Last week, we attended Facebook’s Travel Summit in New York. We heard some great talking points and vision from the Facebook team, including the continued discussion of a mobile-first approach and how to create engaging creative for travel brands. Much of the content displayed during the event featured snackable video, immersive canvas experiences, and performance video. For travel brands, Facebook continues to create an environment that offers the opportunity to reach users at all stages of the funnel.

How We Consume Content on Facebook

Consumption of content moves extremely fast these days, and the time it takes to deliver a key message to your customer has seemingly narrowed. This trend is changing the way content is created as consumers have shorter attention spans and don’t get nearly as enthusiastic about a “big reveal” as they once did. A study from MIT found that people consume content six times faster than they did in 2001. Due to this trend, content producers are moving away from the traditional narrative arch and instead looking to build content tailor-made for the way we consume on Facebook.

• On the go – This content and its key message should be almost immediately discernible. Users consume this type of content in 2 to 3 seconds.
• Lean forward – Interactive ad types are paving the way. Create content that is engaging for canvas ads, collections ads, 360 video and short live sessions.
• Lean back – Snackable video is a hot topic, but if you have a complex story to tell then look no further than in-stream video on Facebook, where users view to completion 70% of the time. It’s worth noting that as of August 17th, advertisers can select the placement individually versus under the news feed umbrella.

Keeping Up with Innovation

While consumers shift the manner in which they engage with content, Facebook continues to cultivate vertical-specific content strategies and advertising products, like Dynamic Ads for Travel. As DAT matures, Facebook is effectively taking each step of the buyer’s journey and building a dynamic solution that creates value for advertisers and great ad experiences for customers.

Content and consumption are exciting, but the challenge for travel advertisers still exists to actually utilize these solutions quickly and effectively. Whether it’s a DAT-ready hotel feed or bite-sized video, travel advertisers struggle to keep up with the innovation curve as Facebook expands its capabilities. The best way to solve this challenge is to understand the Facebook Marketing Partners environment and who is driving innovation in a given vertical. Facebook gives travel advertisers the ability to inspire, acquire, and generate incremental revenue. Don’t let hurdles like dynamic feed, content, or channel complexity slow your brand down- move at the speed of people and think dynamic.