Facebook Tweaking Its Ad Strategy

Right now, Facebook has 27 unique ad format options—and the site says that's giving advertisers a headache. "The No. 1 complaint of most advertisers was that it was too complicated to figure out which ads to use," says an advertising exec with the company. Now, the social network has announced that it will get rid of about half of the formats. And instead of picking an ad, advertisers will describe their objective (say, more in-store customers or online fans); the site will then suggest formats for them, Forbes reports.

The system will launch within weeks and be fully up and running in 6 months. It's all part of a major reworking of Facebook advertising, which includes ditching "Questions" ads and ensuring more social context for ads—revealing how many of your friends "like" them, for example. Ads will also have a more standardized look. "Facebook’s ad system is powerful in its targeting, but it has been pretty confusing for a lot of people," says the CEO of Optimal Social. "So there’s a lot of room for simplification." (More Facebook stories.)