On 28 October 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook, as a company, is now called Meta. You probably saw it in the news. Many advertisers are now wondering whether they need to change anything in their account.
The short answer is no. The name is new, but your ad account stays the same. In this article you will read what does and does not change, where Meta wants to go and what you can best do now.
What changes and what does not?
Meta is the new name of the parent company. The apps keep their own names. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger will continue to exist as before. It is comparable to Google and Alphabet. The company above has a different name, but the products you use do not.
For your campaigns, this means the following:
- Your Ads Manager works the way you are used to.
- Your Meta pixel, the piece of code that measures visitors on your website, stays active.
- Your audiences, such as custom audiences and lookalikes, remain in place.
- You do not need to set up your Business Manager, payment details or pages again.
- Your running campaigns continue as normal.
So you do not need to switch anything over. The way you pay or report also does not change because of the new name.
Where Meta wants to go
The name says something about the direction. Meta wants to build the metaverse. This is a digital world in which people meet, work and play. Think of virtual reality (VR), where you wear a headset and stand in a virtual space.
That future is still a long way off. Zuckerberg himself speaks of a development lasting years. It is not yet a topic for your ad budget next month.
What is closer is the company’s course for the coming period. Meta wants people to spend more time in its own apps. This affects how ads look and work.
What this probably means for your ads
Nobody knows exactly how things will turn out. Even so, a few trends are visible. These are expectations, not certainties.
More emphasis on short video. Meta is investing heavily in Reels, the short vertical videos on Instagram and Facebook. The company wants to compete with TikTok. When the platform itself gives a format a lot of attention, more options for advertisers usually follow.
More ads that stay within the app. Think of shopping in Instagram, chatting with a business via WhatsApp or Messenger, and forms that you complete without leaving the app. This is convenient for the user. For you, it means a click no longer always ends on your website.
More automation. Meta is increasingly steering things itself. The system chooses placements, audiences and variations of your ad. You supply the input: good visuals, clear copy and clean data.
That last point is important. The smarter the system becomes, the more it depends on the data you feed into it.
Make sure your measurement is accurate
Much has already changed in measurement this year. With iOS 14.5, Apple introduced a new rule. Apps must now ask users whether they may be tracked. Many people say no. As a result, Meta sees less of what visitors do on your website after a click.
In practice, this has a few unwelcome effects:
- You see fewer conversions in Ads Manager than there really are.
- Data arrives later than before.
- The system learns more slowly, because it receives fewer signals.
You can do something about this. Verify your domain in Business Manager. Choose your most important conversion events and place them at the top, because Meta allows only a limited number of events per domain. Also consider the Conversions API. This is a connection through which your server sends data directly to Meta, independently of the visitor’s browser.
Imagine you run a garden furniture webshop. In Ads Manager you see only a few purchases per week, while your webshop records many more. You think your campaign is not working and want to stop it. On closer inspection, it turns out that your domain is not verified and your pixel only measures in the browser. After setting up domain verification, prioritising your events and adding a server connection, the figures come closer to reality. Your campaign turned out not to be bad. You were simply getting an incomplete picture.
Good measurement is also valuable outside Meta. It helps you compare channels fairly, such as Google Ads, email and social.
What you can do now
You do not need to wait for the metaverse to make progress. Start with steps that deliver results right away.
- Test short vertical video. Make videos of 10 to 30 seconds in 9:16, the screen format of a phone. Show what it is about in the first few seconds. Use subtitles, because many people watch without sound.
- Check your measurement. See whether your domain is verified, whether your pixel fires correctly and whether your key events are accurate.
- Compare with a second source. Put the figures from Ads Manager next to Google Analytics and your own sales figures. This shows you how large the difference is.
- Build your own data. Grow an email list and use it in your campaigns. You will always need your own data, whatever changes on the platforms.
- Test one thing at a time. For example, change only your image or only your copy. This way you learn what works.
Also keep an eye on Meta’s news, but only adjust your strategy once you see that new formats or options genuinely deliver something. A new format is only interesting if it suits your audience.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to change my Facebook ad account because of the name change?
No. Your Ads Manager, pixel, audiences and payment details continue to work as they did. Only the name of the parent company has changed.
Are Facebook and Instagram now also called Meta?
No. The apps keep their own names. Meta is the name of the company above them, which also runs WhatsApp and Messenger.
Should I invest in the metaverse now?
For most businesses, no. The metaverse is a long-term plan. You will gain more from good video, tidy measurement and strong first-party data.
Book a free 30-minute introductory call
Do you want to know whether your Meta campaigns and your measurement are ready for what is coming? Then book a free 30-minute introductory call with Adventio Marketing in Amersfoort. Together, we will look at your account, your measurement and your creative approach. You will receive practical tips that you can apply straight away, with no obligation.
