Facebook this week announced a new way for game developers to promote and sell virtual goods through desktop app engagement ads. Players who see the ad as they browse Facebook will be now able to purchase directly from the ad and start playing the game.

Case Study

In a blog post , Pin Lu of Facebook showcased game developer Kixeye's wildly successful pilot of the ads:

Kixeye used these desktop app ads for virtual goods for their game Battle Pirates to reengage active players who were past purchasers, as well as active ones who had not yet paid. Kixeye offered discounts on their gold virtual currency and they saw over a 10 percent click-through rate and a 50 percent conversion rate for past purchasers. They saw a 14 percent conversion rate for those who hadn't paid before. In addition, they targeted their highest value spenders with large discounts — for instance, $500 worth of gold virtual currency for $250 — and saw over 5,000 percent return on ad spend.

How to Create Desktop App Ads for Virtual Goods

To create a desktop app ad for virtual goods, you must choose "App Engagement" as your objective, then choose either "Buy Now" or "Get Offer" as your call to action. Like standard desktop app engagement ads, these ads can appear in both the News Feed or the right-hand column.

The ad type has incredible potential for game developers and can be used with custom audiences to effectively advertise to your highest-spending players.