Facebook Ads Is Getting An Upgrade In 2020

Facebook is going through a major transition that is going to impact marketing solutions services as well as their clients. The removal of Likes we covered a few weeks ago was just a warm up compared to what Facebook has got waiting for us down the road. Here’s what we’ve got so far.

Graph API v5.0 & Marketing API v5.0

Facebook has kicked off 2020 by releasing Graph API v5.0 and Marketing API v5.0, which features a new Ad Volume API that will help advertisers understand how many ads they’re running and prepare for the upcoming ads limitations that will be introduced shortly.

These new rules should not bother you if you’re a small or medium business running no more than a few dozen or a few hundred ads. Although Ad campaigns running and targeting the US (specifically those in the housing, employment, or credit industries) have to play nice and must register.

Read more about it here.

Ad Disapprovals & Account Suspensions:

Facebook’s ad disapproval and account suspension system is also going through an overhaul. The system is now much stricter towards ads that violate Facebook’s policies for ad design and copy.
However, it is important to note that these policies vary by region. So running ads for alcohol may be fine in France but may get your ads disapproved in the UAE. This is because Facebook chooses to deploy ad policies based on the local requirements of each region.

We do not advise running Facebook/Instagram ads for the following in the UAE:

  • Weapons, ammunition, explosives
  • Unsafe supplements
  • “Adult” products and services
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Surveillance equipment
  • Payday loans
  • Multilevel marketing schemes
  • Penny auctions
  • Tobacco or tobacco-related products
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Illegal drugs or drug-related products
  • Counterfeit documents
  • Spyware or malware

Ad Copy Gets An Upgrade

Copywriters gather around. This one is for you guys. Facebook is releasing its version of Google’s responsive ad feature, which they’re calling “Multiple Text Optimization.” This feature is essentially an upgrade to their A/B testing tool, making it easier for advertisers to create, test, and optimize several different options for the headlines, ad copy, and product descriptions.

It is also important to remember that Facebook cares about the quality of user’s experience with its ads, which means it doesn’t want your ads to looks spammy. This translates to grammar, punctuation, and capitalization too. Don’t use random capitalization or leave caps lock on when writing your ad copy. Don’t add extra punctuation marks. Don’t replace letters with emojis or random characters to get attention. And lastly, use a spellchecker and keep an eye on your grammar, as ad creatives with bad spelling and grammar will also not be approved.

Read more about it here.

Going Beyond Your Ad: Your Landing Page

The landing page you link to is subject to the same policies as your Facebook ads. Just as important as your ad creative itself is the landing page you’re directing people to. If your landing page violates any of the Facebook ad policies, your ad doesn’t stand a chance of being approved. Facebook’s ad review team will look at a number of additional factors specific to landing pages to make sure yours is up to par. Here are a few things related to your landing page that you need to look out for and may lead to ad disapproval and/or account suspension:

  • Your landing page is promoting any of the prohibited items from the list given above
  • Landing page contains entrapment technology such as pop-ups, etc.
  • Ad URL doesn’t match landing page URL
  • Landing page lacks business details
  • Landing page is false or misleading
  • Landing page includes disruptive or spammy elements
  • Landing page is defective, unfinished, or a digital dead end
  • Landing page doesn’t look like the ad creative

Sounding Off

2018 and 2019 were tough on Zuckerberg and his team. 2020 is going to be the year they make sure this never happens again – and that means that there will be a lot more structure and regulation as well as an increased focus on respecting audience privacy and ensuring transparency. Digital marketing experts have an unspoken rule that is more important now than it ever was before:

Anything you knew (about digital marketing) that was valid 6 months ago is probably obsolete by now.

We’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg in this write up and will keep you guys posted in the coming weeks? What do you think? How do you feel about these Facebook updates? What are you most excited about, and which update do you think will impact you the most? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!

Leave a Comment