When special ad categories apply
Meta requires advertisers to declare a special ad category when ads relate to housing, employment, credit or other financial products, or social issues, elections and politics. Declaring it limits targeting: age, gender and ZIP code targeting are restricted, some detailed targeting options are removed, and lookalike audiences are replaced by a more limited option.
This catches some B2B advertisers by surprise. A recruiting agency, a lender to small businesses or a property management company may fall into a category even though they sell to businesses. LinkedIn has its own advertising policies for similar areas.
A provider should ask about this at the start, because a campaign set up in the wrong category can be rejected or restricted. Whether an offer falls in a category is ultimately your call, ideally checked with your own counsel.
What a paid social engagement usually includes
Scope is agreed directly with the service partner, but most paid social work covers:
- An audit of your Meta business portfolio or LinkedIn Campaign Manager account, or a clean setup.
- Pixel and Conversions API setup on Meta, or the Insight Tag on LinkedIn, with test events checked.
- Audience planning: saved audiences, website visitors, customer lists and lookalikes where allowed.
- Campaign structure, objectives and budget settings.
- Ad copy and creative briefs, or finished creative if that is in scope.
- Native lead forms or landing page links, with form fields agreed.
- A way for form submissions to reach your CRM or inbox.
- Frequency checks and a creative refresh schedule.
- A regular summary of changes and what is being tested.
Brand material and approvals
Paid social uses far more visual material than search, so expect to supply some of it.
Useful starting material includes your logo in a few formats, brand colors and fonts, real photos of your work or team if you want them shown, short video clips, and any existing guides or checklists that could become an offer. Stock imagery can fill gaps, but ads tend to look generic without some of your own material.
Agree an approval routine early. Who signs off on ad copy and creative? How quickly can they respond? Are there claims, words or images your industry or counsel rules out? A short written list of dos and don'ts saves rounds of edits later.
Questions about paid social campaigns
Should I use Meta or LinkedIn?
It depends on your buyer. LinkedIn targets by job title, seniority, company size and industry, which suits offers aimed at specific roles, and clicks usually cost more. Meta reaches business owners in their personal feeds and relies on interests, website visitors and customer lists. Many advertisers test one before adding the other.
What is the difference between a lead form and a landing page?
A native lead form opens inside Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and is often prefilled, so it is quick to submit. A landing page sends people to your site, where more drop off but those who finish have read more. Many advertisers test both. See landing pages and forms.
What does frequency mean in paid social?
Frequency is the average number of times each person in your audience has seen an ad over a period. Some repetition helps people remember you. Too much, with the same creative, tends to bring hides, negative comments and fewer clicks. A provider watches it alongside budget and audience size.
Tell us what you sell and which channels you want to run. A service partner will reply with a scope and a quote.
Request a quoteOther services
Search advertising
Campaigns for buyers who are already looking. A partner handles setup and routine checks, and the platforms decide where ads appear.
Page builds
Copy, layout, form setup and tracking for new landing pages, or fixes to pages you already send paid traffic to.
Lead tracking and follow-up
Conversion tags, CRM routing and follow-up reminders set up so each inquiry is recorded with its source and assigned to someone.