Starting as a social media platform, Facebook evolved into an advertising platform contributing, on a high scale, to the growth of businesses. According to eMarketer forecasts, “brands and companies will spend USD 32.6 billion on Facebook Ads by 2020”.
Through Facebook Ads, businesses can enjoy an ad system to connect with users and target advertising to the exact audiences they want.
Like any other advertising hub, Facebook has specific rules and requirements that a user will have to meet to place an advertisement.
How can a business fit Facebook’s advertising requirements?
In addition to (i) fulfilling the target of marketing your business, (ii) the ad should fit format and content requirements.
I- The target behind the ads: marketing your business
By posting an ad on Facebook, you should be aiming at marketing your business. An ad is supposed to represent the company, product, service, or brand that you are advertising.
In the text of your ad, you should exactly promote the products and services promoted on your website’s landing page. At the same time, the website you are referring to should not be linked to any prohibited product or service, such as alcohol, drugs, weapons, etc.
Each business has its advertisement strategy and goals/targets. These goals are meant to help you create ads targeting your audience. Before creating the ad, you should decide what outcome you’re expecting to receive from posting the ad on Facebook. Each ad requires a different process depending on the business goal you would like to achieve.
Facebook’s objectives are divided into 3 categories:
– Awareness: to raise awareness around your business, what you do and what you offer.
– Consideration: to attract people to buy your product/service.
– Conversion: for people to buy your product/service.
Choosing your objective might not be an easy step and will depend on the stage you are at in your growth cycle. If you’re new in the market, your objective would most probably be to raise awareness around your business. Facebook will let you run different campaigns at the same time. Don’t limit yourself to one objective if your growth cycle requires different campaigns at the same time.
II- Format and content requirements
Whether you would like to advertise a picture, a video, a carousel, a collection, or a slideshow, each ad has two components: the format and the content.
Taking into consideration the format and content requirements placed by Facebook is the only way to consider a user eligible to place ads through Facebook.
1.Format requirement
Formatting refers to how the ad will be posted and shown on Facebook, including but not limited to the size, the design, and the character limits. This is how your ads will stand out compared to those of your competitors. Image specs change depending on the objective.
Here’s a comparison between the different specs of a Facebook ad:
2. Image:
Supported file types: jpg and Png
Ratio: 16:9 to 9:16
Amount of text allowed on image: no more than 20%
Recommended FB ad image size: 1,200 * 628 pixels
Facebook and Instagram Stories size: 1,080*1,920 pixels
Image ratio: 1.91:1
Ad headline: 25 characters
Description text: 12 characters
3. Video:
Video ratio: 16:9 to 9:16 – Upload videos without letterboxing
Video file size: 4GB max
Length: 1 second to 240 minutes
Ad headline: 25 characters
Description text: 125 characters
Link description: 30 characters
4. Carousel:
Supported image file types: Jpg and Png
File size: mac 30MB
Recommended image size: 1,080*1,080 pixels
Recommended image ratio: 1:1
Amount of text allowed on image: no more than 20%
Maximum video size file: 4GB
Length: 240 minutes maximum
Aspect ratio: Vertical (4:5)
Ad headline: 40 characters
Description text: 125 characters
Link description: 20 characters
5. Collection:
Minimum recommended image size: 400*150 pixels
6. Canvas:
Recommended image size: 1,200*628 pixels
Amount of text allowed on image: no more than 20%
Image ratio: 1.91:1
Aspect ratio: tolerance: 3%
Recommended length: up to 15 seconds
Aspect ratio: vertical (4:5).
File size: up to 4GB max.
Ad copy text: 90 characters.
Ad headline: 45 characters.
With the collection format, you can use a combination of images and videos to make the ads more versatile and engaging. This ad type gets people to stop and watch the video because you’ve also included product information in the ad. In this case, people are more likely to click over to your site to keep searching or to buy something.
With carousel ads, you can upload between two and ten images for the ad to scroll through.
Content requirement
To post an ad on Facebook, the content should be compliant with Facebook’s advertising policies. You are not allowed to advertise any content related to illegal products or services, discriminatory practices, tobacco and related products, sale of body parts, drug-related products, unsafe supplements, weapons and explosives, adult content, third party infringement, sensational content, misinformation, personal health, penny auctions, payday loans, bail bonds, spyware or malware, etc.
In general, all types of ads should not aim to discriminate against, harass, provoke, or disparage users.
Besides, ads should not request information related to political affiliation, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, template questions, trade union membership, usernames, and passwords. You are also not allowed to use Facebook’s brand assets such as the trademarks, copyrights, and intellectual property or advert any data collected, received or derived from your Facebook ad.
Ads are reviewed within 24 hours by Facebook before they appear on the pages. If your ad is approved, it will successfully start showing on the pages. If it has been rejected for formatting or content purposes, you should edit your ad and you can appeal this decision.
Conclusion
Choosing the right type of ad on Facebook, with the suitable ad placement and the right format specs and content will help you grow your business and achieve the marketing objectives you’re setting for your business. While you spend the effort to create a special and attractive content for your Facebook ad, you should also spend as much time understanding the ad size and requirements. Facebook’s advertising policies were recently amended to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and are constantly subject to change. Make sure you always visit the Facebook ads policies page to remain compliant and create ads that would directly reach your targeted audience.
You can always Book a Consultation with a lawyer to make sure you are properly in line with all the applicable regulations, and learn more about GDPR and other data protection law compliance.
