5 Things Medical Practices, Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeons, and Dentists must Avoid with Your Facebook Ads

While having your ads blocked can be frustrating, we have to keep in mind that we do not own Facebook, so we have to abide by their policies. Our Facebook advertising team has found ways to still generate leads for our clients, while also abiding by Facebook’s community ad policies. Facebook ads are the most affordable and powerful way to market, so that you can double the growth of your medical practice. 

Enough said, let’s get down to the solutions. What are you doing wrong with your ads and how can you correct these “hidden errors” so that you can succeed?

1. “Are you a woman that wants to have brighter skin?”

Facebook doesn’t like: ads that speak directly to viewers. Facebook has flagged our ads as being “discriminatory” or “personal attributes.”

Facebook bots scan copywriting for certain keywords. These are some of them. The Facebook algorithm knows when you’re using too much “you” or “your” verbiage to call out viewers online. 

Solution: Instead, try keeping “you” and “your” minimal. We have also found better success using testimonials of clients that match the same type of clients we’re trying to target as a lead. For example, “Dr. Smith was wonderful! He was so kind, caring, and really helped me achieve the results I was looking for. My skin feels amazing! I am so happy with my results! Definitely recommend you book a consultation, you won’t regret it!” – Jennifer Hume

A better way to rephrase the headline above would be, “Ready to glow? Hydrating facials will tighten deep pores and brighten tired skin!” 

Remember: Facebook wants your ads to be liked by your target audience. If you’re targeting Sally who loves skincare, they’re not going to show your ad to Bob who loves fishing. They want their viewers to not feel advertised to, more that the ad is blending in with their newsfeed with the interests they enjoy.

2. “YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT SALE WE HAVE HAPPENING THIS WEEK! CLICK HERE!”

Facebook doesn’t like: The frequent use of capital letters or lots of exclamation marks!!! They also do not like the use of words, “Click here! Buy now! Sale! 75% off! Let a comment below!” These all flag for salesy copywriting. 

Remember: You don’t have to “yell” at your ideal audience. That’s the impression that caps give, producing the opposite reaction of what you hope to achieve.”

Solution: Chances are you’re using capitals, because you believe it will stand out above the rest of the ads to capture your viewers attention. 

If you’re looking to achieve this result, we recommend using a 30 second video advertisement. Maybe a walkthrough of your office, a clip introducing yourself as the medical practitioner or surgeon, a client happy with their results. This has a 75% success rate. We’ve also noticed selfies of your patients or pictures of their transformation (not before and after images, more like happy pictures enjoying their daily lives) have a greater impact for lead generation.

Also, the app LingoJam has a feature that can change your font on Facebook to fancier fonts. https://lingojam.com/FacebookFonts. This will give your font that bolder or more italicized attention, without flagging on your ad. 

3. “Are you unhappy about the way you look? Let’s help you look 5 years young and lose the weight!”

Facebook doesn’t like: Anything that would make their viewers feel anything but uplifted. While you as a plastic/cosmetic surgeon or weight-loss management center might have good intentions, this could also make a reader feel instantly discouraged about their body and hurt their feelings. Remember, Facebook is not here to make you happy as the business owner, they wouldn’t have an advertising business if all their members left. They want to keep both happy, which means starting by keeping their viewers happy. These types of ads flag as “Personal Attributes policy, personal Health policy, or Misleading or False Content policy.”

Facebook also flags ads like these, because they do not want you to make “transformation promises.” Such as, “Lose 50 lbs, look 10 years younger, fit into a bikini by this fall, etc.”

Remember: Avoid using negative connotations such as, diet, weight loss, fat, depression, anxiety, stress, fear, overwhelm, terrified, anti, etc.” 

Solution: Use positive language instead. Focus on how people want to feel afterwards. You can stick to topics such as, health and wellness. For example, “Feel happier, life is here for your positive energy to fill it! Join our Health & Wellness Makeovers this fall!” Again, transformation testimonies are great to use for this purpose!

4. “Get your Botox this summer!” 

Facebook doesn’t like: The words Botox, Juvéderm, or any other medical formula that contains a prescription ingredient. This usually flags as a POM is against the Committee of Advertising Practice's (CAP) guidelines. Therefore, adverts for Botox are in breach of this.

Remember: Facebook cannot scan every ad personally, so while your ad might be harmless and the ingredient safe for those to use, a bot will still flag your ad as unsafe for its viewers. 

Solution: Instead of using Botox, you can use the word “injectables” or “units.” We did an ad that said, “We don’t sell units, we sell years.” This worked well for our lead generation.

5. The use of $#$&$#%#%^ keywords or nudity (i.e., trying to add curse words to your ads)

Facebook doesn’t like: profanity or nudity. Not even a little. Facebook addresses this under its Grammar & Profanity Policy.

Remember: Facebook wants to keep a community environment, which also means protecting its family-friendly users. The last thing Facebook wants is parents scrolling through Facebook and finding something that would shock them. Particularly nudity, profanity, or unconservative content. Ads that can also flag this (not always, but sometimes) women in bikinis, underwear, cleavage, bare back skin, or close-ups of a face, back, thighs, etc.

Solution: Keep your ads kid-clean and child-friendly. Facebook doesn’t want anything offensive to slip through the cracks, so that grip is tight. We have found promoting women in gym clothes or one-piece bathing suits (for transformation images) or pictures of just the product will usually pass this policy. We also love images of women in sundresses, selfies, etc. This all promote body-positivity and happiness to viewers. 

In Conclusion...

We hope these solutions help with your ads growing your audience and attracting your dream patients or clients. Never forget that while it definitely can be frustrating to have a bot continually blocking your ads, it’s never impossible to find solutions around policies. Facebook is an incredible lead-generation tool despite these changes. Getting the most out of Facebook just requires learning the rules of engagement and playing nice with the system. If you this, we guarantee you’ll be very happy with your results advertising on the platform.