While I’m all for social media marketing as long as it generates hard cash as well as chat, Facebook’s advertising shenanigans are making me really cross.
Facebook takes liberties with timeline ads
The area where my friends, family and I hang out is sacrosanct. It’s annoying enough having ads down the right hand column. I’d love to be able to hide them or better still opt out altogether. But the sneaky ads in my conversation timeline take the biscuit.
I’ve made every effort to batten down the hatches and keep my account private, sharing bugger-all with anyone except my friends. But still the sponsored adverts come. First an Australian hotel… why?! Then more ads, thankfully a trickle at the moment but I dread it becoming a roar.
The trouble is, I can’t figure out why I’m getting them or how to stop them. Maybe it’s because I ‘like’ some of the things my friends and family post within my timeline, but that doesn’t automatically mean I want to hear more. I don’t. Frankly, I want brands to butt right out of my private space.
Maybe it’s me being thick, getting my settings wrong? I’ve had another go and blimey, Facebook’s privacy settings are convoluted. I un-checked everything and started from scratch… but I still get in-account ads. Whatever the reason, in total exasperation I’ve started tagging them ‘spam’.
Piss-poor marketing practice – Pardon my French!
It’s bad marketing practice to advertise at people in places they expressly don’t want to see adverts. It only breeds resentment instead of the excitement and desire advertisers aim for.
If I worked in Facebook’s marketing department I’d push for a clear, simple, visible new account setting: opt out of all adverts. If I was an organisation advertising on Facebook I’d expect exactly that. Cutting out the ad-averse dead wood means a better quality prospect pool and also protects brands against unnecessary flak.
