Facebook ads are targeted based on data collected from you, such as the personal information you provide on your profile and your online search history. Other pieces of information are used to determine which ads are appropriate for you, such as the pages, ads and apps you’ve interacted with.
Despite the slightly unnerving amount of details that Facebook knows about you, you will often find that they still sometimes get tailored adverts wrong and you may see sponsored posts featuring products and services on your timeline that you have absolutely no interest in. If you’re finding this frustrating and want to see adverts you actually find relevant to your interests, there’s a way of fixing it.
Simply go into your Facebook settings, click ‘adverts’ on the options displayed on the left hand side of the screen, and there you have it; all the information Facebook is using to tailor adverts to you is displayed on this page.
You can see just about everything, from what Facebook believes are your hobbies and interests, right up to your shopping and fashion habits. Thankfully, you are able to control this! Get rid of anything that you feel may be irrelevant or inappropriate. It may be the case that something you once searched for, such as a gift for your parents, has lead to an inaccurate association with your profile. That Bruce Springsteen album you bought for your Dad last Christmas has a lot to answer for...
Once you’ve deleted any anomalies, you should stop seeing adverts you’re not interested in. This is useful for both you and the advertiser, as it’s a waste of time for you and a waste of money for advertisers if ads are reaching you that you won’t be interacting with.
The more Facebook pages you like based on your actual interests, the more you’ll start to see appropriate adverts popping up, giving you a better user experience.
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