If you've been a Facebook user for a while, you might have
noticed a change to the way Facebook's ad-targeting features work. These
changes are part of an effort by Facebook to protect users' privacy. In the
past, Facebook had allowed advertisers to target people based on third-party
data. Now, this type of ad targeting is going to be eliminated. Those who want
to advertise on Facebook can still leverage the platform's existing features.
Third-party data is collected from a variety of sources.
This includes public records, loyalty card programs, and surveys. Using these
types of data, advertisers can target Facebook users based on their offline
behavior. They can also use the data to reach consumers who like a particular
brand. However, Facebook has been accused of allowing advertisers to collect
personal information and spam people.
With these new restrictions, Facebook will no longer allow
advertisers to use custom audiences or lookalikes. Also, Facebook will no
longer support the Audience Insights tool. This will reduce the amount of
personalized ads that users see.
The changes were made in response to the General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is a regulation in the European Union that
aims to give citizens more control over their personal data. Facebook has been
under heavy criticism for its handling of third-party data, and it has been
working to fix this problem.
As a result of the changes, Facebook will no longer allow
religious organizations to be targeted in its ad-targeting platform. It also
will no longer allow advertisers to create ad campaigns for minors. According to
the company, this is in the best interest of the overall user experience. Some
political campaigns and large organizations have criticized the changes. Others
have pointed out that these changes have benefitted their larger competitors.
Advertisers may wonder how these changes will affect the
results of their ads. While the new policy does not apply to all industries,
the changes do impact digital marketers globally. A full list of restrictions
can be found in an article on the Help Center.
One of the most difficult things to understand about
Facebook ad-targeting is how to avoid excluding people. Including too many
people in a ad can lead to unqualified impressions. Similarly, being too narrow
can lead to missing out on great leads.
Facebook's ad-targeting tools have become popular among
advertisers. But, like all advertising platforms, Facebook's ad-targeting
options are subject to abuse. Several campaigns have been accused of using
these tools to send spam to users.