And then there were nine...

Nine ad types on Facebook, that is.

Used to be 29 last summer and cut down to just 15 in January.
A definitive guide by Dennis Yu on how to use these 15 ad types is here on SocialFresh.

But now that sponsored stories as standalone ad units are getting cut on April 9th, 2014, less than two months out, we are left with just 9 ad types (not counting premium ads).

Here they are:
Ad 1:

Ad 2:

Ad 3:

Ad 4:

Ad 5:

Ad 6:

Ad 7:

Ad 8:

Ad 9:

Can you see that Facebook is moving towards amplification of organic content, driven by targeting options, as opposed to placements?

This means that:

Bid management is going away, for the PPC software vendors.
Ad optimization techniques are going away, for the technical PPC agencies making a buck doing this.
Analytics vendors are going away since Facebook is building robust free tools (you can’t beat free), while Google Analytics is getting better. Rock and a hard place, folks.
Content marketers win– organic content is vital since Facebook will handle the technical details.

Readers, feel free to share in the comments below what you think is going on with the Facebook ecosystem.

Dennis Yu

Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations. He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications. Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries. Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.

Dennis Yu