iProspect-2018年Q2社交媒体付费广告趋势报告（英文）-2018.9-26页-2mb

Paid Social Trends Q2 2018 Summary

Core Content Overview

This report outlines the key trends and performance insights for paid social advertising across major platforms in Q2 2018, including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. It highlights the impact of privacy regulations, platform updates, and campaign performance metrics on advertising strategies and budgets.

Main Trends and Insights

Spend Trends

• Overall Paid Social Spend: iProspect's clients increased their total social spend by 40% YoY and 21% QoQ, indicating strong growth and confidence in the channel.
• Pinterest: Spend increased 17% YoY and -11% QoQ. The QoQ decrease is typical due to seasonal focus on discovery phase users. However, the platform's new Promoted Video at max width has had a significant impact on both spend and performance.
• Facebook: Spend rose 54% YoY and 17% QoQ, with 71% of total iProspect spend attributed to Facebook. This growth is due to:
  • Retail clients ramping up for the spring season.
  • Organic growth from existing clients.
  • Addition of two new, large clients.
• Snapchat: Spend increased 142% YoY and 9% QoQ, driven by new ad types such as non-geo Filters and Snap Lenses, as well as the Snap Ads feature, which saw a 168% YoY increase in spend.
• LinkedIn: Had the most significant spend increase, with 167% QoQ and 245% YoY growth, attributed to the platform's strong user engagement and the introduction of new ad formats like Carousel Ads.

Performance Metrics

• CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions): Increased 47% YoY and 19% QoQ. CPM for Store Visits campaigns rose 97% YoY, reflecting growing interest from retailers in optimizing for in-store conversions.
• Video Investment: Made up 53% of total Facebook spend, with a 4% YoY and 5% QoQ increase. Video content is being increasingly used in Canvas and Collection ad units to drive click-throughs and conversions.
• CTR (Click-Through Rate): Rose 80% YoY and -4% QoQ. Brands are focusing on qualified traffic and optimizing for landing page views rather than just clicks.
• Conversion Rate: Increased 6% QoQ and 37% YoY, with retail-specific conversion rates averaging 13%. The overall cost per conversion remained stable at $10, but Audience Network and Messenger placements saw a 120% QoQ and 33% QoQ increase in cost per conversion respectively.
• Twitter: Investment increased 32% QoQ and -66% YoY, but the platform is gaining traction as a premium video platform. Clients with over a year of experience saw a 355% YoY increase in spend.

Platform Updates

• IGTV: Instagram's new long-form video platform that hosts videos up to an hour. While ad inventory is limited, it is a highly anticipated feature.
• Facebook Creator Match Tool: A beta tool that allows brands to identify influencers and see how their audiences align with the brand's target demographic.
• Snapchat Conversion Optimization: A beta feature offering real-time optimization for conversions, reducing manual efforts and improving performance via machine learning.
• LinkedIn Carousel Ads: A new ad format allowing the display of 2-10 images with individual descriptions and links, enhancing user interaction and content flexibility.

Key Performance Insights

Reach

• CPM increased 47% YoY and 19% QoQ, with reach objectives averaging $4.79 CPM.
• ROAS-driving campaigns with link clicks or website conversion objectives had an average CPM of $8.63, down slightly from $8.79 in Q1 2018.
• Lead generation and app install campaigns had the highest CPMs at $25.50 and $15.69 respectively, due to their effectiveness in acquiring high-value leads.

Video

• Video investment made up 53% of total Facebook spend, with a 4% YoY and 5% QoQ increase.
• View rate remained relatively stable, decreasing slightly from 10% in Q2 2017 to 9.6% in Q2 2018.
• Canvas and Collection ad units are particularly effective at driving click-throughs even when featuring video content.

Traffic

• Average CPC increased to $5.58, up from $4.30 in Q1 2018 and $7.74 in Q2 2017.
• CTR was 1.6% in Q2 2018, up from 2% in Q1 2018 and 0.89% in Q2 2017.
• News Feed desktop CPC rose 43% QoQ to $1.63, while News Feed mobile CPC increased 34% QoQ to $0.51.
• Instagram CPC remained stable at $0.65.

Conversion

• Conversion rate for paid social campaigns was 7.91%, up 6% QoQ and 37% YoY.
• Retargeting and direct-response campaigns are showing strong performance, especially in the retail sector.
• Cost per conversion for Audience Network and Messenger placements increased significantly, but Instagram saw a 36% QoQ decrease in CPC due to improved traffic-driving ad units.

Earnings Reports

• Facebook: Q2 revenue reached $13.2 billion, up 42% YoY, but missed Wall Street expectations. CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized transparency, user safety, and data security, even at the expense of short-term revenue. The stock dropped 20% after the call, and user growth slowed due to GDPR compliance.
• Twitter: Ad revenue increased 24%, with international ad revenue up 40%, marking the first time non-U.S. ad revenue exceeded U.S. ad revenue. The platform reported 335 million MAUs, down from 338 million expected. The stock dropped 20% as well, but the company's focus on cleaning up fake accounts was a positive factor.
• Snapchat: Revenue reached $262 million, beating expectations. However, DAUs decreased by 2% QoQ, attributed to a recent platform redesign. Despite this, ad revenue per user increased YoY, indicating continued value for advertisers.
• LinkedIn: Revenue grew 37% QoQ and 12% YoY, driven by job market growth and new ad formats. It is a key driver of Microsoft's revenue growth.

Authors

• Drew Stoga: Associate Director, Paid Social. Has over 10 years of digital marketing experience, focusing on paid and organic social, websites, CRM, SEO, and more.
• Elise Ryan: Associate Director, Social Media. Specializes in B2B solutions and has extensive experience in paid social strategy, analysis, and training.
• Maddie Davis: Director, Social Media. Leads paid and organic social media and influencer marketing, with a focus on retail and travel clients.
• Brittany Richter: VP, Head of Social Media. Oversees paid and organic social media across U.S. offices, with a focus on advanced targeting and unique customer experiences.

Additional Reading

• 3 Things to Keep in Mind While Building Out a Social Strategy
• Press Play: Streamlining Video Insights with Facebook's New Update
• 2018 Q1 Paid Social Trends Report
• Facebook Ends 3rd Party Data Access for Ad Targeting
• Facebook Migrates to new View Tag Policies

Appendix: Major Platform Updates

• Snapchat Conversion Optimization: Real-time conversion optimization via machine learning, reducing manual efforts and improving performance. Currently in closed beta with select DR brands.
• IGTV: Instagram's long-form video platform, currently available on iOS and Android.
• LinkedIn Carousel Ads: New ad format allowing the display of 2-10 images with individual descriptions and links. Available now.