Facebook further embraces mobile with updated Pages Manager, off-site ads

Facebook is preparing a mobile assault

 

 

Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg wasn't kidding when he reportedly said "mobile is everything" during the TechCrunch Disrupt conference last week.

The social network on Tuesday announced two new fronts to its mobile ad strategy: a new version of Pages Manager and the beginnings of an off-site ad network.

Pages Manager now allows administrators to promote their pages via an iPhone or iPad app.

For a fee, admins - ostensibly business owners - can choose which posts they'd like to promote directly from their iOS mobile devices.

Small businesses had reportedly been asking for the mobile ad-buying capability for some time.

Seeds of an off-site ad network

The company also announced Tuesday that it has entered a test period for an off-site ad network that puts Facebook ads on non-Facebook mobile apps and web pages.

The ads are similar to ones already found on Facebook, just optimized for other sites and the mobile web.

Zuck's team is currently working with a select number of ad exchanges with existing publisher relationships, according to a published report.

The plan is for those publishers to turn around and sell the Facebook-styled ads to third-party applications and websites.

"Right now we're testing to see how these ads perform, whether people find them relevant. They could be an interesting way to discover new mobile apps and see relevant ads off of Facebook," Facebook told TechCrunch's Josh Constine.

From an advertiser's perspective, they have access - for a price - to all the data Facebook has gathered on its users. That data allows them to get the most bang for their advertising buck.

"With Facebook you have really great targeting," the company said to Constine. "They'll be able to reach people that are more likely to engage with the ads they see."

Developers who place ads on third-party apps and sites that direct users to app download stores like Apple's App Store and Google Play are likely looking forward to the network, as are marketers who can now produce uber-honed ads.

Facebook assured Constine no identifiable data would be shared with advertisers...just accept the possibility highly personalized ads will pop up on your screens when you're not logged into your profile page.