Latest Cryptocurrency Policies for Google and Facebook

Digital marketing and cryptocurrencies are the hottest topics in their respective domains. While digital marketing has shaped the present marketing and advertising industry - crypto and Web3 are rapidly gaining popularity and support across the market - from individual projects to big businesses getting involved.

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People are more aware than ever that cryptos will shape the currency, and the internet, of the future. Web3 is shaping community engagement in a whole new light.

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Whether you’re launching a new crypto community project, marketing an educational service to clients, or if you’ve developed a full-scale crypto-based business, getting your paid campaigns right for GoogleAds and Meta (Facebook Business Suite) is more important than ever.

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That’s fair enough - it’s only natural that companies working on technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrencies would want to reach users who are still spending a lot of their online time on various web2 platforms and social networks.

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That’s why the decision from these major advertising platforms to ban anything Crypto related a few years back was devastating for innovative projects in an emerging industry. 

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The good news now is that both Google and Facebook have opened up their advertising platforms to some instances of Web3 and Crypto businesses. In addition, the list of allowed countries and services continues to grow. 

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Strict ad policies for promoting products and services related to cryptocurrencies are in place - but we are here to help you unpack some of those rules. 

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In this video, Shash Singh breaks down some of the details for us:

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It all starts with the GoogleAds Advertising Policy and, from Facebook - the Meta Advertising Policy for Cryptocurrencies. 

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If you don’t know these policies, there’s no need to worry. This article will explain the current cryptocurrency ad policies of both Google and Facebook (Meta). We will also update it from time to time as things change - which, as we know - they often do!

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So, let’s get started! 

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Google Cryptocurrency Ads Policy 

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Google’s Crypto policy is hidden within their “financial products and services policy”. It is here you need to dig to discover what they now allow for crypto ads. In short, only certain projects - with very specific criteria - will be approved. 

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This means you need to prepare your product, sales pages, terms and conditions, and company registrations before you’ll see success in your campaigns across the Google Web.

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What is Allowed? 

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Google has made advertising from regulated and approved cryptocurrency exchanges allowable - following an approval process. Apart from approved exchanges, Google allows the following: 

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1. Businesses that accept payment in crypto.
2. Platforms built on a blockchain that run on a blockchain.
3. Businesses selling crypto mining hardware.
4. Websites selling crypto and blockchain education.
5. Crypto consulting specifically in tax and legal services as well as security services.

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To get these ads approved, your project cannot be selling crypto or tokens, offering custody services, or running a crypto exchange of any sort. If your business meets these criteria - you may achieve approval even if you’re not one of the examples above.

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As you can see - many additional Web3 projects will meet the criteria for advertising on GoogleAds if they have the right structures in place. Building on a blockchain without selling tokens or cryptocurrencies is the key update for many of the emerging Web3 businesses we work with daily. If you’ve built your project with these requirements - you may be almost ready to launch some paid campaigns. 

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What is not Allowed?

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Unfortunately, Defi is still excluded, as is promoting unhosted cryptocurrency wallets, ICOs, trading advice sites, or affiliate sites related to cryptocurrency. Of course, if you’re selling crypto assets, it’s a no go without completing the steps required to be an exchange on Google - but have a look at the options on the Facebook platform as well. All is not lost.

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Are you a Cryptocurrency Exchange?

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As we mentioned, Google’s policy allows Cryptocurrency Exchanges to run advertising campaigns. There’s quite a bit of red tape to get through though. Google requires that you are a licensed provider in your region, your products and advertisements are in complete accordance with local laws and industry standards, and your account is certified by Google.

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You’ll also need to fall into the list of accepted countries - as there are some nations where this policy update is not yet active. 

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Google Certification for Cryptocurrency Advertising

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If you’re ready to set up your account and get started with Google Ads, you can click here to apply for certification. Also remember that if you want to advertise in more than one country, you’ll need to submit a separate application for each country you want to reach. 

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Alternatively, let the team at Lunar Strategy assist with your GoogleAds account management - from creation to campaign optimization - our team has a ton of relevant experience and a proven track record. 

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With Google covered, let’s take a look at the latest updates from the other large player in the space - Facebook.

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Facebook Ad Policy Cryptocurrency 

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In January 2018, Facebook started blocking ads that were promoting cryptos due to concerns related to scammers and other security issues. It was only six months later that the social media giant rolled back the ban and began allowing advertisers and digital marketers to launch ad campaigns on the platform.

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In their June 2018 note - they announced an approval process would be instituted for certain adverts. Since then, it has become somewhat simpler for certain crypto and Web3 businesses to launch campaigns without massive red tape.

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That said, with Facebook’s reputation for blocking accounts, it is necessary to adhere to the ad policy very carefully to avoid the dreaded suspension of your account. 

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What is Allowed? 

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The good news now is that if you want to run ads for promoting products like cryptocurrency news, blockchain technology information, blockchain or Web3 events, digital payment tools, traditional merchandise, or applications built on a blockchain - you can easily advertise without prior written permission. 

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Included in the list at this time are ads promoting NFTs. Of course, your ads will need to adhere to Facebook’s standard Advertising Policies. 

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Under the cryptocurrency products and services ads policy of Facebook, advertising of cryptocurrencies, exchanges, mining software, hardware, and cryptocurrency investment advice are required to first receive confirmation for eligibility. You also need to be an “Approved Advertiser” - one of Facebook’s credibility checks which are in place to ensure misleading ads don’t make it through onto the platform.

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What is Not Allowed? 

Facebook doesn’t have a long list of web3 and crypto businesses that are expressly prohibited - except for adverts promoting cryptocurrency and token sales from any unlicensed entities. These businesses wouldn’t receive the required approvals in any case, but it is worth noting.

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With the huge audience that is already engaging on Facebook, it’s the perfect place to reach your Web3 and cryptocurrency communities. As Facebook is a firm believer in Web3 - even rebranding to Meta in a bold (and early) move - it has been a boon to businesses in the space. Their strong stance has certainly helped Web3 projects to reach a key audience. As such, as a Web3 and cryptocurrency-based business, Facebook and Instagram are the obvious paid marketing platforms to use to reach a relevant audience.

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Additional Tips

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On both GoogleAds and Facebook Business Suite, there are certain requirements to implement some advanced targeting features and reach your ideal audiences. These include setting up your accounts correctly and running campaigns that do not violate their respective terms of service.

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One of the most often overlooked is account health. This includes how long your account has been active, and how many violations may have been incurred.

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We recommend setting up your accounts as early as possible in your project journey - and even launching a very simple campaign - so that your account health is on track for approvals by the time you are ready to launch your Pay Per Click campaigns.

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Conclusion 

Marketing and running successful cryptocurrency ads on Google and Facebook is not a simple process. With so many rules and guidelines in place, it can be tricky to launch successful campaigns. With so much competition, it is important to have a carefully crafted strategy - with no room for error -  when navigating the policies of each platform. 

We hope this article has helped you to understand some of the important updates to the Google and Facebook ad approval guidelines. Getting our clients’ Web3 and Crypto campaigns approved on Google and Facebook is part of the daily work we do at Lunar Strategy. If you’re ready to launch campaigns with superior reach - we’d love to assist. 

At Lunar Strategy, we are dedicated to helping you plan and launch crucial and actionable crypto advertising and marketing strategies so you can reach your audience and stand out in today’s increasingly competitive digital landscape. GoogleAds and Facebook are some of our most popular paid campaign platforms. 

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Take the next step and book a free 30 minute exploratory call with one of our team here.