Advertising on Facebook

Advertising on Facebook

Facebook makes most of its money through ads. Here's an example:

Ads help keep Facebook free

From the beginning, the people who built Facebook wanted it to be free for everyone. It now costs over a billion dollars a year to run Facebook, and delivering ads is how Facebook pays for this.

You see personalized ads

Facebook tries to show you the ads you’ll be most interested in. These ads are chosen based on the things you do with Facebook such as liking a page, and info Facebook receives from you and other sources.

You can impact the ads you see

Unlike ads on television, you can influence which ads you see on Facebook. Spot something that doesn’t interest you? Click the X and it’s gone.

About Ads

How does Facebook decide which ads to show me?

Here are some types of the information we use to show you ads we think you’ll find interesting:

1. The things you do with Facebook
   The things you share with Facebook, such as liking a page or information we get when you use Facebook, like your location, are used to show you ads you may like. For example, a band may choose to send ads about an upcoming concert to people who like their Facebook Page or have shared their music through another site, like Spotify. If relevant, we may also use the information you put on your timeline, such as your gender, to pick the right ads for you.


2. Info we get from others
   Facebook may also personalize your ads using info from third parties, or by working with companies that that help advertisers reach people with relevant online ads. For example, a shoe store might want to show an ad about a sale to people who have visited their website or shopped in their store. The shoe store works with other third parties to deliver their ad across the web, including on Facebook.

All of these ads are chosen for you without Facebook sending advertisers info that personally identifies you. Sometimes we use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to enable ads on and off Facebook. Learn more

What can I do to impact the ads I see?

You can influence some of the ads you see by updating the information used to personalize your ads.

Update the things you share on Facebook:

• Like or remove Pages on your timeline to see ads that better reflect what you're into
• Visit your activity log to explore your Facebook history and remove things that are no longer relevant
• Click or like your favorite ads to see more ads like those

Learn more about how Facebook may work with others to show you relevant ads.

We may work with others to combine information we have collected from you with info provided by an advertiser, to enable the advertiser to send you relevant advertising on Facebook. In such instances, Facebook does not give the advertiser direct access to any information that identifies you.

Besides the third party data you share with us on Facebook or the data we receive when you use Facebook, a third party may use that data to help make ads more relevant for you.

Learn more about these providers and the choices they offer by reviewing the following links:

• AdRoll
• AppNexus
• Criteo
• DataXu
• MediaMath
• TellApart
• Nanigans
• The Trade Desk
• Triggit
• Turn
• Xaxis

Measurement partners

• Datalogix
• Nielsen
  Top Questions:

  You’ve probably heard some theories about how Facebook makes money. Here are the facts:

  Is it true that Facebook sells my name and contact info to make money?

  No. Facebook does not sell your personal information. Instead, Facebook makes its money from showing you ads.

  Selling your information would actually be bad for Facebook. Here’s why: Facebook was created to help you share and connect with the people in your life. If you don’t feel like you’re in control of who sees what you share, you probably won’t use Facebook as much, and you’ll share less with your friends. Not only is that bad for Facebook, it’s also bad for you. That’s why only the people you choose to share with see your stuff.

  What’s the difference between ads and sponsored stories?

  Ads and sponsored stories are types of sponsored content on Facebook:

  1. Ads

  A business creates an ad and pays Facebook to deliver it to the people who are most likely to find it useful. For example, you might see an ad for a local gym if you live nearby, are a certain age and like running.

  2. Sponsored Stories

  A sponsored story is different from an ad because it’s a story you can already see about activity from people you’re connected to, Pages you like or apps you use. A business pays to sponsor these regular stories to increase the chances that you’ll notice it. Learn more about sponsored stories.

  
  

  I never click on ads, so why do businesses pay Facebook to show them?

  Businesses want to get their message in front of the right people. They pay Facebook to deliver ads to people who might be interested – whether or not those people click on the ads. To see how businesses purchase ads.

  Does Facebook use my name or photo in ads?

  Posts or activity that include your profile photo or name – like a story about you liking Starbucks – may be paired with an ad or highlighted in a sponsored story. Your name and photo will only appear to people you shared the original story with.

  
  

  
  

  I don’t want to see ads on Facebook. Can I shut them off?

  No, but you can influence the ads you see (see below).

  
  

  How do I influence the ads I see?

  Ads are designed to be useful, and not disrupt your experience on Facebook. There are a few ways to impact the Facebook ads you see:

  • See more of your favorites. Click or like your favorite ads to see more ads like those. You can also add more of your interests to your timeline (profile) to see ads that better reflect what you’re into.
  • See less of what you don’t like. Spot an ad you’re not interested in? Click the X and hide the ad. Facebook will try not to show you similar ads again. You can also report any ad that offends you. Check out and provide feedback through your Ads Board.
  • Our partners. We may work with others to send you relevant advertising. Learn more about these providers and the choices they offer here.

  Check out your Ads Board to see the types of Facebook ads you personally might see.

  
  

  How does Facebook partner with outside companies for campaign impact measurement? How does it affect me?

  Facebook has partnered with measurement companies to develop a system for advertisers to improve their measurement of advertising campaigns’ effectiveness at driving offline sales.

  As trusted service providers, these companies have been contracted to produce aggregate and anonymous measurement reports to advertisers. No personally identifiable or individual data is shared with advertisers as part of the measurement process. Facebook has also designed the process to generate these reports with user privacy in mind. For example, Facebook identifies groups of people that have been shown ads on Facebook and matches them in a hashed format with the data the measurement companies receive from their retail partners. The measurement partners then analyze their data to produce aggregate and anonymous advertising effectiveness reports for advertisers.

  Remember that Facebook does not sell your personal information to advertisers. Facebook users have control over what information they share. For more information on how to control your Facebook privacy, please visit Facebook’s Privacy Guide.

  Learn more about our partners and the choices they offer.

  
  

  Why are there Facebook ads on Zynga.com?

  You can connect with Facebook as you play games on Zynga.com, in order to make your experience better. When you connect with Facebook, Zynga can show you more personalized content and ads.

  The Facebook ads you see on Zynga.com are the same ads you see on Facebook.com. All of these ads respect your sharing privacy settings, and Facebook doesn’t sell your information to Zynga or the advertiser when the ads appear there.

  Learn more about ads and sponsored stories in the Help Center.