How Facebook and Instagram’s Latest Audience Targeting Restrictions Will Impact Social Media Advertising and Actions Digital Marketers Can Take
A major advertising policy change that will affect many digital marketers, especially in the higher education space, is coming to Facebook and Instagram. Beginning August 23, Facebook and Instagram will restrict audience targeting directed at users under the age of 18 in the US to three criteria: age, gender, and location. , this change was made to give young people a safer, more private experience on both platforms.
This means digital advertisers will no longer be able to reach users within this segment using detailed targeting (demographics, interests, and behaviors), custom audiences, lists, look-alikes, or Retargeting. Facebook within its Help Center article about this upcoming change. Note: These restrictions apply to boosted organic content as well.
Facebook has confirmed these changes will affect digital marketers globally, and despite higher education’s inherent interest to safely advertise to minors, no industries will receive an exemption to this new policy.
What does this change mean for digital marketers in higher education?
For digital marketers who promote graduate- and professional-level programs, this latest advertising policy will have little to no effect on audience targeting.
Unfortunately, this change will affect digital marketers who primarily use Facebook and Instagram ads to reach prospective students under 18 for undergraduate admissions.
How? While the message and visuals of your ads are very important, if you’re not reaching just the right target audience, your message will fall flat. Audience targeting is key to solid social media ad performance.
But without the ability to target via interest (e.g., STEM, athletics, volunteering), behaviors (such as early technology adopters), or demographics (excluding those already in college)—as well as custom targeting (think SAT/ACT lists, prospect lists, Retargeting lists, and look-alikes)—reaching users who need to see your message becomes all the more challenging.
Instead of reaching users ages 16-18 who are interested in pursuing a degree in Social Work, getting involved in community service, and attending diversity lectures, now you’ll be able to reach men and women, ages 16-18, who live in Boston. Pretty nondescript and broad, right?
What options do digital marketers have to reach users under age 18?
While we continue to look for additional solutions, digital marketers still have quite a few options to reach users within this segment. Options for consideration include:
Learn more about social media advertising with Carnegie
In short, Facebook and Instagram’s new restrictions on audience targeting create a new challenge that digital marketers—especially those in higher education—will need to face head-on. We’re confident that by incorporating these tried-and-true methods into your strategy, digital marketers will successfully adapt and continue to reach quality prospective students.
Do you need help with your institution’s social media marketing strategy? today!
