Why VK's new advertising cabinet isn't happy yet
The social network has made it easier to run ads, but algorithms and moderation are a discomfort
Why VK's new advertising cabinet isn't happy yet
The social network has made it easier to run ads, but algorithms and moderation are a discomfort
At the end of March 2022, the VK platform introduced a new advertising cabinet "VK Advertising". It combined the key functions of MyTarget and the old version of VKontakte.
Now the launch is in the final stage of beta testing. Previously, ads could only be run from mobile apps, but at the end of May, all the features opened up. Let's take a closer look at them.
Now the launch is in the final stage of beta testing. Previously, ads could only be run from mobile apps, but at the end of May, all the features opened up. Let's take a closer look at them.
Updated interface
What immediately catches your eye is the new look of the home page, borrowed from MyTarget. Now there are organized tabs: campaigns, ad groups, and ads themselves.
The VK cabinet now looks logical and clear. Meta* cannot boast of this.
The VK cabinet now looks logical and clear. Meta* cannot boast of this.
Advertising Ads
In advertising, the VK audience first sees the text and then the image. Users with beautiful photos in Instagram will face difficulties.
It is not an easy task to write an engaging text and keep within 221 characters (new limitation) and without emoji (second new limitation).
At the end of May, VK introduced another rule - it banned abbreviations in the text, except for well-known ones. To enter your own, you need to make a request to tech support and wait two days.
Of course, you can always create an ad in another format - VK has 3 more of them than Ads Manager. More on that below.
It is not an easy task to write an engaging text and keep within 221 characters (new limitation) and without emoji (second new limitation).
At the end of May, VK introduced another rule - it banned abbreviations in the text, except for well-known ones. To enter your own, you need to make a request to tech support and wait two days.
Of course, you can always create an ad in another format - VK has 3 more of them than Ads Manager. More on that below.
Campaigns, moderation
VK Ads now has a drop-down ribbon for campaign customization. The idea is also borrowed from MyTarget - when creating an ad, all functions are sequential. It became faster and more convenient.
If you don't want to create an ad now, go to the home page and the ad is moved to drafts without further confirmation.
And now about ad moderation. In "VK Advertising" it is carried out manually. It's both convenient and not.
If you don't want to create an ad now, go to the home page and the ad is moved to drafts without further confirmation.
And now about ad moderation. In "VK Advertising" it is carried out manually. It's both convenient and not.
- Minus: it takes too much time for approval. You will have to wait even longer than in Meta* offices. There is also an opinion that moderation needs to be worked out, since there are a lot of phishing ads, etc. on the site.
- Plus: there is no AI blocking. That is, the advertising account cannot be lost due to erroneous actions of the algorithm. Everything is on the moderator's conscience. Or yours.
Algorithms, optimization and capabilities
If everything is simple with the cabinet and the format of ads, the work of algorithms is noticeably sagging. When the demand for launching advertising in VK rose sharply in April, there were complaints from targeting specialists.
VK Advertising's algorithms seem weak - only conversions can be optimized, ads often break, and the price per click depends on Mercury retrograde. For example now, CPM in VK starts from 570 rubles!
So far, the promotion mechanisms are not teachable - there is not enough data. When the base increases, there will be a chance that the algorithms will work more efficiently. According to VKontakte, the site now has more than 100 million active users, and 4 million were added in March.
Due to the fact that the optimization of ads in "VK Advertising" is limited, most likely, the usual marketing strategy will have to be changed. This will take time, and not every business has it. But in the long run, the domestic social network may have something to offer the CIS advertising market.
What you can do in "VK Advertising":
To start using the cabinet, you need to create any ad. The cabinet can be opened as an agency or for business.
VK Advertising's algorithms seem weak - only conversions can be optimized, ads often break, and the price per click depends on Mercury retrograde. For example now, CPM in VK starts from 570 rubles!
So far, the promotion mechanisms are not teachable - there is not enough data. When the base increases, there will be a chance that the algorithms will work more efficiently. According to VKontakte, the site now has more than 100 million active users, and 4 million were added in March.
Due to the fact that the optimization of ads in "VK Advertising" is limited, most likely, the usual marketing strategy will have to be changed. This will take time, and not every business has it. But in the long run, the domestic social network may have something to offer the CIS advertising market.
What you can do in "VK Advertising":
- Customize ads by geolocation with a radius of 500 meters or more.
- Preserve the effectiveness of ads after edits.
- Add a map with the company's location to the ad.
- Do surveys as ads.
- Use "universal entries" - this is a post with an increased amount of characters and the ability to attach 10 attachments.
- Collect positive and negative reactions to the ad - and audience by them.
To start using the cabinet, you need to create any ad. The cabinet can be opened as an agency or for business.
In conclusion
The new VK Ads cabinet is not hopeless, but the algorithms don't work very well. We hope this is the cost of the beta version, and in the future the ads will work better.
Developers, according to representatives of "VKontakte", constantly receive and analyze feedback from advertisers. This is pleasing - now the Russian e-commerce market is pinning great hopes and budgets on VK.
Developers, according to representatives of "VKontakte", constantly receive and analyze feedback from advertisers. This is pleasing - now the Russian e-commerce market is pinning great hopes and budgets on VK.