Facebook U-turn: How to Survive the Ad Ban Rollercoaster – Guest Editorial

The following is a guest post by Charlotte Day, Contentworks

If you work in the finance sector and have anything to do with financial services marketing (particularly in the crypto space), go get yourself a nice big mug of coffee – you’re going to need it. Why?

You know Facebook – the social media giants who led the crypto ad ban movement just six months ago unapologetically disrupting tried and tested promotional techniques? Well, they appear to have done somewhat of a U-turn when it comes to their ‘forbid-all-crypto-shenanigans’ policy.

Now we’re being nice, so were not going to speculate why crypto is back on the scene, but in all fairness they did say that their ad ban restrictions would be reviewed over time as they got to grips with the increasingly popular and ever evolving crypto, blockchain and ICO sector!

Updated Facebook Policy – What You Need To Know

As finance gurus you’re probably used to regulatory twists and turns. It’s fair to say that 2018 has been a pretty rough ride what with many regulation changes taking hold of the sector, but the recent Facebook updates are actually fairly simply.

In short, Facebook is updating their policy to “allow ads that promote cryptocurrency and related content from pre-approved advertisers.” They will, however, “continue to prohibit ads that promote binary options and initial coin offerings.”

If you wish to run a cryptocurrency ad on the social media platform, you must submit an application to help Facebook assess your eligibility. This should include any licenses you’ve obtained, whether you are traded on a public stock exchange and other relevant public background on your business.

While this might re-open up some old marketing avenues, beware that Facebook has a habit of changing their minds. They recently announced intentions to “look how well this policy works” and “revise it over time” if necessary.

How to Navigate the Revised Rules

If you’re wondering what to do now, here are some suggestions:

Option 1: Stick to your post ad ban strategy

Not so long ago we were writing about how to navigate Facebook ad blocks. Much of this advice still stands so if you’ve already adapted your strategy – keep up the good work. You’ve already survived one battering by social media giants and will survive again should Facebook backpedal again #justsaying.

Key points to remember include:

• Embracing the art of storytelling
• Generating authentic ideas
• Producing sharable content
• Being educational and informative
• Remaining compliant

Option 2: Embrace new trends

As the recent ad bans forced many companies into taking a new approach, you may also want to pursue – or continue to pursue modern and trendy marketing technique such as influencer marketing.

The benefits of influencer marketing include.

• Maximum exposure, minimum costs – influencers have a large social following and therefore attracting the attention of a thought leader in your field could do wonders for business
• Increased interaction within your sector – the more eyes on your company, the more likely you are to improve ROI and gain new clients
• A compliant yet effective strategy – an influencer plugging your brand or products won’t break ad ban rules yet could increase your popularity on social sites.

Option 3: Go for it on Facebook

If you’ve done the tracking and Facebook ads are worth your time – go for it! Fill out an application and see if Facebook accepts it. From there, you’re probably pretty clued up on how to run a social media campaign and can try to regain the traffic you may have lost.

If you’re running an ICO, don’t try and squeeze through the Facebook advertising cracks. While we’re sure a few bad apples will make their way back onto the Facebook crypto scene, it’s not worth wrestling with the social giants who will be able to take you down in an instant.

Good luck! If you need any help with your ongoing social and content marketing strategy, speak to the Contentworks team today. We’re clued up on all the latest regulations and will help you survive the rollercoaster.

Disclaimer: The subject matter and the content of this article are solely the views of the author. FinanceFeeds does not endorse investment in cryptocurrencies, tokens and any activities related to them such as ICOs. FinanceFeeds does not bear any legal responsibility for the content of this article and the post do not reflect the viewpoint of FinanceFeeds and/or its editorial staff.