Facebook Canvas: Learn the Basics

We’re a fan of all kinds of social media here at BBD, so decided to share our knowledge on Facebook’s mobile advert experience – Facebook Canvas.

Described by Facebook as an ‘immersive and expressive experience’ for businesses to use for marketing – we just think it’s a great way to visually tell your audience a story, so have pulled together some top tips for creating your first Canvas.

First things first, let’s cover the basics. Your Canvas is built via components. These are the tools you’re given to create a Canvas that’s unique to you and your brand.

Header – this can be text, but we recommend using your logo here, as the header will be pinned to the top of the user’s screen as they scroll down your Canvas.

Image – this is where it gets good. Depending on the image you pick, you can use Facebook’s tools to your advantage. So say you have a wide image that you don’t want to fit to the width of your screen – by using the Tilt to Pan display option, people will be able to move their phone frmo side to side to explore the whole image without it sitting full width in their browser. You can also use the Tap to Expand option to let people zoom into images if you want people to be able to see more detail.

Carousel – much like the Carousel function you’ve probably used on Facebook before, this allows us to show multiple images using a scrolling function that adds some excitement to your user’s experience of your Canvas. You’re going to want to make sure your images are all the same size to make this look as good as possible – you’re also able to use the Tilt to Pan and Tilt to Expand options here so keep this in mind!

Text & Button – these are pretty self explanatory, but help build your Canvas and break up your imagery. Your text will be limited to 500 characters, so keep an eye on this and make sure you use punchy, exciting language here. Your CTA button is ideal for taking people to your website – with some simple editing functionality, your button can say whatever you’d like, and be placed between other components on your Canvas.

Video – ah video, Facebook’s favourite kind of content. We’re always told how important it is to use video content on Facebook, and your Canvas is another exciting way to do this. Videos will autoplay as users scroll down your Canvas, so we recommend keeping them under 2 minutes in length so your fans don’t get bored. Like any images you add, you can use the Tilt to Pan option which will display your video at the screen’s full height, and move around when users move their phone.

 

“It’s so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas.”

 

When you’ve spent time creating your Canvas, you’re able to save this and preview it on your mobile before publishing it which we’d recommend you do – when you finish it, it’s finished. The only way you’ll be able to make changes is by duplicating this one, and editing the new one.

Facebook will provide you with some examples to have a nosy through and get your creative juices flowing – the most important thing about creating your Canvas is to take time and experiment with it. Pick some top images and have a story in mind as you create your Canvas – think about what you would want to see from your brand and you’re on to a winner!

 

– Lynsey

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