How to Get the Most Out of Sequential Advertising on Facebook

Jennifer Madison

If you’re already using a sequential advertising strategy, you know it’s a series of ads or messages that build on each other to engage users. Each message and engagement informs the next one, so that you essentially create a story – and dialogue – with your audience.

Facebook’s Sequential Evolution

Facebook has diversified into a full-funnel advertising solution, with support for a wide variety of ad types and targeting options. As a result, advertisers can now run sophisticated and sequential marketing campaigns that combine the best of social, mobile, and video all in one place. Here are just a few reasons we love sequential advertising strategies on Facebook:

• They extend your campaign. Switching from a one-time ad tactic to a multi-phase ad strategy over the course of several days gives you more ways to tell your story and build your brand, all while guiding users down the funnel.
  
• They work across devices. Intelligent targeting and retargeting means you can reach high-value audiences as they move from device to device.
  
• They leverage video video video! Facebook averages more than 3 billion video views per day, so using video ads as part of a sequential advertising strategy can help you capitalize on a widespread consumer behavior.
  
• They are customizable. It’s easy to choose objectives and creative types that best suit your business goals, and control the sequence of your ads.
  
• They can be incredibly effective. Advertisers who utilize sequential advertising strategies often see increased conversions and brand awareness at a lower cost.

In particular, sequential ad strategies can be great for driving sales, increasing brand awareness and equity, launching a new product, or promoting an event. Let’s consider an example from DS that focused on those last two objectives.

DS Drives Impressions and Accelerates Engagement

DS Automobiles recently spun off from their iconic parent brand, Citroën, coinciding with the launch of their fifth-generation model car. They wanted to make a splash for the DS brand name, so they decided to live-stream a launch event around the world. To promote their brand and event, they turned to Facebook.

DS executed a sequential advertising strategy in three phases:

1. 1. Pre-launch teaser video: DS leveraged Reach & Frequency targeting to reach users at scale with an exciting teaser video.
   
2. 2. Live-stream launch event: Next, DS took advantage of Remarketing Audiences to re-engage users who watched the first video. They did this by showing an ad linking to the live-stream launch event.
   
3. 3. Post-event video replay: Finally, they ran additional ads to showcase a video replay and reinforce the DS brand.

The result? Over 36 million impressions, nearly 8 million video views, a highly engaged fan base, and a successful launch event. Read more about it here.

As you craft your sequential advertising strategies, experiment with the sequence of your ads and creative types. For example, you may find that your campaigns perform best if you run a video ad first instead of a page post link ad. Next, use reporting to help you test and optimize as you go along. And above all, keep your business objectives at the center of all your decisions.

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