The Only 2 Audiences I Use on Meta Ads...

Summary

In this video, the speaker discusses the evolution of Facebook ad targeting strategies, highlighting that in 2024, they primarily use only two audiences: Broad and Advantage Plus shopping. They explain that lookalike targeting has become ineffective, and interests targeting is losing steam. Broad targeting allows the algorithm to find the best fit for the business, while Advantage Plus combines explicit and implicit user intent for scalability. The speaker also touches on the importance of creative strategy over targeting and introduces catalog ads as a potential third audience type, emphasizing their effectiveness in e-commerce.

Takeaways

• 🔍 In 2024, the speaker primarily uses two Facebook ad audiences: Broad and Advantage Plus shopping, abandoning Lookalike targeting.
• 📉 Lookalike targeting has become ineffective, and interest targeting is losing steam, often used as a temporary fix for poor performance.
• 🎯 Broad targeting is recommended for scalability and simplicity, allowing the algorithm to identify the best fit for the business.
• 🛒 Advantage Plus shopping combines explicit and implicit intent, starting with retargeting audiences to train the algorithm for broader targeting.
• 📈 The speaker analyzed 10 brands and found a decline in the use of retargeting and interest targeting, with an increase in ASC campaigns.
• 💡 Brands should focus on creative testing rather than relying on audience targeting to improve ad performance.
• 📊 The data shows that broad targeting outperforms interest targeting in most cases, even when brands initially test other methods.
• 🔄 If Broad and Advantage Plus aren't effective, the speaker suggests a setup combining stacked interest groups, lookalikes, and Broad with top-performing creatives.
• 🎨 The speaker emphasizes that poor ad performance is often due to creative issues rather than targeting issues.
• 📦 Catalog ads, specifically dynamic product ads (DPAs), are considered a separate targeting strategy due to their unique delivery structure within Meta's ad system.

Q & A

What are the two primary audiences the speaker is using for Facebook ads in 2024?

The two primary audiences the speaker is using for Facebook ads in 2024 are Broad and Advantage Plus shopping.

Why does the speaker believe that lookalike targeting is no longer effective?

The speaker believes that lookalike targeting is no longer effective because their analysis across 10 brands showed that it is 'dead in the water' and that interests have been losing steam.

What is the difference between Broad and Advantage Plus shopping audiences?

Broad audiences are open targeting with no lookalikes, custom audiences, or interest targeting, possibly with some guardrails on age, location, and gender. Advantage Plus shopping, on the other hand, includes both explicit intent (retargeting audiences) and implicit intent (people in the market for similar products but haven't discovered the brand yet).

Why is the speaker advocating for the use of broader audiences?

The speaker advocates for broader audiences because they believe it trains the algorithm to look at everyone and zone in on the people who are the best fit for the business, and it's the most scalable audience.

What does the speaker suggest when Broad and Advantage Plus audiences are not working?

When Broad and Advantage Plus audiences are not working, the speaker suggests testing the right types of creatives and having a strong creative strategy. If that doesn't work, they recommend a setup that includes a stacked interest group, a stacked lookalike, and Broad.

What is the role of creatives in the success of Facebook ads according to the speaker?

According to the speaker, creatives play a crucial role in the success of Facebook ads. They suggest that often it's not a targeting issue, but rather a creative issue that needs to be addressed.

What is the third audience the speaker mentions and why do they consider it different?

The third audience the speaker mentions is catalog ads or dynamic product ads (DPAs). They consider it different because it is a different delivery structure inside of Meta ads, where the algorithm reads skew level data to deliver the ads to the right people.

Why is the speaker concerned about brands not using catalog ads?

The speaker is concerned because if brands avoid catalog ads, Meta could deliver that content to their competitors, and they believe it's better to be on the receiving end of that competitive pack.

What does the speaker suggest brands should do if they are struggling with ad performance?

If brands are struggling with ad performance, the speaker suggests doing more creative testing and possibly using a setup that includes a stacked interest group, a stacked lookalike, and Broad with their current top-performing creative.

What additional advice does the speaker give for improving ad performance?

The speaker advises checking out their other videos on creating great creatives that convert and testing all major ad formats.