

How you should choose the frequency itself and the reach or creatives – this is best already verified individually and do not be afraid to experiment.

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