We’ve talked before about how Facebook and Instagram ads can be hit-or-miss in 2024. It’s a problem that marketers have been complaining about more and more.
Well, Meta finally seems to have taken notice and has decided to lend a helping hand. If you’ve been looking for ways to boost performance and engagement for your ads on Instagram and Facebook, this new feature may be exactly what you’ve been hoping for.
Flexible Media to the Rescue
The new feature is called Flexible Media, and its entire goal is to enhance ad performance across Facebook and Instagram. Flexible Media uses AI to decide which images or media will be shown to users across various ad placements, based on the system’s predictions of performance expectations.
The way this works is that you can upload any combination of up to 10 videos and images in an ad campaign. Rather than choosing formats for each ad, Meta automatically makes these choices for you dynamically, selecting the best format for each placement and each user based on predicted performance. This means that you will not be spending as much time testing and optimizing your ads, as the AI will be doing it for you on the fly.
Didn’t This Already Exist?
This new feature may sound very similar to the existing Flexible Ads tool, but it’s not the same. Flexible Ads allows users to upload up to 10 images, with Meta’s AI deciding which images to show each user. Flexible Media takes this a step further by giving Meta permission to select different images for different ad types, based on what the AI thinks will perform best in a given placement. This helps to make ads more responsive and more specifically targeted than before.
Is Too Much Automation a Bad Idea?
For marketers who are used to having extremely granular control over their ad content, this approach of “let go and let AI figure it out” may seem like handing too much over. It’s understandable to feel a bit apprehensive, especially at first, but remember that this is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Flexible Media is set up manually by the user during each campaign, and it’s always up to you if you want to stop using it, so it’s worth experimenting just to see how well it works and if it can give you the kind of results you’ve been wanting from your ads. You’ll probably find that you’re more comfortable letting the automation do its thing if it proves itself to be a better predictor of engagement than you are, and if that results in a higher return on your ads.
Can’t Find the Flexible Media Option?
If you don’t see the option to select Flexible Media when setting up your ad campaign, you may not have the feature yet. It’s a brand new tool that Meta is gradually rolling out starting in November 2024, so you may have to wait a little while before you see it in your Meta ads manager.
Need more assistance refining your ads strategy? Contact us for a free consultation — our team can help get your ad campaigns on the right track as we head into the holiday season!
COGO Interactive is an award-winning digital marketing agency specializing in online marketing strategy, web design, SEO and social media marketing. We work with clients in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC and across the nation.
