#058: 4 Steps To Meta Ads Success

There are a million and one Meta Ads strategies, account structures and tactics out there.

None of them are wrong. None of them are right.

The only right ones are what works for you.

The only wrong ones are what doesn't work for you.

With that said, there are some general principles, some best practices, that apply to get the most out of Meta's algorithm, AI and machine learning.

So today, I have some actionable, practical steps to set you up for success with Meta Ads.

This isn't advice that worked 6-12 months ago because there's zero value in me sharing that with you. This is what's working for us right now, today, in June 2024.

I've updated my entire Meta Ads strategy over the past couple of months and therefore rolled these updates into Meta Ads Mastery For Authors (the new name for Jumpstart Facebook Ads For Authors).

#1: Focus Your Time On The Ads

Meta's AI and machine learning is becoming more and more powerful every day.

You don't need to worry about testing different audiences anymore. Let Meta handle that for you (I'll touch on targeting in this newsletter shortly).

When you're not spending time (and money) testing audiences, you can focus on testing what truly matters - the Ads people are seeing on their Facebook Feed.

I spend an hour or so every 1-2 months researching who our ideal readers are, what they enjoy about Lori's books, what they are looking for from books in our genre, etc.

I look at Ads inside and outside the publishing world with The Meta Ads Library to get my creative juices flowing, be inspired and start the ideas rolling in.

I do all of this to immerse myself in the world of advertising and the world of our ideal readers.

Understanding your readers is the key to crafting Ads that speak directly to them.

When I'm running through this research process, I write down any and all ideas that come to mind, no matter how terrible they might be.

Some of the ideas may be absolute garbage, but that's ok. It could spark an idea for a new angle or an entirely new concept for an Ad further down the line.

Spending time on this research will transform the way you think about advertising and the way in which you craft your Ads.

With all the bells and whistles available inside Meta Ads, none of them will impact your results more than a stellar Ad.

#2: Let Meta Handle The Targeting

Instead of using broad/unrestricted targeting, I've been seeing much better results using Advantage+ Audiences.

But one caveat here...

I'm providing Meta with some suggestions of who I think they should show my Ads to (gender, age and a few detailed targeting options).

I use the same targeting setup for every single Ad; I'm no longer testing audiences because Meta does a much better job of finding our audience than I could ever do.

By using Advantage+ Audiences with suggestions, you're guiding Meta in the right direction regarding who to show your Ads to, without throttling its reach, because it can search outside of your suggestion parameters.

#3: Simple Account Structure

I do all my testing and scaling inside one campaign (per country, per book).

Consolidating your ad account structure helps Meta perform at its optimum.

It also makes managing your account more efficient so you can get in and get out, then get back to your writing.

I use Dynamic Creative to test my Ads, and then move the winning Ads from those tests into my "winners Ad Set".

Each Ad Set has its own dedicated budget to allow me to control where the spend is going.

Simple, straightforward and effective.

#4: Start Small and Scale Gradually

Start your Meta Ads with a budget that is comfortable for you, but also understand that there's no guarantee you'll earn this money back in royalties.

If you have good books and good Ads, then there's of course a much greater chance you'll earn more in royalties than you spend on Ads, but with advertising, there are no guarantees.

So a better way to think about your initial budget is... spend only what you can afford to lose.

This might be $10 - $20 per day, which is a good starting point.

Just know that the more you spend, the quicker you'll collect data and the earlier you'll know what is and isn't working.

Even with $10 - $20 per day in spend, over 7 days, you'll be able to test, and figure out what content your audience resonates with (images, videos, headlines, etc).

Once you've figured out what's working, you'll be able to gradually start increasing spend and scaling up your Ads to reach more readers, putting more money behind Ads that are converting into sales/page reads at a sustainable cost.

Wrapping Up...

As I mentioned at the top of this newsletter, there's no right or wrong way to run Meta Ads.

I can only share with you what is and isn't working for us.

Testing is what will determine what works for you.

What I've shared with you today though is a solid strategy that is capable of profitably spending $100's per day. 

The only thing left to do now is to take action.

You got this.

To Your Success
- Matt