Facebook rolls out ads on stories to boost business opportunities

Facebook has implemented advertisements on its stories platform, allowing users to create ads through Ads Manager or the API, according to a post on Facebook. Advertisers can now include Facebook stories as an additional placement to news feed or Instagram stories ad campaigns.The social media giant also said that advertisers will be able to extend the reach and improve the performance of their stories' ad campaigns in Messenger, in time to come. "To help businesses reach more people, we're now making Facebook stories ads available to all advertisers around the world," the post added.Brands that have tested ads on Facebook stories include iHeartRadio, Kettle Chips and KFC, which according to Facebook, achieved brand lift from their campaigns.Facebook stories ads support the same objective as Instagram stories ads, including reach, brand awareness, video views, app install, conversion, traffic and lead generation. Facebook’s full suite of targeting and measurement capabilities will also be available for stories ads across platforms.An Ipsos survey of stories users commissioned by Facebook showed that 68% said they use stories on at least three apps regularly, and 63% plan to use stories more in the future. In addition, the survey also found that 62% of the respondents were more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in a story, while more than 50% said they make more online purchases as a result of stories.Similar to Instagram stories, Facebook stories allow people to view and share moments via photos and videos that are available for viewing for a period of 24 hours.Read also: Facebook combines cost metrics, aims to offer clearer view of consumer engagement Facebook shells out SG$1.4bn for Singapore data centre Facebook bans over 5,000 ad targeting terms Facebook gets sued for allegedly inflating potential reach Facebook value takes US$120bn hit following lower profit forecast Facebook rolls out monetisation features to draw in content creators(Photo courtesy: 123RF)