Don’t worry, Facebook ads are always a different ball game this time of year, even more so in 2021, with the additional changes around Apple’s iOS updates. So today I am answering all these issues, that could be giving you nightmares this Halloween.
So, let’s start with the facts…
From September/October, ads costs will increase and Halloween is just one of the many events happening this time of year. You may notice that your cost per 1000 impressions rises and, so does the amount it costs you to acquire a new customer.
This happens because all the larger ecommerce brands are increasing their ads budget ready to push their Christmas sales. Not only do they have Christmas sales to push, but there is also have Halloween, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, huge dates in the ecommerce calendar.
I posted a previous blog on how to reduce your spend this Christmas, which gives you actionable steps to take right away.
In this blog, I am going to talk about some Halloween nightmares I have been approached with over the past few weeks.
“My Ad Account has been hacked”
Firstly, you should always ensure you (and everyone else in your Business Manager) has 2-Factor Authentication turned on. This prevents hackers from easily accessing your account. On top of 2FA, you can also use a second security method like a third-part authentication app.
If you have already been hacked, log in to your Facebook Ads Manager account, as shown below, click the ‘?’ icon. You should see on your right-hand side a support box appear, you can raise a ticket to Facebook support here stating your ad account has been hacked.
If you think the hacker maybe running ads from your Ad Account, ensure you freeze all payments from Facebook with your bank, just to be safe.
“My ad has been rejected, why?”
Rejected ads can be due to a number of reasons. Your text or graphic may go against Facebook policies. You can review Facebook policies here.
When your ad is rejected, you will receive a notification from Facebook explaining the reasons for the rejected ad, make changes as per Facebook’s notes and publish the ad again. If your ad continues to get rejected, you can request a review in Ads Manager > Account Issues.
“I used to get good results, but they are now poor”
Things change all the time with Facebook ads, it is important to ensure you are staying on top of what is currently working and what isn’t. It’s also important to factor in the time of year. For example, during the Pandemic, Facebook ads results rocketed, because everyone was at home on their phones, online shopping. Since the pandemic, during Summer 2021, the weather was nice and we all finally had our freedom back, great! Not so great for Facebook advertisers, as we noticed a huge drop in results, again, due to people being outside again, with their families, and not on their phones as much.
Try to analyse your results over a longer period of time, can you spot any obvious changes or obvious time periods when things changed?
“What do I need to do for these Apple iOS updates?”
Since the Apple iOS updates, things have changed with Facebook and Instagram ads. Here’s a few things you need to do since the changes; if these aren’t done, you will see a difference in your overall reporting of conversions (or your desired objective)
- Set up conversions API in Events Manager
- Configure your aggregated events in order of priority
- Verify your domain in Business Settings > Data Sources
“My ads aren’t getting any impressions”
This could be due to a number of reasons, maybe your budget is too low or your audience aren’t online. Here’s a few quick things to check when you are seeing no impressions.
- Ensure your data range is the right dates you want to view
- Ensure your time zone is set to the right time zone
- Check your ad is still not pending or in draft
- Ensure you have at least £10 per day budget
You should always allow 5-7 days for your ads to ‘learn’, do not make any changes before then or before 1000 impressions. If your ad is still showing no impressions after 5 days, there is something else wrong. I would be happy to take a look and discuss this individual case with you, please do feel free to email me.
“Are my Instagram ads working?“
When you create ads within Ads Manager, they will always run on Facebook and Instagram, unless you deselect Instagram at ‘ad set’ level.
“I want to use Instagram ads… but don’t know where to start.“
You can run Instagram only ads in Ads Manager, the set up is the same as a Facebook ad, you just need to select Instagram only as a platform.
It’s worth noting, running ads on Instagram and Facebook will not cost you anymore than running ads only on Instagram, so, if you do have both platforms, I would always recommend running ads on both, this allows you to reach a larger audience.
To create an Instagram ad, go to Ads Manager and start the setup process. If you need assistance setting up your Instagram ads, please feel free to reach out.
Hopefully, these popular issues will save you from having some Halloween nightmares this October, but if you are still facing issues I haven’t mentioned, please do get in touch and I will be happy to help.
