Facebook Continues To Simplify Ad Buying With New ‘Objective-Based’ Interface

When Facebook announced in June that it planned to eliminate half its ad units, it also outlined a broader vision for simplification, where the company could guide advertisers through the ad-buying process based on their objectives, eliminating any “guesswork.” Today, it sounds like Facebook is making that vision a reality.

The company just published a blog post announcing what it calls “objective-based ad buying and reporting.” Advertisers will now choose from a number of possible objectives for their ad campaigns — such as driving clicks to their website, getting more Likes for their Facebook Pages, or driving app installs — then Facebook will recommend the ads that will help meet that objective.

The company says these objectives are now “the new starting point for buying ads on Facebook.” It also says it has updated its Ad Manager so that advertisers can get a clear view of how many times the objective was met and the cost paid for each of those times.

“We’re making these updates so marketers can focus on what matters to them most: driving results for their business,” Facebook writes. This approach could be particularly important for bringing on small businesses into the company’s advertising programs — they might might be intimidated if they have to choose from a plethora of ads and learn the ins and outs of Facebook’s programs, but now, as long as they have a broader goal, Facebook says it can help with the rest of the process.

At the same time that it’s announcing these changes, Facebook says it’s also giving advertisers more control over where their ads are shown — now those advertisers can specify whether they want their ads to show up in Facebook’s mobile News Feed, the desktop News Feed, or the right-hand column of the site. And knowing the location of the ad, businesses can tailor their messages accordingly.

These updates are live now, Facebook says.