Have you ever felt that traditional ads and tactics simply can’t capture everything you want consumers to know about your business?

Facebook Canvas, a new approach to advertising that weaves in conventional and envelope-pushing tactics, might just be the answer you’re looking for. It turns a smart phone into a vehicle that can truly showcase your business and brand.

An Interactive Experience

Think of Facebook Canvas as an interactive experience that lets consumers immerse themselves into videos, stills and content. While they’re basically commercials at the core, they’re far more textured. And Facebook Canvas puts the user in control of the experience.

To date, many big brands have used it to convey a deeper understanding to their markets. However, you don’t have to be huge to leverage canvas – in fact, small businesses can appear much larger, and their brands can appear much deeper using canvas.

How It Works

Facebook Canvas lets you weave videos, stills, imagery –just about any digital asset into a story about your business, brand or products. For example, a Facebook Canvas treatment for a micro brewery might begin with footage of a brew master honing his or her craft.
The video footage then might give way to icons of the different types of beers the brewery offers. Clicking on any of them might enable a profile page that features more video, but this time of one of the brewers explaining what makes this beer so gratifying.

It truly is a canvas on which business owners can create and tell stories. All consumers have to do to enjoy it is tap and swipe as they see fit.

Facebook Canvas and Your Business

Facebook describes Canvas as storytelling coming to life. So how might your small business begin to craft such a story?

First, it’s about substance and finding a unique angle. If you operate a barbershop, you might begin with a video of history of mustaches through the ages. You then might profile some of your barbers, letting them tell customers in their own words why they’re passionate about their work, and what compelled them to work for you.

You could then offer up a visual quiz that encourages viewers to match the mustache to the historical figure. For those who answer correctly, you might even provide a coupon good for 50% off their first shave.

Built for Mobile

Facebook Canvas was developed to leverage the fact that more people are spending more time on mobile devices than laptops, desktops or other devices like tablets. So a Facebook Canvas ad for your business is essentially a hand-held brand immersion.

Those who see your Facebook Canvas ad might be riding the subway, waiting in line at the grocery store or killing time at the doctor’s office. No matter where they’re at, you have a captive audience, which means more chances to connect than ever before.

In many ways, a Facebook Canvas is as potential filled as a canvas awaiting paint. Use it right, and it will tell a captivating story about your brand through a unique aesthetic pleasure.