Facebook refines mobile ad offerings

Facebook Inc is letting marketers place ads specifically in mobile versions of its social network service, addressing a key concern about broadening its appeal as smartphones and mobile devices become more popular.

The company, whose revenue growth has slowed in recent months, is also letting advertisers direct ads into users' news feeds as of Tuesday.

"We want to make it easier for advertisers to get the distribution they want," said Facebook spokeswoman Annie Ta.

Previously advertisers could buy a broad category of "sponsored stories" advertisements that would run on the website, but Facebook controlled whether the ads appeared on mobile devices or in users news feeds.

Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012