You could limit your reach to Facebook.
Or you could take your winning campaigns everywhere your audience goes with the Facebook Audience Network.
Facebook (or Meta) Audience Network offers the same powerful features as regular Facebook advertising on a larger scale.
Extend your reach beyond Meta’s platforms and deliver ads across a network of third-party apps and websites. Audience network campaigns are highly effective in extending reach and achieving specific business objectives, such as app installs and engagement using familiar targeting and creative assets.
We’ll look at the benefits of Facebook Audience Network, how it works, and best practices for running high-performing campaigns.
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What's Facebook Audience Network
Facebook or Meta’s Audience Network is a collection of approved partner mobile apps and websites where ads are shown. Use it to extend your campaigns beyond Facebook and Instagram.
Linking ads to relevant apps can enhance user engagement and optimize campaign success.
Facebook Audience Network gives you the power of Facebook advertising off Facebook itself.
Here’s why it’s valuable:
- It increases reach
- The platform offers native ads, which improve user experience since ads feel more natural
- Facebook Audience Network allows ads to follow users across multiple devices and platforms for better remarketing
According to Facebook, over 1 billion people see an Audience Network ad a month. In a case study, conversion rates were 8x higher when Audience Network was used with Facebook and Instagram newsfeed placement.
5 Benefits of the Facebook Audience Network
Facebook Audience Network gives you the same targeting as social advertising and diversifies your platform placements. The Facebook Audience Network also offers the same measurement tools as Facebook ads, ensuring consistency and effectiveness in your marketing campaigns. Here are some major benefits:
1) Reach
Reach Facebook users when they aren't on the platform and even people who aren't Facebook members.
It’s like how Google Display Network boosts your Google Ads reach beyond the SERP. Third-party data gathered by Facebook powers its Audience Network to market and remarket users outside its platforms.
2) Additional remarketing opportunities
Expand your campaign reach; retarget users across more platforms and at different stages of the buyer’s journey.
It’s especially great for high-reach KPIs or contacting small niche audiences.
3) Security
Facebook claims the Audience Network is virtually fraud-free and doesn't have bot traffic.
4) Lower cost-per-click
Ad placements in the Facebook Audience Network are often lower than in Newsfeed ads. For example, Bombas saw a 20% higher ROAS and 13% lower CPA after using Audience Network.
Reach a wider audience and get more conversions at a lower cost. We’ll take it.
5) Advertiser Outcome Score
To improve its Audience Network, Facebook created an Advertiser Outcome Score metric. It shows if ad placements on a particular site or app are effective.
A publisher with a high score means ads perform well on its site, which is a great sign for marketers choosing where to advertise. The score also encourages publishers to improve their channels, which maintains the Network’s quality.
How Facebook Audience Network works
To use Facebook Audience Network, create ads in Ads Manager and select an objective and placements in the Network. Easy stuff. Here’s a step-by-step guide.
Possible objectives include
- Awareness
- Traffic
- Engagement
- App promotion
- Leads
- And sales
And there are 4 available ad formats:
- Native
- Banner
- Interstitial
- Rewarded video or interstitial
Native ads
Native ads blend into an app or site’s content. They match the look and feel of a page and are less disruptive and more engaging than other ad placements.
Customize this ad format as you like.
They fit a site’s user experience and look like other page content. So, users don’t feel like they’re being sold to. Connect with customers more effectively and drive stronger campaign performance. This is why we love native placements.
Banner ads
Banner ads are small and usually appear at the top or bottom of a screen.
Regarding size, check out these examples or use our master guide on Facebook banner ad sizing.
Interstitial ads
Interstitial placements are full-screen ads shown at a natural transition on a page, like between game levels or after loading a news story.
Formats can be a carousel, playable screen, or rewarded video (more on that next).
Rewarded video or interstitial ads
Rewarded interstitial or video ads engage users with an interaction like watching a short ad in exchange for virtual currency or an in-app item.
These ads are skippable, so players choose to engage. And gamers love incentives.
Ad Delivery
The Facebook Audience Network uses a sophisticated real-time bidding system to deliver ads across a variety of mobile apps and websites. This system ensures that your ads reach the most relevant audience, maximizing engagement and conversion opportunities. By leveraging real-time data, the ad delivery process is optimized to display ads in a seamless and non-intrusive manner, enhancing the user experience. This means your ads are not only seen by the right people but also presented in a way that feels natural and engaging.
Creating Effective Audience Network Ads
Creating effective Audience Network ads requires a deep understanding of your target audience and their preferences. Here are some tips to help you craft compelling ads:
- High-Quality Visuals and Engaging Copy: Use eye-catching visuals and engaging copy to capture users’ attention. High-quality images and videos can make your ads stand out in a crowded digital space.
- Relevance to Content and Context: Ensure that your ads are relevant to the content and context of the app or website where they will be displayed. This increases the likelihood of user engagement.
- Targeting Options: Utilize targeting options such as core audiences, custom audiences, and lookalike audiences to reach the most relevant audience. This precision targeting helps in delivering your message to those most likely to be interested.
- Mobile Optimization: Optimize your ads for mobile devices, as the majority of Audience Network ads are displayed on mobile devices. This includes ensuring that your visuals and copy are mobile-friendly.
- Measurement Tools: Use measurement tools such as the Facebook SDK or a mobile measurement partner to track ad performance. This data-driven approach allows you to make informed decisions and optimize your campaigns for better results.
Ad Creative Best Practices
Creating effective ad creative is crucial for capturing user attention and driving engagement. Here are some best practices to follow:
- Eye-Catching Visuals and Engaging Copy: Use visuals that grab attention and copy that resonates with your audience. The combination of compelling images and persuasive text can significantly enhance ad performance.
- Brand Consistency: Ensure that your ads are visually appealing and consistent with your brand identity. Consistency helps in building brand recognition and trust.
- Clear and Concise Language: Use clear and concise language to communicate your message. Avoid jargon and keep your message straightforward.
- Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Use strong CTAs to encourage users to engage with your ad. Whether it’s “Learn More,” “Shop Now,” or “Download,” a clear CTA can drive user action.
- Ad Format Optimization: Optimize your ads for different ad formats, such as native ads, interstitial ads, and banner ads. Each format has its own best practices, so tailor your creative accordingly.
Targeting Options
The Audience Network offers a range of targeting options to help you reach the most relevant audience. Here are some of the targeting options available:
- Core Audiences: Target users based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and more. This allows you to reach a broad yet relevant audience.
- Custom Audiences: Target users who have interacted with your brand or visited your website. This is great for retargeting and re-engaging past visitors.
- Lookalike Audiences: Target users who are similar to your existing customers or followers. This helps in expanding your reach to potential new customers who share characteristics with your current audience.
- Interest-Based Targeting: Target users based on their interests and hobbies. This ensures your ads are shown to people who are likely to be interested in your products or services.
- Behavioral Targeting: Target users based on their behaviors and actions. This can include past purchases, app usage, and other relevant activities.
7 Tips to Optimize your Facebook Audience Network Performance
Facebook ads are relevant, offer major reach, and are easy to measure on desktop and mobile.
The Facebook Audience Network brings the same powerful features to other apps, giving marketers even more scale for their Facebook campaigns.
Use the same targeting in Meta Audience Network as Facebook ads today, including core audiences and lookalike audiences. It also features the measurement tools marketers know and love.
1) Rely on simple insights
We need simple and reliable data to make impactful campaign changes quickly. The Facebook Audience Network uses tracking from the Facebook SDK and third-party sites. So you get all the data.
Measure app engagements and conversions, demographic information, and more with the Facebook SDK or by working with a mobile measurement partner.
With this, the results from Audience Network and Facebook campaigns can be viewed comprehensively and broken down.
Success on Meta Audience Network doesn’t require complex strategies. Small, data-driven adjustments can make a big impact. Like any other platform:
- Monitor key metrics
- Test and adjust creative
- Refine targeting
- Optimize placements
Rely on clear insights to refine your campaigns for higher engagement, better ROI, and sustained success.
2) Use the right objective
Campaign objectives for the Audience Network are the same as standard Facebook ads. There are 6 options:
- An awareness objective increases brand visibility with reach and impressions
- A traffic objective drives users to your website or app
- A sales objective optimizes ads for people most likely to purchase or add to cart
- An engagement objective targets people likely to interact with your brand through messages, views, or other actions
- A leads objective helps you find potential future customers
- An app promotion objective targets people to install or use your app
Know your objective to see the best campaign results.
3) Use the right image dimensions/aspect ratios
You want your ads to run and look good, so image dimensions and aspect ratios are key.
Here are the possible aspect ratios and Facebook’s recommended options:
Get further guidance on our comprehensive post about Facebook ad placements.
4) Don't miss the potholes
Unlike the Google Display Network, you can’t see exactly where your ads in the Meta Audience Network are shown.
So you’ll never know what content your ads are next to.
If you’re in a sensitive industry, think about this before using Audience Network.
5) Watch your frequency
Also, remember there’s no frequency cap on the Facebook Audience Network. So, you can’t place frequency limits on your ads.
Beware of ad fatigue.
Watch your ad rotation and diversity, so you don’t become white noise. Even with the diverse reach and visibility of the Facebook Audience Network, nobody is immune to fatigue.
Monitor your ad frequency and make changes as needed.
6) Isolate an Audience Network ad set
We love isolated ad sets in any way, shape, or form.
Conversion rates on Audience Network are likely different than other placements. Use a separate ad set to track performance and allocate budget.
Always segment and organize well for better results.
7) Optimize for mobile
Social media advertising heavily targets mobile users, especially Audience Network.
So, optimize your campaigns for mobile. This includes your website, landing pages, and anywhere else you direct traffic. Make the customer journey seamless and consistent.
Digital marketers have to be ahead of the curve.
Take the tactics of your regular social media advertising and bring it to the app-verse with Facebook Audience Network.
FAQs
What are the Ad Performance Metrics of Facebook Audience Network?
The Audience Network provides a range of ad performance metrics to help you track the effectiveness of your ads. Here are some of the key metrics available:
- Impressions: The number of times your ad is displayed to users. This helps you understand the reach of your campaign.
- Clicks: The number of times users click on your ad. This metric indicates how engaging your ad is.
- Conversions: The number of times users complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. This is a key indicator of your ad’s effectiveness.
- Cost per Click (CPC): The cost of each ad click. This helps you measure the efficiency of your ad spend.
- Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM): The cost of every 1,000 ad impressions. This metric is useful for understanding the cost-effectiveness of your campaign.
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): The revenue generated by your ads compared to the cost of the ads. This is a crucial metric for evaluating the overall success of your campaign.
By monitoring these metrics, you can gain valuable insights into your ad performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize your campaigns.
With these new sections, your article on the Facebook Audience Network is now more comprehensive, providing readers with detailed insights and actionable tips to get the best results from their campaigns.
What are platform integration and publisher requirements?
Publishers must meet specific quality standards and technical requirements to monetize their app or website with Meta Audience Network.
The Network supports various ad formats and provides the same powerful features as traditional Facebook campaigns. So, marketers get access to an inventory of trusted third-party apps and websites.
How do you scale campaign performance beyond Facebook?
Maintain effective Facebook campaigns and scale across other platforms with Meta Audience Network. Leverage demographic information and engagement data to optimize performance across a broader digital landscape.