February 4, 2025
Social media is a key part of the modern world—so much so that it’s not just for connection anymore. Studies show that many people now use social platforms as their primary search engine, often turning to socials before even thinking about Google. With 5.22 billion people worldwide using social media, and 68.7% of them on at least one Meta platform, the reach is undeniable.
This means Meta platforms are a crucial tool for reaching your target audience. Whether they’re scrolling through Instagram Reels, bickering in Facebook comments, or quietly lurking on both, Meta platforms host a staggering 3.59 billion people annually. Chances are, your audience is in there somewhere!
Naturally, businesses want to leverage this massive pool of potential customers by finding their target audience and advertising directly to them. Enter Meta Ad Manager. Even better, Meta now boasts its own machine learning model, aptly named “Advantage,” to make advertising easier.
But here’s the catch: while Advantage can be effective in certain areas of your campaign, it’s not the magical fix Meta might want you to think it is. In fact, if not handled wisely, it can sometimes hurt your results.
Advantage Campaign Budget is a helpful tool, but it doesn’t always test enough before deciding which ad set gets the lion’s share of your budget. To counteract this, set a minimum spend for each ad set. This ensures you get solid baseline stats for all ad sets before the model starts redistributing your budget.
From experience, Advantage+ Audience isn’t refined enough to identify meaningful correlations between audience members. Instead, it tends to target those who are simply most likely to click, even if the ad is irrelevant to them. This dilutes your audience base and ultimately weakens your results.
This one works like a charm! So far, we haven’t found any faults with how delivery is managed across placements.
This is more about personal preference. Sometimes the text suggestions are spot-on; other times, not so much. The good news is you can see exactly what Meta proposes and either tweak it or opt out entirely. That being said, it would be fantastic if Meta showed the performance results of these text choices, so you’d know which phrases or terms resonate most with your audience.
Meta’s machine learning model has some standout features that can genuinely enhance your campaigns. But here’s the thing: Zuckerberg wants you to spend as much money on Meta as possible. So, ask yourself: is the model’s recommendation going to boost your results—or Meta’s revenue?
Need help with Meta ads? Reach out to us today.
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