Facebook Ads in 2021 – Whats Changed?

Lots changed in Facebook ads as we are in the 8th month of 2021. Some of these changes bring joy, and some of them will be hard to grasp. Plus, not everything that you read online will change because some people make predictions instead of giving raw facts.

Either way, read on to find out what’s changed in Facebook ads. This way, you’ll learn the impact on how you advertise on Facebook in 2021.

But first, let’s talk about the Facebook vs Apple battle. During the launch days of iOS 14, Facebook claimed that it’s the “harm the growth of business and the free internet.”

So what did Apple do? Well, it started asking permission from users to allow tracking or not for Facebook applications. That will limit the data used for Facebook ads.

For an advertiser, it’s sad news. However, if you are a user, it’s more privacy for you. Either way, Facebook is furious because it makes most of its revenue from ads.

As a company that is regarded as shady for violating users’ privacy, they created a “Speak up for Small Business” campaign. In this campaign, they are using business owners to talk about their concerns.

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Biggest Changes on Facebook Advertising in 2021

Event Limits

You will be limited to 8 conversion events per domain. Facebook will include pixel events such as conversions and page views in this.

If someone has ads optimized for events not included in the top 8, the platform will pause them.

Removal of a 28-day Click Attribution Window

The platform is moving to a 7-day click and 1-day view attribution. What does it mean? Well, you will only get reports on conversions after someone clicks on your ad for up to 7-days after the click.

To show the damage caused by IOS 14, they will use Statistical modeling to help you understand how much data is unreported. This makes you think that there’s a strong correlation between IOS 14 and changes to Facebook ads in 2021.

But hey, it’s not an apocalypse. Sure, it hurts. Sure, you won’t have the same tracking. But we don’t know the exact impact it will have.

Focus on the bright side. Use the tools you have and as the platform changes, I’ll be helping you change accordingly.

Continued Rise of Video As the Dominant Media Type

Illustration of a computer screen with a paused video

A few years back, Mark Zuckerberg talked about how aggressively Facebook will incorporate video into its platform. In 2021, we are definitely seeing that video is the dominant media type.

It’s not Facebook alone. Video is dominating all over the internet. Look at YouTube. It has become the second biggest social media falling behind Facebook. And it’s all video.

The same goes for other platforms. We see new video platforms now and then. And a few of them get really popular like TikTok.

If you ask me, I’d say that it’s the engagement factor of YouTube that pulls in the viewers.

Plus, it will have far more retention time than static posts. Add to it the fact that it will have a better ROI than image and plain text ads on Facebook.

So what does it lead to? Use more videos in your ads! Whether it’s your Facebook story or newsfeed ads, have more videos on the platform.

And if you’re thinking about GIFs, they count as well. Just consider any type of non-static image.

Rise of Facebook Groups and Facebook Groups Ads

To promote Facebook groups, the company spent an estimated $10 million during Super Bowl LIVE. The company also made some changes to its design so that groups have more emphasis on the nav bar. In addition, they started giving posts within groups an algorithm-based feed.

But the question is: What do Facebook Groups have to do with Facebook advertising in 2021?

Well, the company has been testing Facebook group ads lately. The company made groups a part of their site because they became so popular among audiences. So I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Facebook group ads in 2021.

Continued Removal of Core Targeting Options – Facebook Ads in 2021

Facebook has the following five core audiences:

Location
Demographics
Interests
Behavior
Connections

The platform has been and will crack down on discriminatory and duplicates and continue to evolve its targeting options. A few years ago, they removed over 5,000 targeting options to reduce discrimination.

This is what the company said:

“We’re committed to protecting people from discriminatory advertising on our platforms. That’s why we’re removing over 5,000 targeting options to help prevent misuse. While these options have been used in legitimate ways to reach people interested in a certain product or service, we think minimizing the risk of abuse is more important. This includes limiting the ability for advertisers to exclude audiences that relate to attributes such as ethnicity or religion.”