Instagram and Facebook are leading a mobile advertising revolution with their carousel advertising platforms, but marketers must entice users by weaving a story that makes consumers want to continue scrolling.  

As consumers are inundated with content on mobile, it is important for advertisers to create content with which users want to interact that is different from a traditional interrupting ad experience, and carousel ads are proving worth it as its showing an average 20 to 30 percent lower cost per installs. Instagram and Facebook have established their place as the front-runners in mobile carousel ads, but marketers must create a unique storytelling experience and continually adjust their content or risk wasting the format?s massive potential. 

?If built right, almost every brand with a mobile property could benefit from [carousel ads],? said Gil Regev, chief marketing office at Marfeel. ?It is a unique way to tell a story and get users involved. 

?That being said, these have only been out for a few months, which could be part of the reason why they are seeing such user interest,? he said. ?However, I do believe that the mobile ad industry is set for a change and this is definitely a shot in the right direction, as far as formats.?

Carousel ads offer marketers the opportunity to make a lasting impression on consumers through a format in which users can scroll through multiple frames for a storytelling ad experience. However, for the idea to actually be effective, advertisers need to urge users to continually scroll by offering a unique and interesting storyline while also informing them to keep swiping. 

Consumers of today avert from the traditional ad interruption experience, which means marketers need to be extra careful through the carousel ad format to create an experience that does not just seem like multiple ads. Advertisers should include some form of call-to-action on the final frame of a carousel ad. 

For example, Procter & Gamble bet on the interactive ads to drive trial for its product innovation ? Febreze with Tide Original Scent ? by linking to Coupons.com on the last panel. The ad campaign weaved a continual story through multiple images pairing humorous images with a coupon offer (see more). 

To ensure that consumers do not grow tired of the content, marketers need to continually provide a new creative to the ads, staying fresh in the eyes of consumers. 

?Tell a story across the carousel, each frame needs to build on the previous frame, to ensure you do not have a disjointed message,? said Marc Hasler, senior biddable manager at Somo. ?You must also make sure every single frame is relevant to your target audience and refresh your creative every 2-3 weeks. 

?Tailor the call to action and text on every frame,? he said. ?When reviewing and optimizing your ad, look at the performance of each component individually as well as the ad as a whole. 

?And utilize, where possible, Facebook?s auto-optimization tool, which will surface the best performing frame of your carousel. However, avoid this tool if the order of your images is important for the story you are telling.?

Instagram and Facebook?s platforms are ideal for the deep engagement opportunity like this as the experience is cohesive to the traditional establish consumer behavior. Consumers on these social platforms are looking for deeper engagement, and area attracted to high quality image content. 

For advertisers, carousel ads are also proving to be less expensive in terms of cost per install, while at the same time providing a more meaningful experience with consumers. 

?In our increasingly cluttered feeds, carousel ads enable brands to grab attention and differentiate their offerings,? Mr. Hasler said. ?The carousel allows advertisers to use multiple images, text elements and calls to action to promote multiple features of a product or indeed multiple products.  

?We have seen huge success with this interactive and flexible format, experiencing 20-30 percent lower cost per installs on average than standard social.?