Facebook Pages Attempt to Be Transparent with Info & Ads Tab
This morning I went down a rabbit hole of looking at Facebook ads for random brands I follow. Before I knew it, I had spent 15 minutes searching through some of my favorite brand pages and competitors, looking at a new tool that Facebook recently introduced: the Info & Ads tab. Facebook rolled out the Info and Ads section on Facebook pages back in June, and it has been talked about over the past few months, but people are JUST NOW starting to really catch on. This new update allows anyone to see all the ads the Facebook page is currently running. The dark posts, ads that are meant for just one target audience, or different ads all with different promotions… Yup. ALL.
Here are some ads I enjoyed…. (Just note: You can only see the tab from your desktop).
- OREO (click on an image and you can see the original Facebook post)
- Sun Basket (special deals)
- Buffer (for some of their best blog posts!)
- Covergirl (A/B Testing the same image with different copy)
Because of Cambridge Analytica, Facebook is trying to be transparent with everything they do, and this includes giving access to information about Facebook pages, such as when they were created, if the name ever changed, and which ads they are currently running in your location… Location meaning your country, not just your city.
More info from Adespresso: “Facebook’s Ad Transparency tool is a feature that allows all users to view every single ad that a Page is currently running.”
As a social media marketer, I am both excited about this new Facebook Pages update and a little worried.
On one hand, we can see what our competitors are doing in terms of sponsored posts. Either for industry analysis, inspiration, or showing our boss that XX brand is doing 8 Facebook ads right now so we should ramp up our budget for social media advertising (hey, you never know...that may work to get you a bigger budget?!?!).
On the other hand…your competitors can see everything YOU advertise and do the same to you! Anyone with a Facebook profile can see all of the ads you run all over the country.
Fodder for online trolls?
And if you are a brand with a lot of haters or trolls and they feel inclined, they can report the ad to Facebook. I haven't heard of anyone doing this, but it is a possibility. But I am pretty sure that if you have a Facebook ad that is doing well, Facebook will not stop the ad just because a potential competitor, online troll, or former scored employee clicks “report.”
In the larger scheme of things, I don't see the majority of Facebook users using this tool. Heck, I just found out about it (2 months later) and it's my job to keep up with social media trends. As of now, you can only see the Info & Ads Tab on Facebook pages from your desktop computer, not the Facebook app from your smartphone. And the majority of Facebook users visit the social network from their phones, not their computers.
Facebook Pages update from a consumer POV
This latest update to Facebook transparency will not be impacting how I use Facebook and Instagram advertising (as of now).
As I was going through some of my favorite brands on Facebook, I realized that one of the potential opportunities for customers could be finding the best deal for a specific brand. I realized that as I was going through Sun Basket’s Facebook ads. Most of them were for either 50% or 60% off your first meal prepare kit from them. Personally, I would much rather take the 60% off.... And I'm not sure that you get that kind of deal by simple signing up from their home page. Right now I am looking at more details about Legoland California, and kids getting in for free sounds great to me!