Facebook has been in the hot seat for months now. The trouble all started during the 2016 election cycle, when the once-unstoppable social network was beset with criticisms regarding its role in the spread of “fake news.” Since then, Facebook has announced a series of actions to change its newsfeed algorithms and beef up quality control—all of which carries big implications for Facebook advertisers.

Does your used car dealership spend any ad bucks on Facebook? If so, then we invite you to read up on three of the most significant changes to the Facebook Ads landscape.

To Run Ads on Facebook, You Have to Be Connected to a Page

It used to be that just about anyone could run ads on Facebook, so long as they were willing to pony up the money. Today, that’s no longer the case. If you want to run Facebook ads now, your account needs to be connected to an actual Facebook page.

That’s not much of a hurdle—setting up a page is easy, and your dealership should have one anyway—but it’s something to be aware of, moving forward.

Quality Control is More Rigorous Than Ever

Facebook is also working harder to police the content that advertisers promote—cracking down on “like bait,” in particular.

You’ve probably seen these posts before—a company running an ad, saying “LIKE our page if you love chocolate,” even though their business has nothing at all to do with chocolate.

This is essentially spam, and it’s no longer allowable at Facebook. Henceforth, all ad content needs to be directly relevant to your dealership and its core product and service offerings.

Organic Reach Just Isn’t Enough

Finally, Facebook has once again downgraded the role of organic posts from businesses and brands—meaning that, if your dealership has coasted on likes, comments, and shares, you may find your newsfeed penetration dwindling.

In order to better police the content that consumers see, Facebook really wants businesses and brands to make a go of Facebook Ads—paying to play and adhering to all of the increasingly-stringent rules.

The bottom line for your dealership: The days of doing well on Facebook, without paying for ad placement, are probably over.

Where Does This Leave Your Dealership?

For used car dealerships, there remain huge opportunities to generate highly targeted traffic through Facebook. It requires you to develop compelling ad content, and to pay for placement within the Facebook Ads platform—but really, that’s the way it’s been for a long time now.

If you’re ready to get to work on an effective Facebook Ads strategy, we can help you. Get My Auto provides marketing services exclusively for auto dealerships. Reach out to us today to schedule a consultation!