Meta publishes best practices for Instagram and Facebook ad campaigns
Meta has spent much time working to enhance its ad targeting processes, in line with the most recent privacy restrictions and changes. This has also consisted of using automation to boost performance and a bigger focus on AI. Recently, the social media giant has automated its ad systems, and better results have already been reported.
The Advantage+ campaigns utilise Meta AI to maximise ad performance and are offering numerous benefits for brands globally. Meta is also set to implement more automation tools, including creative tools. This could see the entire process become largely automated from beginning to end.
In other words, taking the guesswork out of brands' hands. In saying that, these plans are still a bit away. However, in the meantime, Meta did follow through by publishing a new overview of key best practices to help its systems better optimise ad performance.
What insights did Meta share for businesses to better utilise Facebook and Instagram ads?
Before we jump into the insights Meta shared for businesses to better utilise Facebook and Instagram ads, it’s important to keep one thing in mind. Meta is constantly trying to improve ads, and investments in artificial intelligence (AI) across Meta technologies are helping businesses to make the most of their marketing investment.
Meta’s Discovery Commerce system harnesses the power of AI to connect businesses with their customers. It leverages AI-powered machine learning and allows for account simplification, automation, creative diversification, data quality, and results validation with ease. Therefore, it is a good idea to look at the key best practices from Meta under these different categories.
Automation
Starting with automation, this helps marketers to keep up with dynamic consumer behaviour utilising advanced AI models to achieve brilliant results. Meta recommends that users automate their entire campaigns or at least part of a campaign across audience, budget, creative, and placement.
The company shares that automating end-to-end will increase in return on ad spend with Advantage+ shopping campaigns by 32 percent. By contrast, automating a single lever will decrease cost per result with Advantage+ custom audiences by 13 per cent.
Account simplification
Meta has said that when a campaign begins running, each ad set will go through a ‘learning phase’. This will simplify account structures, helping the AI systems to generate the results you need quicker. With this in mind, Meta recommends consolidating and limiting changes. Doing so will help to simplify your account.
They recommend searching for additional consolidation opportunities, optimising for events with sufficient volume, limiting the number of ad sets created, and grouping significant edits to avoid the ad going back into the learning phase.
Data quality
It is vital to strengthen data quality as this will help you better measure and target across a wide range of shopping journeys. Meta’s recommendation here is to get started with Conversions API and optimise the Conversions API setup.
The company shares that there is a 13 per cent cost-per-result improvement with the Meta Pixel and Conversions API. They reported an additional 19% of attributed purchase events with the Meta Pixel and Conversions API.
Creative differentiation
People purchase the same product for a wide array of different reasons. Therefore, diversified creatives are sure to reach more shoppers with a relevant message. Meta shares that doing this leads to 32 per cent increased efficiency and 8% incremental reach.
Therefore, they recommend that people deliver more relevant creatives. They suggest users do this by building a variety of assets. This includes diversifying formats and diversifying concepts. In other words, leveraging reels, working with creators using partnership ads, identifying top motivators, and differentiating creative routes visually.
Results validation
Results are an important part of any effective marketing strategy. They help you determine what’s working and what isn’t. Meta recommends that users work to better understand marketing impact by validating results using other measurement methods.
For instance, leveraging marketing mix modelling to validate the value of marketing, using A/B testing to determine winning strategies and better optimise campaigns, and harnessing conversion lift results to enhance measurement accuracy across social media marketing channels.
Summary
With social media marketing, there are so many KPIs and details to pay attention to when it comes to ad campaigns. Therefore, getting guidance like this from social media giants like Meta is highly appreciated and can go a long way in turning an ordinary ad campaign into a successful one. If you are looking to take your social media efforts one step further and make your brand industry-leading online, we would be delighted to help you.
At Social Directions Agency (SDA), we work with brands, big and small, to help them shine on social media and boost brand awareness, generate leads, build communities, and ultimately achieve their desired goals. Our services span social media management, content production, and everything in between to make your channels more exciting, engaging, and tailored to your audience.