Facebook Removed Detailed Targeting Options

Why are marketers freaking out?

Facebook is not the same social media platform it used to be. It has been making things harder and more challenging. The detailed targeting of ads to preferred audiences has become more problematic.

Earlier this month, Facebook removed detailed targeting options from its ads manager. This option has not been taken well by marketers and brands.

Facebook has rolled out several improvements to its targeting tools in the past year. The ability to use keywords in different types of ads is a good addition. The interest-based targeting and browsing history is the cherry on top!

Yet, Facebook has been criticized for how targeted advertising works. Facebook announced in April that it would be removing the custom targeting option. The company said that it would keep the opportunity for small businesses. Instead, it never mentioned it would create a problem for big advertisers.

In today’s article, we will talk about the recent changes to Facebook’s targeting options and their effects.

Facebook Ads Manager

To give a head start to your ads, you should always set up a Facebook ads manager account before launching any of your ads. This account will help you manage and track all your ads in the meantime. You can also view and export your data in a spreadsheet for better analysis and reporting.

The dashboard allows you to create different ad variations. The variations include demographics, targeting options, budgets, and campaign objectives.

Facebook has released a new version of its ads manager for android and iOS users, making it simpler. The following are some of the latest updates of the FB ads manager and the policies.

• 1. You can now set the ad size on an exact or a percentage basis.
• 2. A new “ad target” option allows you to add your app’s website URL to a Facebook page’s “App Center.” It can be done without requiring users to install your app.
• 3. You can now add an image or video link straight in the Ad Manager campaign. The 20% rule is turned into an option.
• 4. Ads for games, events, and apps already live in the App Center will appear in the “App Center” tab of Facebook pages.
• 5. You can ease the rotation of captions, Facebook ads descriptions, and headlines. The optimized text per person is a handy feature here.

Marketers can manage many ad campaigns. All can be done from a single dashboard of the Facebook ads manager. For instance, a marketer may want to create separate ad campaigns for two different products. One is to target users in a specific country and the other to target users within a particular city.

Facebook Ads Manager tool can handle all that. It would be best to create a campaign on one page and set some targeting criteria. Then, use the tool to choose which page you want to run ads for.

Facebook Ads Audience

Facebook has a new way of delivering ads to users. It is called the Audience Network. As a result, Facebook can market to specific groups of users that are more likely to see its ads. Facebook will show your ads to people who are most likely to find your ads relevant.

The FB audience is divided into three categories.

Lookalike Audience

It is the one with the same audience as your current one. You target this type of audience as there are higher chances of conversion. It works better with those when you have more than those with no similar interests.

Custom Audience

Custom audiences are the ones who are already familiar with your business.

Customers, users of your app, and site visitors can all be listed in your custom audience. The engagement and connection with them become a piece of cake from here.

Core Audience

Core audiences are the ones that match your products’ interests. It is the audience you target with preferred demographics and other details. You can create an audience for your campaign based on custom interests, age, gender, and more!

Removal Of List Of Detailed Targeting

The days of targeting audiences through their online activities and interests are over. This restriction applies to users above 18 or 20 to 21 in some countries. But for those under 18, advertisers can only target them with their gender and location.

Facebook knows the impact of social media on teens. Facebook’s smart move wants to keep teens safe by restricting the ads that teens see. For example, you can’t post ads about porn, drugs, or alcohol to minors. You also can’t promote sites or services that are illegal. Posts containing nudity or abusive/sexual provoked things are blocked automatically.

Meta aims to remove a detailed targeted audience for a safe and private experience. The list includes the following areas.

• Health (select awareness, treatment, and prevention topic)
• Religious Beliefs
• Sexual orientations
• Political affiliation

Wrapping It Up!

Such a move by Facebook shocked both marketers and engagers. The social media site removed detailed targeting options for location data advertisements. This came into effect after Facebook said it would begin rolling out the changes in the spring. And users noticed the difference after the announcement.

Changes to the Facebook ad system will force people to become a lot more creative when creating ads. If the old advertising model was “one size fits all,” then this new model will likely be “one size fits none.” But what this means is that advertisers will be forced to come up with different ways of targeting. The old system was based on demographic data, but now there is no longer just demographic.

There are many other variables such as location, age, gender, and interests. These are the things advertisers can no longer rely on to create an effective ad. This new model forces users to get creative and find new ways to target specific users on Facebook.

What are your thoughts about this step by Facebook? Please enlighten us in the comments below.

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