It’s nearly impossible to scroll through Facebook for longer than a minute without running into an advertisement that is suspiciously relevant to your life. Whether it’s an ad for dog food or watches, it can be a bit unnerving to learn that Facebook knows you have a dog or are in the market for a new watch. Recently, Facebook publicly released their ad policy manifesto in an attempt to make these seemingly suspicious advertising practices more transparent. The content creators here at Agency Entourage will explain what we found in this manifesto.
A New Found Dedication to Relevance
Facebook has made it easier than ever for people to only see ads that are relevant to their lifestyles. They even state that one of their main goals are for “ads to be as relevant and useful to you as the other posts you see.” They start this process by collecting anonymous data from every profile and providing that information to advertisers. Facebook does not sell your information to anyone. They just gather it in an anonymous way to filter out irrelevant information.
Personalize Your Timeline
Since Facebook’s filtering system can’t be perfect every time, they also offer the option to hide any ads that you deem irrelevant or offensive. If you’re confused about why an ad is on your timeline, you can click “why am I seeing this?” and it will direct you to your personal Ad Preferences page. There, you can learn more about the information and interests that influence the ads you see. According to the ad policy manifesto, customization is part of Facebook’s advertising principles so go ahead and adjust your preferences.
No More Anonymous Ads
Facebook recently realized that it is quite easy to use ads for political propaganda or hateful ideological promotion, so they’ve added a function that allows you to see exactly who created the ad you’re seeing. You can see all of the ads that a person has created so it is in no way anonymous anymore. They’ve also set in place a system of checks and balances for all ads in an attempt to eliminate hateful or discriminatory content. The ad policy manifesto states that there is a zero tolerance policy for any hateful advertisements.
Opportunity for Everyone
Whether you’re looking to create great social media advertising content or spread a message on a small scale, Facebook has given everyone the same opportunities with their advertising. The biggest businesses and the smallest startups have the same tools at their fingertips to spread their content. With Facebook constantly improving the way we advertise, it will only get easier from here to share your message with the world. For more help with advertising on Facebook, contact the Agency Entourage crew today.
Image from Thinkstock by Getty Images. Item Number : 505333720
