Facebook

For many, the answer is yes.  Anyone that runs ads under a special category has lost that capability.  See the details below.

If you try to advertise in any of the categories above you will face severe scrutiny and most likely have your ad rejected.  Once you declare a Special Ad Category, your targeting for Housing, Credit, and Employment will be significantly restricted. This is to prevent ads that discriminate based on age, gender, and even location.

Why?  Because of Meta’s agreement with HUD.  Here is the timeline.

1. August 25, 2022: you will no longer be able to create new special ad audiences.
2. September 13, 2022: special ad audiences will no longer be available for use in new ad creation via the API.
3. October 12, 2022: Special ad audiences will no longer be available for use in new ad creation across Ads Manager and the API. After this date, affected ad setsAn ad set is a Facebook ads grouping where settings like targeting, scheduling, optimization, and placement are determined. 

Now What?  What should real estate agents focus on to improve their business?

1. Branding – the past couple of years have almost been too easy for some.  It’s time to get back to tried and true efforts.
2. Ads on other platforms – now is a great opportunity for many to move their marketing dollars to Google, YouTube, and more.
3. Focus on the platforms that have lasting power.  Google Tools are extremely valuable for all business owners.
4. Websites that rank on the first page of Google are a huge opportunity for growth.  Many have been led to believe that you can’t compete with the big companies online.  Which is completely false.  You just have to have the right tools and the right plan.  That is where the Online Success Review comes into place.