Facebook seems to be running hot on the heels of Google when it comes to the frequency of updates. Just when digital marketers thought it was safe to relax for a minute, Facebook announced a major change to its News Feed ad product that will have advertisers scrambling to re-think their Facebook ad campaigns.

The social media giant recently raised the cap on the number of times a News Feed ad can appear each day.

• Advertisers can now insert a single ad into the News Feed section a maximum of two times each day, up from the previous limit of once a day.
• Ads from a Page that a Facebook user has not connected to can be displayed in the News Feed twice each day, an increase from once a day.
• Ads from a Page that a Facebook user is connected to can be inserted into the News Feed a maximum of four times a day – no change from the previous cap.

Facebook has stressed that the changes will not affect Facebook’s actual ad load, only the number of times that the same ad will be displayed.

It’s too early to gauge the effect of the new ad frequency policy on Facebook’s users. A company spokesperson has stated that advertisers who deliver high quality, relevant messages are likely to benefit from the change. “People like great content regardless of the source. But they have zero tolerance for one bad ad, let alone two.”

What Exactly is the News Feed Section?

The News Feed section is the center portion of the Facebook homepage, and for most users is one of the most popular and visible areas of the page. It’s where everyone goes to see the latest news and shares from their friends and typically includes status updates, photos, videos, links, and likes. The order of News Feed posts is determined by the sender of the post, the number of comments and likes the post has received and the story type.

One of the hottest advertising properties on Facebook, a typical News Feed ad beats the right-side ad hands down, with a 44 times greater click-through rate and a 5 times greater conversion rate.

How to Maximize Your News Feed Advertising Spend
Budget about half of your total Facebook ad spend on News Feed ads. They deliver much better click-through rates and conversions than the right-side ads, and are currently the only Facebook ad product that is delivered to mobile users. Match the correct Facebook ad product to your specific goals. Use a Page post link ad if you want to drive conversions and sales. For driving brand engagement, go with a Page post photo ad. Page post link ads have a 30 percent higher conversion rate than Page post photo ads, while Page post photo ads deliver a 23 percent greater click-through rate than Page post link ads. Split your News Feed advertising into separate desktop and mobile device campaigns. Use creative rotation to maintain uniform click-through rates and gross impressions.