Facebook Advertising Guidelines – What You Need to Know
Facebook advertising is one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise your business online. With over 2.7 billion monthly active users, it puts your target market directly within your reach.
But what are the rules? What can you advertise? How can you make sure your ads perform well?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through some Facebook ad policy tips you will need to know in order to to get your ads successfully approved.
The Rules, According to Facebook
Facebook’s advertising features are powerful, allowing you to effectively reach your exact target audience in the form of image ads, video ads, carousels, collection ads (where multiple products are displayed) along with a number of other ways. Through the power of Facebook advertising, you can intrigue, delight and eventually convert customers.
Advertising on Facebook however isn’t a free-for-all. The social media network has strict rules about what it allows us to advertise and how we should do it. Here some of the top guidelines you will need to follow when you run a campaign:
Facebook Ad Policy On Things You Can’t Advertise
When it comes to what we’re allowed to advertise on Facebook, most of the Facebook ad policy guidelines are common sense. For example, Facebook doesn’t allow us to advertise anything illegal, such as illegal drugs, body parts, or weapons. Here’s what else you won’t be able to promote in your ads:
- Tobacco or related products (e.g., e-cigarettes)
- Adult products or services (except contraceptives or other family planning aids)
- Unsafe supplements
- Weight loss products
- Anti-vaccination material
The Wording Of Your Advertisement Matters
As well as limitations on the products and services that can be advertised on Facebook, the way you market your business matters, too. For example, Facebook ad policy states that advertisements can’t include profanity, nudity, or misinformation. The latter can be particularly confusing, given misinformation is determined at Facebook’s discretion.
Health products can’t use before-and-after photos in their advertisements. You should also take care not to use sensitive social or political debates in your advertisements.
Advertisers Should Avoid Reference to Personal Attributes
This rule is one that catches a lot of advertisers out on Facebook. If you have an advertisement disallowed, this should be the first thing you check.
Facebook states that advertisements shouldn’t contain anything that implies personal attributes, either directly or indirectly. This includes characteristics relating to gender, religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, or medical conditions.
Given the importance of targeted advertisements to the intended audience, this rule can be difficult to understand. The key is not to imply anything about the reader but to clearly state how your product or service can help.
For example, it wouldn’t be appropriate to say: “Do you suffer from anxiety? Try our new self-help app.”
Instead, you could say:“New anxiety self-help app.“
Best Practices for High-Performing Ads
Are you ready to get started but still confused about what you should and shouldn’t do? Here are some best practices to help you create high-performing ads:
Get to know the Community Standards
Facebook has helpfully created in-depth community standards to help us understand what we can and can’t do on their platform. If you’re thinking about advertising, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with these guidelines before you get started. It will minimise the number of mistakes you make, leading to fewer ad revisions and better results.
Start small and experiment
It’s best not to throw your entire advertising budget at your first campaign. Figuring out your targeting options can take a bit of work, so start small and experiment. Make sure you track the results and build a picture of what works best. Once you’ve figured it out, increase your budget.
Set up the pixel on your website
If you’re pushing users to your website, re-targeting people who have already expressed interest can be a great way to get more from your campaigns. This involves using a code on your website, allowing you to create campaigns to target people who have previously viewed your website.
For more information on how to setup Facebook Pixel simply visit the Meta Business Help Centre
.Talk to Facebook
If some of your ads aren’t allowed and you can’t understand why then ask! Facebook is a profit-making business — they want you to advertise with them. This means they’ll let you know how to improve so your ads are approved faster in the future.
In summary, once you get to know the rules and processes, Facebook advertising is one of the most effective ways to market your business online. Give it a try and let us know how it goes!
More Facebook Reading
For more information on how you can utilise the power of Facebook, why not read our post on Boosting Your Conversions with Facebook Messenger’s Targeted Ads
Need Help With Your Facebook Campaigns?
Why not have a look at our paid advertising page for social media? Amire will work with your internal teams and manage your paid social campaigns.
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