I’m an 80’s kid, and I totally grew up on shows like “You Can’t Do That on Television!” {Random side note: did you know that Alanis Morrisette got her start on that show?! Crazy!!}
If you missed it, here’s what would happen. If one of the characters said the phrase, “I don’t know,” a bucket of icky green slime would be dumped on her head. The words “I don’t know” ALWAYS yielded a bad result for whoever said them - no exceptions!
Now thankfully, Facebook® can’t “slime” its users. But it sure can get you in trouble if you say the wrong thing in an ad! Facebook® can flag your ad, limit its reach, or even shut down your ENTIRE business account! For an online biz owner, this can result in thousands and thousands of dollars of lost reach and revenues, so you’ve GOT to proceed with caution!
Facebook®’s rules are changing constantly, so as soon as I write this message, there will probably be more things that you “can’t say” in your ads, but I wanted to give you a few pointers on how to navigate Facebook®’s rules so you can stay out of Facebook® jail!
1. First and foremost, keep your ad POSITIVE! Facebook® wants its users to feel AMAZING when they scroll through their feed, so anything that’s slanted toward the negative will raise flags immediately. I know that we’re normally looking to show the contrast between where are clients and customers are NOW, and where they’ll be AFTER they work with us. But over in Facebook®-land, that usually won’t fly. Instead of focusing on the pain, highlight the super-awesome results they’ll see after working with you!
2. Quit talking about MONEY! Once again, this goes against what so many of us have been working on. I know that I’ve analyzed my own money story a TON over this past year in business, and beginning to speak about money openly and share what’s possible has had a very positive impact on my life and my business. But over on Facebook®, you simply CANNOT promise that you can improve someone’s financial situation - EVEN IF you’re a money coach! You’ve got to find ways to work around this, of course {which is why I hire the BEST team at my FB Ads Agency to keep all of our clients’ accounts running smoothly}.
3. Beware of “Before-and-Afters.” As a rule, Facebook® DOESN’T allow before-and-after shots, no matter how true, accurate, and compelling they are! BONUS TIP: Make sure that the landing page your ad leads to doesn’t contain a before-and-after shot, either {yes -- they really do check!}.
4. Keep it CLEAN! Now if you’re reading this email, you’re probably doing this anyway! But sometimes if you’re in the dating and relationship field, or even if you’re a fitness or health professional, you can run into problems using words like “sexy,” “steamy,” or “sultry.” {We have a client who is a wedding planner who was told she couldn’t use the word “sweet spot” in her ads!} Remember that Facebook® caters to users ages 13 and up, which means that profanity is also a no-no. Keep it G-rated!
Facebook® offers amazing opportunities for you to get your message in front of a broad audience of your most ideal clients, so it’s DEFINITELY a tool you’ll want to take advantage of to grow and scale your biz! Keep these tips in mind as you write your next ad, and you’ll be much more likely to stay in the clear!
XOXO,
Rachel
The Techspert™
