Can We Really Count On Facebook?

This week, Facebook/MetaZuck broke DTC Twitter and sent media buyers scrambling everywhere when it randomly shut off top-performing ad campaigns at 7:30pm Pacific.

At least they waited until many media buyers were on their way back from their lunch breaks.

Not all accounts were impacted, in fact none of our top ten accounts in monthly ad spend were over at Fidelitas. But this latest glitch in the Facebook ad machine taken into consideration with the ongoing issues around attribution, ad approvals, and account shutdowns again begs the question: can marketing leaders really count on Facebook to drive business?

In case you’re short on time: Nope.

But if you don’t have a solid backup plan in place, what choice do you have but to ask for expedited shipping for that Zuckerberg voodoo doll?

Here’s where I’d start on a backup plan for your brand:

Build your email and SMS lists. I know we talk about this all the time, but I can’t bang this drum enough. Your owned lists are invincible against the failings of any given platform.

Test other channels, but don’t bank on them either. The cost of TikTok ads has skyrocketed and is no longer a given to be more cost-effective than Facebook. But as long as your media buying team isn’t asleep at the wheel, there’s opportunity there. Ditto for whitelisting influencers, YouTube ads, Podcast ads, and newsletter placements as long as the creative is appropriate for each channel. Speaking of creative…

Double down on great creative, your brand story, and brand loyalty. The finger-in-the-wind testing method isn’t going to cut it in environments like these, especially when Facebook is as likely to temporarily ban your account as it is to give you a clear picture of account performance without a stack of third-party attribution tools. Make sure that your creative is relevant to your core customer and true to your brand from the onset of your campaigns- no one has margin for error there anymore.

Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. Even though Facebook can be a royal pain in the butt, it’s still one of, if not the most effective digital ad platforms in the game. I’d be VERY hesitant to take my ball and go home just because a brand had a bad week on Facebook and Instagram. Instead, take a deep breath and a step back to unpack what happened and sort out the best path forward.

Need help with that sort of strategic guidance? Or with your backup plan in general? Just reply to this blog post- we’d love to chat.