With numerous variations of Facebook ad formats available, there are no shortage of options to get your message out. Here we pick our 5 favourites.

1. Lead Ads

One of the most effective lead generation ad formats available, lead ads were a ground-breaking ad format introduced by Facebook in 2015.

What stands them out from any other ad format, is the simplicity with which you can capture lead data. No longer are you required to send people to a website, for them to fill in their details. You can capture it all directly on Facebook. 

Example, imagine you want to collect email address and full name of potential leads. Simply ad these fields to your lead form, and when a user clicks into your lead form directly from their news feed, this information is already pre-filled, as Facebook already has this information in the user's profile. A further click of a button, and the lead is sent. Easy!

An additional bonus feature of lead ads, is the ability to send these leads directly to your CRM. By default, your leads are available as a downloaded csv. However, this requires you to constantly download your lead list, and then upload it to your CRM. Not ideal.

Alternatively, you can use Driftrock Lead Response to pipe your leads in real-time, directly into your CRM. Find out more about Lead Response here: https://optimize.driftrock.com.

For a guide to create lead ads, have a look at: A guide to Facebook's Lead Ads Product

2. Carousel Ads
Facebook Carousel ads provide advertisers an opportunity to get creative with their ads. With the opportunity to have up to 10 image cards in one ad, you have a chance to really showcase your products.

At Driftrock, we have found it particularly effective to split up a single image into multiple cards. The first card acts as a teaser, which then encourages the user to swipe through the remaining cards, to reveal the rest of the image.

Carousel ads can include a call-to-action button, and can also be attached to a lead ad.

3. Instagram for Brand Awareness
Instagram is slowly maturing into a viable ad platform. Often you may find that brand awareness tends to be more effective, rather than blatant selling of your products. Essentially Instagram is an image discovery platform, therefore your ad creative and copy needs to reflect that.

4. Video for Brand Awareness
Facebook and Instagram video can yield incredible levels of engagement, for very little cost. Video is here to stay, and is the quickest way to get your message out, to as many people as possible. The viral nature of video lends itself to comments, shares and likes, and will quickly get your message seen.

A great feature of video ads is the ability to create video view audiences. This function enables you to create audiences of people that have viewed a defined amount of your video. You can then retarget these audiences with a follow-up message, perhaps giving them more information on your product, or showing them a lead ad to capture their details.

5. Canvas Ads
Another great addition to the family of Facebook ad formats, Canvas enable you to build an immersive 'mini-website', that pops up when your ad is clicked. The Canvas is hosted by Facebook, so once again, there is no need for a Facebook user to even leave Facebook. No more page loads while they wait for your website to appear - with Canvas, it is instant.

There are a host of great examples of Canvas ads, including the below from Citroën. To view more examples, check out Facebook's Creative Hub: https://www.facebook.com/ads/creativehub/home/gallery. 

For a full list of Facebook Ad formats, check out this guide from Facebook, and browse the menu links on the left hand side: https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide.