Facebook advertising has been an online marketer’s go-to for years, boasting more than 2.9 billion monthly active users worldwide. With Facebook as the main portal to social media advertising for companies, it provides unparalleled reach and targeting capabilities. With growing data privacy problems and changing platform policies creating more uncertainty, however, many business owners wonder: is Facebook advertising still safe?
Facebook Marketing Risks Defined
Privacy and Security Concerns of Data
Facebook, time and again, has been in the limelight for its treatment of data. Prominent cases such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal have condemned the harvesting and selling of user data. If you’re already advertising on Facebook, you’re on a platform gathering an enormous amount of user data.
Your business also gives Facebook some data so that campaigns can be constructed. The data includes lists of customers to target, visitor data on your business website through Facebook Pixel, and campaign results. Despite Facebook tightening data protection guidelines, businesses should know what data is shared and why.
Ad Fraud and Invalid Traffic
Click fraud is a constant threat to any internet ad system, including Facebook. Your ad numbers can be artificially pumped up by spammers, bots, and click farms without creating interest among real customers. Not only is your ad budget wasted, but campaign metrics can get distorted such that real performance is difficult to gauge.
Additionally, comments and reviews posted from fake accounts can hurt your company image if not handled and monitored appropriately.
Policy Offences and Suspension of Account
Facebook ad policies change daily and are often challenging to follow. Accidental policy violation can result in disapproval of ads, account restriction, or permanent account deactivation. In cases where companies are significantly reliant on Facebook ads, sudden deactivation of the account can be a significant loss to revenues as well as customer acquisition.
Best Practices for Safe Facebook Marketing
Implement Strict Security Precautions
Start by securing your Facebook Business Manager account using two-factor authentication and granting admin access to team members only when they absolutely need it. Periodically check who can access your accounts and deny access to former employees or third parties that are no longer needed.
Create concise social media policies for your staff that define acceptable conduct and response procedures for engaging with customers. It will guarantee consistency in messages across the brand and reduce the chances of providing incorrect responses or content.
Closely Track Campaign Performance
Monitor your campaign metrics on a daily basis for unusual patterns that would reflect fraudulent activity. Be wary of rapid, unexplained increases in clicks not accompanied by increases in web traffic or conversions. Use built-in Facebook tools to detect suspicious activity and charge back for invalid clicks where possible.
Use proper conversion tracking so that you’re tracking actual business results rather than just platform metrics. That way, you’ll be able to more accurately measure the actual value of your Facebook ads and catch likely issues earlier. If you lack the resources to do this, work with a Meta advertising agency that will have your best interests in mind.
Remain in Compliance with Platform Policies
Monitor Facebook’s ad policies and community guidelines. Stay current with Facebook’s business official updates and keep an eye on policy updates on an ongoing basis. In situations where you’re not sure whether content or targeting strategy is within policy, play it safe or ask Facebook support for clarification.
Ensure you prominently display clear privacy policies on your site that describe how you collect and use customer information, including information shared with Facebook for ad purposes.
Making Facebook Marketing Work Securely
Facebook advertising can be made effective and safe if handled strategically. The strategy here is to accept potential risks and then take steps to nullify them instead of shunning the medium completely.
By using good security, monitoring campaign performance closely, and staying platform-policy-compliant, your business can access Facebook’s vast marketing potential without harming your business. For most businesses, the platform’s vast audience and targeting capabilities are too big of an opportunity to miss.
Facebook success requires ongoing attention and adaptation as policy and best practice shift. Start slowly, monitor results closely, and expand as you learn more about the demands of the platform and the particular needs of your business.
