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Facebook Advertising Guidelines—Update!

It seems like we don’t get the opportunity to make many news update announcements from Facebook these days, but today is not one of those days! Facebook has released a new version of their Advertising Guidelines that not only includes some changes, but also some general clean up to make it easier to understand and more organized.

Welcome to the Facebook Ads party offline casinos, legal gambling establishments,  and state and national lottery commissions! Part of the recent announcement from Facebook was that the preceding kinds of companies can now advertise via Facebook as long as they follow all other guidelines, are targeting appropriately (age, etc.) and are abiding by all applicable laws. Online gambling is still on the no advertising list in the U.S., but with prior authorization, may be accepted in other countries.

The next change is for the pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industry and it isn’t so much of a change as it is a clarification. Ads are still not permitted for the sale or distribution of prescription pharmaceuticals or for online pharmacies, but the promotion of legal dietary supplements that are free of any prohibited substances are allowed. Those ads are still subject to following all other advertising guidelines, as well.

The final updates Facebook released were in regards to the Help Center. The main goal was to make the Help Center more complementary to the Advertising Guidelines by adding:

  • Examples of acceptable and unacceptable ads with detailed explanations and reasoning’s
  • A new layout that more closely resembles, and with specific requirements previously located in, the Advertising Guidelines. (All this means is the examples and restrictions previously listed in the Advertising Guidelines are now located in the Help Center, so be sure to check both when determining compliance!)

Do these most recent updates help or affect your PPC plan at all? Do you wish Facebook would have fixed something else first? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below!

For further information about this topic, check out the following links:

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more news updates from PPC Hero!

August 24, 2011

About the Author

Kayla Kurtz

Kayla Kurtz is currently the Paid Search Consultant for Hanapin Marketing, with vast experience as an Account Manager with the agency before taking on her current position. Her account work includes ecommerce and lead generation, with accounts spending between four and six figures monthly. Kayla is a graduate of Indiana University-Bloomington who frequently uses her Education degree to teach her peers the ins and outs of paid search marketing. When she's not working, she enjoys Colts football, White Sox baseball, Hoosier basketball and wine.
  • http://www.hanapinmarketing.com Kayla Stockert

    I think you’re mostly right, because the Facebook system is lagging a bit in it’s options and features when compared to AdWords and even adCenter (which is almost shocking to say).

    Take a look at a recent article we posted from one of our PPC Hero Allies on how to use Facebook, limitations and all, to make a statement with your ads. Perhaps a change up in your approach will at least find you better performance, despite the interface’s short comings!

    http://www.ppchero.com/marty-demonstrates-the-purple-cow-principle-facebook-style/

    Thanks for reading and for the comment, John! Check back frequently, maybe soon we’ll have a news update with some bigger impact for Facebook!