Are you frustrated by Facebook’s latest ad-targeting restrictions? Don’t you wish you could just go back to the good old days when you could hone in on audiences based on their interests?

Unfortunately, those days are over. But there is a silver lining: you could use this to your advantage by learning how to overcome this issue and take the lead over your competitors moving forward.

The reason

So why did Meta make this change? In my opinion, it’s because Facebook’s under a lot of pressure. Complying with the rules of the personal data of their users is a tricky business. Zuckerberg is trying to shake Meta’s reputation of having ‘Big Brother’ capabilities that make the social network’s users feel like their privacy is being violated.

That’s why Facebook is looking to limit advertisers’ access to detailed information on the end-users they want to target. Meta also wants to restrict the advertiser’s ability to abuse that data and potentially exploit them.

Artificial intelligence vs. human intelligence

Plus, Facebook is now shifting into the world of AI (artificial intelligence). They likely want their algorithms to limit inaccurate human decisions and human error. That’s because Facebook believes that AI algorithms will do a better job targeting than any human could. This also keeps all of the user’s sensitive data inside Facebook’s domain, hiding it from third-party advertisers.

Some practical steps

So now that you know why the changes were made, you’re probably wondering if there’s anything you can do to continue controlling your campaigns and ad accounts?

The following are a few tips we’ve found that works really well with the different ad accounts of our own and our clients:

1. 1. If you already have an active campaign that has been running for some time, make a lookalike audience to people who have left their information with your organization. Secondly, you can make a retargeting campaign with anyone who interacted with your page or ad.
   2. If you don’t have any previous data from past campaigns:
      Work with a multi-layer strategy.
      A) Create a two-tier campaign where the first tier’s goal is to get as much interaction with the product you are looking to promote. In the second tier, you would want to target and remarket to anyone who has engaged with your previous ad or landing page. Also, it would help if you created a lookalike audience from people who have left their information at the first tier.
      B) Another option is to generate cheap leads through lead magnets that will show you the intent of the people leaving their info and then retarget them based on that via Facebook or other advertising platforms.
   3. Work creatively to find a combination of broad interests and connect them to create a unique audience for your cause. Remember, most companies advertising will not take advantage of this avenue because it’s difficult and requires skill. If you take advantage of this successfully, you will have a unique proposition and stand out with your target audience.
   4. Work according to the guidelines on Facebook and give them the ability to optimize your campaigns properly.
   5. Continue working on a/b testing and optimization to improve your campaigns and ad sets, so your ads will be as relevant as possible for your audience.

The bottom line

Change can be difficult, but it also can be the baseline for great opportunities! I hope you found this article helpful, and I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this article as well.