3 must-use Facebook ad formats this Ramadan

For Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a period where daily life changes. Being observed this year from 15 May to 14 June, Ramadan is a month of religious observance, full of family time and generosity. During this time, Muslims go without food and drink during daylight hours, eating only when it’s dark and generally staying up later to spend time with family and friends.

It’s a time when the lifestyles of many Muslims change, and as such it offers some unique opportunities for marketers. 93% of observers, for example, expect to spend more on regular household items< and 43% expect to travel during Eid, the religious holiday marking the end of Ramadan each year.

Focussing on social media, the online behaviour of Ramadan observers changes dramatically during this time. A study by Facebook from last year’s Ramadan period revealed some incredible insights:

In this blog post, we will be covering 3 Facebook and Instagram ad formats that you’ll need to use if you want to make the most of the opportunities on offer during Ramadan 2018.

But first, it’s important that we cover off some key considerations for your Ramadan social advertising. Without keeping these in mind, we’d go as far as saying your Ramadan campaigns have little chance of success.

Key Ramadan considerations

• Go all-in on mobile

Ramadan has been called the month of mobile, with social, shopping and travel activities almost exclusively taking place on mobile. As a social advertiser, you’ll need to keep this in mind, and make sure your ads are optimized accordingly.

• Keep time of day top-of-mind

As mentioned, eating, sleeping and social routines change dramatically during Ramadan. Make sure your ad dollars aren’t being wasted, and focus on delivering ads at times of the day when users are engaged. Test switching your ads off during low periods, and back on during periods of increased social activity, like between 2-5am. You’ll probably notice Facebook ad costs are higher during these periods of high activity, but can you afford to not run your ads when your audience is most engaged?

Also ensure your messages are appropriate – if you sell food-related products, for example, it might be wise not to push these during daylight hours. Here’s a creative way McDonald’s approached a recent campaign during Ramadan.

• Increase budgets

With increases in traffic and engagement on Facebook and Instagram will come an increase in cost. CPC, CPM and CPL, for example, will all see an increase in price due to greater competition to reach engaged audiences. Run tests with different bids and budgets to discover how much you need to spend to see the results you’re after.

• Don’t forget remarketing

Ramadan lasts for a month, so make sure you’re using the whole period to nurture prospects down the funnel. Very few people will convert the first time they see your ad – as few as 3% on average. Make sure you have the Facebook Pixel installed so you can effectively track and retarget users based on their previous engagement with your ads. If you’re unsure how to set this up, or aren’t sure you’re getting the most out of it, have a read of our Complete Guide to the Facebook Pixel.

The 3 ‘must-have’ ad formats for your Ramadan campaigns

Video ads across Facebook and Instagram

Television is very central to Ramadan. The 2017 Facebook study found an 85% increase globally in mentions (on Facebook) of watching TV during Ramadan. But that’s only part of the story. ‘Dual-screening’ is common around the world these days, and during Ramadan it is particularly evident. In the UAE, for example, 71% of Facebook users say they are on the app while watching TV, whilst 77% of Instagram users say the same. Facebook advertisers who also use TV advertising as part of their marketing mix could therefore seize the opportunity to create integrated campaigns across both channels. Video ads on Facebook can act as a trailer for TV, increasing brand metrics like recall and awareness. Using Reach & Frequency delivery could optimize pricing for this goal.

If you’re not a TV advertiser, why not research what your target audience is watching on TV and then target them during the show with a tailored video ad on the same theme? In all of this, however, remember to optimize for mobile!

Ads in Instagram Stories

Instagram lends itself to visually stunning imagery and is a great way to inspire your audience. In the discovery and inspiration’ phase of Ramadan, thought to be roughly 3-4 weeks out from the beginning of festivities, people are looking for creative ideas. Instagram can be a great way to deliver these. Instagram Stories, in particular, is an authentic and immersive experience where ads integrate well with the overall experience. Ads in Instagram Stories enable brands to enter into a more conversational experience with consumers, which is very similar to the ones they are having with each other. It has been shown that Ramadan chatter on Instagram is over 7 times more likely to be about Fashion and shopping, and close to 6 times more likely to be about recipe ideas, than chatter on Facebook. If your product is in one of those categories, then take advantage of ads in Instagram Stories. And even if it’s not, this ad format fit very well with the authentic and social atmosphere around Ramadan, so it’s well worth testing.

Facebook Dynamic Ads

Dynamic Ads (DA) is an ad format available across Facebook and Instagram, with the real point of difference of giving advertisers the ability to synchronize their product catalogues, automatically setting up a range of creatives. This allows advertisers to promote thousands of products with a single creative template, without having to configure each individual product ad.

With Ramadan approaching quickly, Dynamic ads could be the time-saving, automation-powered ad format you’ve been looking for!

The dynamic part of the name means Dynamic Ads change based on continual analysis of the prospect’s data profile, showing the specific items they have viewed or ones relating to their interests. During Ramadan, given that your campaigns will need to run for some time, Dynamic ads will enable you to build relationships with consumers and follow their interests. This ad format enables your ads to automatically evolve as your knowledge of the customer does and they gather information from all touch points, since the buyer journey is no longer a linear process. This ad format is ideal for e-commerce businesses with large product catalogues.

Interested in learning more about Facebook Dynamic ads, and how they could be the key to your Ramadan campaign success? Download our Complete Guide to Dynamic Ads today.