Every year, we see shifts in advertising strategies on Facebook based on their constantly evolving features and ad manager updates. In 2021, one of the most significant of these was the iOS14 update that changed the way iPhone user data is tracked (or not tracked). This of course impacted ad results and targeting, and marketers had to adapt.

Along with outside changes, Facebook — or should we say “Meta,” no matter how much we might all roll our eyes at that rebranding — and its subsidiaries continue to refine what interests can be targeted. This comes together to both force advertisers to think outside the box and allow them to take advantage of that creativity to uncover new possibilities.

So, what should we be looking out for in 2022?

Focusing on mobile

As of 2018, over 90% of Facebook’s ad revenue is from mobile users per Martech.org — and that’s continuing to generally increase as the world becomes more mobile-based.

In other words, for almost all businesses, you should be prioritizing mobile over desktop users.

This means creating specifically mobile-friendly ads; something as simple as including a 9:16 aspect ratio format for reels and stories — a much more prevalent feature on mobile versus computer users — can have a significant impact. This would be alongside the standard 1:1 or 16:9 formats. It might seem basic, but visual characteristics are the first impression and have a disproportionate impact on the effectiveness of an ad.

Example of a reels ad on Facebook; source Facebook for Business.

While we’re talking about ads specifically for Facebook reels, we might as well mention a couple best practices. For starters, keep them between 15 to 30 seconds. And make sure to add closed captioning alongside your audio, as that captures users’ attention who would otherwise be less engaged or not pause to watch any of it. Lastly, make sure your text is relatively center on the screen; you don’t want viewers missing it just because of awkward placement.

Beyond reels, it’s important for all ads on mobile to have clear call-to-action buttons, or CTAs. Neglecting these will cause you to lose out on leads and while significantly increasing your cost per acquisition.

Understanding effective video and movement

By now we know that video tends to outperform still imagery on Facebook.

That being said, 85% of video ads are watched without sound — so, just like we mentioned above with reels, adding closed captioning is a must.

Examples of creative ways to add text to video ads from Southwest Air; source: Facebook for Business.

Yet while video ads are by themselves valuable, that’s not the only way that movement can enhance your ads’ performance; it might sound paradoxical, but otherwise static ads can be improved with motion, too. Per Facebook, motion is good for showing more detail for a product or improving context. According to their numbers, 76% of ads with motion will outperform their static counterparts, all else held constant.

And just like with standard ads, a clear and recognizable CTA should almost always be a part of your motion ads and videos.

All about eCommerce

Obviously not all digital marketing is for e-commerce companies, but these tools can be especially useful for e-commerce purposes. Furthermore, Facebook and Instagram now have their Shops feature, which gives e-commerce businesses a way to go directly from connecting with an audience to selling to that audience.

Our Fujisan blog actually discussed e-commerce opportunities on Facebook recently, and you can read about that on this post.

Example of eCommerce catalog options on Facebook; source: Social Media Today.

Just like so much with digital marketing, it requires creativity and forward thinking to stay on top of a constantly evolving platform combined with constantly evolving user behavior. That goes for almost everything, including how you approach the yearly changes associated with Facebook.

In the meantime, you can follow Facebook’s business news here, and for tips to complement your own intuition and creative thinking, Fujisan’s blog can help with strategies and insights.