In this article, we will discuss the most popular types of Facebook ads and the main requirements for them - image and video size, character count in text, and so on.

The most popular and versatile creative option. The main goal here is to attract the user's attention. There is no need for a lot of text in such ads (the creative should not be overloaded with text either).

Suitable for various tasks: selling products, promoting services, increasing brand awareness.

A more comprehensive format that allows to engage with your audience better. Videos can tell us more about the product than an image with text.

Suitable for many businesses and verticals. In most locations, video ads will show better results than simple image ads.

An inexpensive and simpler alternative to video ads. It combines up to 10 images, text, and an audio file. Facebook automatically creates a slideshow from the uploaded files and shows it to users as a full video.

An excellent option for showcasing a product or offer from different angles. This option is also good for locations with slow internet - slideshows load faster than videos.

In a carousel ad, you can add up to 10 images or videos that users can scroll through. For each card in the carousel, you can specify a separate link and text.

Ideal for advertisers who want to highlight the advantages of their company or provide detailed information about a single offer. It is also suitable for showcasing multiple products at once.

Canvas is primarily a mobile version format on Facebook, appearing as a full-screen landing page that opens after clicking on an ad post with an image or video. The landing page can include images, texts, videos, and carousels describing various products.

Great for catalogs and promoting full-fledged brands or local companies with a wide range of products. Not suitable for arbitrage with individual offers.

A post that has already been uploaded to a Fan Page on Facebook can be turned into an advertisement and promoted. The promoted post retains all the "Likes" and comments from subscribers when new users see it as an ad. This increases trust in the brand. You can use any of the described formats and optionally add buttons, such as a button to collect "Likes".

It is well suited for promoting arbitrage offers, for warming up an account and FanPage, for increasing activity, and for more accurate monitoring of audience reactions

If you are promoting a business where success depends on lead generation, then Lead Ads are the most suitable advertising format. The ads contain a feedback form that can be synchronized with a CRM system.

It is best to ask for only the most essential information in the form, as users are not inclined to fill out long forms and share personal information. You can choose the fields that will be in this form, the quantity, and the order in which they are filled out.

Facebook already knows something about users (such as their name, surname, city, age, and so on), so the system will automatically complete these fields (only if the data is not hidden by privacy settings).

Lead generation forms are inconvenient to fill out on smartphones because they do not support responsive design. Because of this, some users drop off during data entry or even before starting. Facebook offers a ready-made solution optimized for all types of devices from which users check social networks.

This literally means promotions and discounts. Offer is an advertisement in the form of an image or an image with text of a special offer. After clicking on the ad, the user has the option to buy at a physical store or online (if the seller offers a choice of purchase location). In the first case, after clicking, a QR code is displayed, which can be presented at the physical store to receive a discount. In the second case, a promo code will appear for entering on the website.

Such ads help increase organic reach. They are shown to users in their feed and encourage them to like the page. In the ad, you can use images, videos, or slideshows.

Make sure to monitor the quality of content on the page and name important reasons to like the page in the ad itself.

The first step in creating advertising on Facebook Ads is choosing the campaign objective. Since 2022, Facebook offers 6 types of objectives to choose from: awareness, traffic, engagement, app promotion, leads, and sales. To make advertising more effective, it is important to choose the right objective. The chosen objective will also determine the further parameters for setting up the advertising campaign.

In 2022, Facebook introduced a new campaign objective structure called ODAX. ODAX stands for outcome-driven ad experiences, meaning advertising aimed at results. The goal of the new structure is to simplify ad setup for advertisers and create opportunities for cross-channel campaigns. This means that now you can create ads for both Facebook and Instagram, and algorithms will automatically optimize them for optimal reach on each platform. Let's take a closer look at which objectives to choose for different campaigns.

Campaigns with this objective will not lead to direct sales. Such campaigns are aimed at shaping a specific brand image among the target audience and are shown to as many users as possible. You can tell the whole brand story in one ad or create an intriguing ad that will redirect users to more detailed posts and blogs.

Among the optimization settings available to you are:

We use this objective to direct users to the desired destination. This can be a website, mobile application, Facebook event, or messenger. Algorithms will work in such a way as to get the maximum number of clicks within the budget. Further optimization settings will depend on the type of resource to which you redirect your audience.

Engagement means active interaction with users. Choose this objective if you need to receive messages in messengers from your audience, likes, shares, comments, or new followers.

Before setting up optimization, you will need to choose the conversion event location, i.e., where the customer should take action:

Depending on the chosen location, optimization and display settings will vary.

This objective is set when you are promoting a mobile application. For example, you need to increase the number of users who have installed the app or have them perform specific actions within it. You can run automated advertising or set it up manually. 

In the first option, you work with minimal settings, upload various creatives, and the system automatically selects placements, tests different creative and headline variations, and targets the audience.

In the second option, you manually adjust all parameters.

Campaigns with this objective are created in order to receive leads from the audience. Typically, this audience consists of users who are already familiar with the brand and who show interest in your offerings. For example, use this objective if you want to test interest in a new brand offering or collect leads for a consultation on your product.

Before setting up optimization, you will also be offered to choose the location of the conversion event:

This objective is applied when you need to increase sales. It is best used for hot leads who are familiar with your brand and ready to make a purchase. This works most effectively with users at the bottom of the sales funnel who just need a reminder to make a purchase.

When setting up advertising, you will need to specify where to direct traffic, choose a pixel, and set up a conversion event.

When you choose the "sales" objective, you can activate the "catalogue" option. If you have your own online store, the algorithms will automatically show product cards from your catalogue.

How to change the ad objective in Ads Manager

You can change the campaign objective before it is launched. Once the ad has been launched, it is impossible to change the campaign objective. However, you can set a different objective in a copy of the campaign - to do this, you need to duplicate the existing campaign.

Since the choice of objective directly affects the effectiveness of the campaign, approach this stage responsibly. Carefully plan the entire advertising campaign and its settings before launching in Facebook Ads. The campaign objective should align with your business goals, but it may change as your business evolves.

When you create an ad, it goes through Facebook moderation. Usually, this process takes no more than a day. Here's what moderators check in your campaigns:

Let's consider all the prohibitions in the following order, which landing pages cannot be used to target audiences, what can and cannot be advertised in Facebook Ads, and how to pass moderation without major issues or delays.

The page that you lead the user to from the ad should be a full-fledged landing page. The content should correspond to the text of the ad. No pages with redirects, images, documents, or fake sites.

- Offer to download any software without which it is impossible to read the content of the page

The most important thing is not to promote products and services that are prohibited by the legislation of the country in which you are advertising. However, there is a specific set of products and services that Facebook will reject advertising for regardless of the country:

1. Tobacco, electronic cigarettes, as well as bongs, rolling papers, vaporizing devices.

2. Human growth hormones, ephedra, anabolic steroids.

3. Weapons, ammunition, explosive substances. This also includes paintball guns, self-defense weapons, fireworks.

4. Products and services for adults. The entire sex industry, including the assortment of sex shops, is prohibited from advertising in Facebook Ads. Exceptions are products and services for sexual and reproductive health, family planning products, and contraception. Advertising must be targeted at users over 18 years old, and it should not focus on sexual pleasure.

4. Microloans, payday loans, loans. Advertising short-term financial services (up to 90 days) is prohibited.

5. Network marketing, Scandinavian auctions, and other questionable business models. It is prohibited to promote potentially fraudulent services that deceive users or harm third parties. This is not only about financial fraud. For example, Facebook Ads will not show advertisements promising to disclose confidential information about third parties or to artificially increase likes and views for the user.

Some products and services are allowed to be promoted on Facebook platforms and networks. However, they are subject to local laws and other restrictions.

1. Alcohol. In some countries, alcohol beverages can be advertised with age restrictions. In Russia, there is a complete ban.

2. Dating services. Dating services must obtain written permission from Facebook for advertising. Advertisements must exclude any sexual context and target users over 18 years old with a relationship status of "Single" or "Unspecified."

3. Gambling, simulated gambling, and online games with deposits. If participation involves financial risks, advertising must fully comply with local laws, relevant rules, and obtain written permission from Facebook. Both gambling and simulations limited to virtual bets should only be promoted to users over 18 years old.

4. Prescription and over-the-counter medications, online pharmacies. Only manufacturers of prescription medications, online pharmacies, and telemedicine service providers can advertise prescription medications with written permission from Facebook. Over-the-counter medications can be promoted considering local legislation. Online pharmacies can be advertised with LegitScript certification.

5. Subscription services. Subscription terms must be transparent, and advertising must target people over 18 years old. More details can be found in Facebook's Advertising Policies.

6. Financial and insurance products and services. The same two conditions are applied, transparency and targeting users over 18 years old. More details can also be found in Facebook's Advertising Policies.

7. Health, cosmetology, addiction treatment. Advertising for dietary supplements, cosmetic procedures, plastic surgeries should target people over 18 years old. "Before" and "after" photos cannot be used. Promoting addiction treatment centers will require LegalScript license.

8. Cryptocurrency and related products and services. Written permission from Facebook is required.

9. Content related to public interest and politics, including elections. Restricted by the legislation of the country where the advertising is active. Written permission from Facebook is also required.

Additionally, communities and materials related to firearms, toy weapons, gun safes, holsters, hunting and military clothing can be advertised but shown only to adult users (18+).

In Facebook Ads, there are restrictions on the targeting options, requested data, and ad content.

Targeting options cannot be used for discrimination, insults, provocations, or aggressive advertising campaigns. Recently, targeting options have been completely prohibited for underage audiences. For them, only age can be specified in the ad settings.

You will need written permission from Facebook if you plan to request the following data in lead forms:

Additionally, you should not request information that can be obtained through pre-filled responses.

Facebook Pixel is an analytics tool that tracks what users do on a website: which pages they visit, which buttons and links they click on, which forms they fill out, and other actions. It allows for the creation of audiences for advertising campaigns on Facebook.

What is Facebook Pixel and why do you need it?

The pixel is a piece of code in JavaScript. It can be found in the Events Manager section.

The pixel code needs to be put at the bottom of the section header of the website above the </head> tag. For proper functioning, the code should be placed on all pages of the website.

Pixel tracks the site's audience and actions that users take. To enable the pixel to track actions, you need to set up the events.

To track user behavior, the pixel matches the website visitor with their Facebook or Instagram account. The pixel uses first-party and third-party cookies to identify users - short code snippets stored in web browsers. All collected information about user actions is transmitted to Facebook.

After the release of iOS 14.5, advertisers must get permission from users of apps from the AppStore to track data. If a user declines tracking, it will be impossible to collect their data using the pixel.

What you can do with the information collected by the Facebook pixel:

: to set up the Facebook pixel, you need to have a website and access to edit its code. Access can also be given to a contractor, in which case you send installation instructions to them via email.

Setting up the Meta Pixel and events on the website

need to insert the pixel into the website code

One pixel should be used on all pages of the website. After adding the pixel, you can set up events manually or with the help of a special tool.

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