Social behaviors are shifting to stories. Advertisers want to be where users are, but how can they create effective ad campaigns that drive results? We spoke with executives at Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to get the secrets to story advertising success.

While Snapchat and Instagram may appear similar to users, marketers take very different approaches when they use these platforms.

As 2018 nears its end, we are looking back at what happened with Facebook usage, monetization and data privacy over the past year, as well as forward into what changes 2019 may bring.

In the latest episode of "Behind the Numbers," analyst Debra Aho Williamson joins us in the studio to talk about social stories—what she calls a 21st Century daily diary. What is it about stories that users and advertisers alike seem to find so appealing?

With its increased investment in Instagram Stories, Benefit plans to focus on both organic and paid content in 2019. And rising usage in swipe-up behavior—when a user swipes up on stories content and is taken to a landing page on the brand's website—is opening the door to new opportunities.

Stories are hot in social media, and the ad opportunities are growing fast. How are consumers using stories, and how do they respond to marketing in stories?

Is Facebook's fate tied to the News Feed? In the new episode of "Behind the Numbers," analyst Debra Aho Williamson discusses the latest usage and revenue data from Facebook and looks ahead to what might be coming in 2019.

This year, 84.8 million people in the US—or roughly a quarter of the population—will use Snapchat, a 7.1% increase from 2017, according to eMarketer estimates.

Usage and ad revenues have taken hits in recent months, but both companies are moving forward with new ad products—and they offer unique features that are causing some marketers to give them a second look.

Simon Lejeune, head of user acquisition at travel app Hopper, discusses the success of its direct-response Snapchat ad campaigns.