How to Structure a Facebook Ads Account in 2024

Summary

In this video, the creator shares an updated meta ads account structure for 2024, emphasizing the shift away from retargeting campaigns towards Advantage Plus shopping campaigns. They analyze trends from 10 brands, highlighting the focus on creative testing and the importance of budget allocation. The video offers insights on campaign types, budgeting strategies, and creative testing methodologies, advocating for a streamlined approach with two core campaigns and suggesting various creative formats to test for optimal results.

Takeaways

• 🚀 In 2024, the core Meta Ads account structure consists of only two campaigns: a creative testing campaign and an Advantage Plus shopping campaign.
• 🛑 Retargeting campaigns are no longer used by most brands, as Advantage Plus shopping campaigns function similarly, initially targeting audiences with explicit interest in the product.
• 📊 The speaker analyzed 10 brands' ad accounts, finding a trend towards using Advantage Plus campaigns and a reduction in retargeting campaigns, irrespective of budget size.
• 💡 Pre-build preparation is crucial and includes determining campaign types, budgeting, and creative testing strategies before launching campaigns.
• 💰 Budget considerations significantly affect campaign structure, with smaller budgets potentially focusing on a single Advantage Plus campaign for efficiency.
• 🔍 Creative testing is vital, with isolated tests within the creative testing campaign allowing for quicker learnings and data synthesis.
• 📈 Advantage Plus campaigns perform best with top-performing creatives and benefit from a variety of options, allowing the algorithm to optimize effectively.
• 📉 Some brands maintain legacy campaigns that continue to perform well, despite not adhering to the latest best practices.
• 💡 For small budgets, starting with an Advantage Plus shopping campaign and gradually introducing creative testing as budgets increase is recommended.
• 🎨 Brands should test various creative formats, including feature point out ads, 'versus' ads, ugly ads, and user-generated content (UGC) ads, which are effective even on low budgets.
• 🚫 The myth that before and after ads are not allowed on Facebook in 2024 is debunked; they are allowed as long as they follow Facebook's guidelines and avoid idealized results.

Q & A

What significant changes have occurred in meta ads account structure in 2024 according to the video?

The video mentions that retargeting campaigns are no longer used, and interest targeting is largely considered a waste of time. The core campaign structure now consists of two main campaigns: a creative testing campaign and an Advantage Plus shopping campaign.

Why is Advantage Plus shopping preferred over retargeting campaigns in 2024?

Advantage Plus shopping campaigns are preferred because they act like retargeting campaigns, especially when first launched, targeting people with an explicit interest in the product. They work on a spectrum of intent, shifting from explicit to implicit as the campaign grows and collects more data.

What is the recommended campaign structure for brands with low budgets in 2024?

For brands with low budgets, the video suggests starting with just an Advantage Plus shopping campaign and avoiding the hassle of a separate creative testing campaign unless efficiency is not the primary goal.

Why should brands avoid creating a Facebook ads funnel according to the video?

The video states that creating a Facebook ads funnel, especially for direct consumer or e-commerce brands, is likely to waste money. Consolidation tends to yield better results, and none of the brands analyzed were using traffic, engagement, or brand awareness campaigns to create a funnel.

What is the role of the creative testing campaign in the new meta ads account structure?

The creative testing campaign is used to house all creative tests being conducted. It operates using ad set budgeting for each creative test, allowing for quick learning and analysis of what types of creatives are performing well.

How does the video suggest brands handle creative testing within Advantage Plus campaigns?

The video advises against mixing creative testing with Advantage Plus campaigns. Instead, once a creative is found to perform well in the creative testing campaign, it should be duplicated into the Advantage Plus campaign to leverage its performance.

What are some common reasons for brands to have more than two campaigns in their account structure?

Brands may have more than two campaigns due to legacy campaigns that continue to perform, working with multiple creative agencies, testing different bidding options, or having separate campaigns for different products or ad types like DPA ads.

What types of creatives should brands be testing in their creative testing campaigns in 2024?

The video recommends testing features point out ads, 'versus them' ads, ugly ads, before and after ads (using user-generated content or a similar style), problem-solution style ads, founder stories, and testimonial statics.

How does the video address concerns about 'versus them' ads potentially talking down on other brands?

The video suggests reframing the mindset about 'versus them' ads, emphasizing that they should not target specific competitors but rather show why the product is better in a general sense.

What is the video's stance on the myth that before and after ads are not allowed on Facebook in 2024?

The video clarifies that it is a myth and that Facebook allows before and after ads, as long as they do not show idealized results and use user-generated content or a similar style to show genuine transformations.

How does the video address the volatility of Advantage Plus shopping campaigns?

The video acknowledges the volatility of Advantage Plus campaigns, noting that CPA can spike unexpectedly. It contrasts this with the more steady and consistent performance of creative testing campaigns.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Meta Ads Account Structure in 2024

The speaker introduces the video's focus on building a meta ads account in 2024, noting significant changes from previous years. They mention the reduced use of retargeting campaigns and the inefficacy of interest targeting. The core campaign structure discussed is based on analyzing 10 brands' ad accounts, revealing a trend towards Advantage Plus shopping campaigns. The speaker emphasizes the importance of pre-build preparation, including campaign types, budget considerations, and creative testing strategies for 2024.

05:01

📈 Streamlining Campaigns with Advantage Plus

This paragraph delves into the rationale behind the streamlined campaign structure, which consists of a creative testing campaign and an Advantage Plus shopping campaign. The speaker explains that the Advantage Plus campaign functions similarly to retargeting, capturing audiences with explicit interest in the brand. They also discuss the importance of isolating creative tests for quicker learning and easier scalability, as well as the benefits of having a variety of creatives in the Advantage Plus campaign for better algorithmic optimization.

10:03

💡 Creative Testing and Campaign Budgeting

The speaker addresses the separation of creative testing from the Advantage Plus campaign for efficiency and data synthesis. They suggest starting with an Advantage Plus campaign for small budgets and only introducing a creative testing campaign as budgets expand. The paragraph also touches on the volatility of Advantage Plus campaigns and the steadier performance of business-as-usual campaigns. Brands with higher budgets may have multiple campaigns for various reasons, including legacy performers and different bidding strategies.

15:04

🛍️ Recommended Creatives for Testing

The final paragraph discusses the types of creatives that brands should test in their campaigns, including feature point out ads, 'versus them' ads, ugly ads, before and afters, user-generated content (UGC), problem-solution ads, founder stories, and testimonial statics. The speaker refutes the myth that before and after ads are not allowed, emphasizing the importance of using genuine user content. They conclude by inviting feedback on the video content and data table presented.

👋 Sign Off and Future Engagement

In a brief closing, the speaker signs off, indicating the next scheduled interaction with the audience will be the following week. This sign-off is a simple and direct way to end the video while maintaining viewer engagement for future content.

Keywords

💡Meta Ads Account

Meta Ads Account refers to an advertising account on Meta Platforms, which includes Facebook and Instagram. In the video, the speaker discusses how to build out an effective Meta Ads account in 2024, emphasizing changes in strategy and the importance of adapting to new trends.

💡Retargeting Campaigns

Retargeting Campaigns are marketing efforts aimed at users who have previously interacted with a brand, such as visiting a website or viewing a product. The speaker mentions that they no longer use retargeting campaigns, indicating a shift in advertising strategy for 2024.

💡Top of Funnel (TOFU)

Top of Funnel (TOFU) refers to the initial stage of the marketing funnel where brands aim to attract a broad audience. The script suggests that interest targeting at this stage is largely a waste of time, indicating a preference for more direct marketing approaches.

💡Middle of Funnel (MOFU)

Middle of Funnel (MOFU) is the stage where potential customers start showing interest in a product or service. Similar to TOFU, the speaker implies that MOFU strategies are not as effective as they once were, suggesting a need for new tactics.

💡Bottom of Funnel (BOFU)

Bottom of Funnel (BOFU) is where potential customers are ready to make a purchase. The video suggests that traditional BOFU strategies are being replaced by more direct campaigns, such as Advantage Plus Shopping campaigns.

💡Advantage Plus Shopping

Advantage Plus Shopping is a campaign type within Meta Ads that focuses on driving sales by targeting users based on their shopping intent. The speaker highlights its importance in the new campaign structure, noting that it acts like a retargeting campaign and is widely used by brands.

💡Campaign Structure

Campaign Structure refers to the organization and hierarchy of advertising campaigns within an account. The video outlines a simplified structure with two core campaigns, emphasizing the need for brands to adapt their structures based on various factors.

💡Creative Testing

Creative Testing involves experimenting with different ad formats and messages to determine which resonates best with the audience. The speaker discusses the importance of isolating creative tests in a separate campaign to gather accurate data and insights.

💡Budget Allocation

Budget Allocation is the process of distributing advertising funds across different campaigns or strategies. The video discusses how budget size can affect campaign structure, especially for brands with lower budgets, suggesting starting with an Advantage Plus campaign.

💡UGC (User-Generated Content)

UGC refers to content created by users rather than the brand, such as reviews or testimonials. The speaker mentions UGC as a powerful creative tool, especially for before-and-after ads, emphasizing its authenticity and effectiveness in advertising.

💡Founder Stories

Founder Stories are personal narratives from the founders of a brand, often used in marketing to create an emotional connection with customers. The script suggests using founder stories in creative testing as they can be highly relatable and persuasive.

Highlights

Building a Meta Ads account in 2024 with a focus on Advantage Plus shopping campaigns.

Elimination of retargeting campaigns due to the effectiveness of Advantage Plus shopping.

Importance of understanding budget and product factors for campaign structure.

Core campaign structure involves just two campaigns: creative testing and Advantage Plus shopping.

Creative testing campaigns should use adset budgeting for each creative test.

Advantage Plus shopping campaigns initially target people with explicit interest, acting like retargeting.

No need to create a Facebook ads funnel; consolidation yields the best results.

Separation of creative testing from Advantage Plus to ensure faster and clearer learnings.

Advantage Plus campaigns perform best with top-performing creatives, not for testing.

Budget considerations: start with Advantage Plus only for small budgets and add creative testing as budgets grow.

Legacy campaigns and multiple creative agencies can result in more than two campaigns.

Testing different bidding options and having different campaigns for various products can be beneficial.

Creative formats that should be tested include features point out ads, versus them ads, and ugly ads.

Before and after ads can be used if they follow Facebook's guidelines, focusing on UGC style and not idealized results.

Other effective creatives include founder stories, testimonial statics, and problem solution style ads.

Transcripts

what's up marketers in today's video I'm

going to show you exactly how I would

build out a meta ads account in 2024 now

I have made several of these videos in

the past you guys love them but a lot

has changed in 2024 like I don't use

retargeting campaigns anymore seriously

tofu mofu and bofu over and look like an

interest targeting is largely a waste of

time for almost all brands and dare I

say Advantage Plus shopping now what I'm

going to be guiding you on today is the

core campaign structure I use for almost

every single brand that I'm working with

your actual structure is going to depend

on a multitude of factors like the

number of products or SKS you have your

budget and candidly your overall

strategy in fact I want to show you

something before we get started before

making this video I actually hopped into

10 brands live ad accounts and analyzed

their monthly budgets the number of

campaigns they had live and whether or

not they were using retargeting in ASC

campaigns I'm going to refer back to to

this table a lot in this video but

suffice it to say that the big trends

were that nearly every single brand was

using Advantage Plus shopping campaigns

and rarely any of them were using

retargeting campaigns and that choice

had almost nothing to do with their

budget big disclaimer of course I don't

agree with all the choices that all the

brands are making inside of these ad

accounts but I thought it would be

really valuable data for you guys to

have while you're trying to weigh what

your accounts structure should actually

look like in 2024 now before we hop into

ads manager and actually look at the

account buildout I want to go over some

prebuild prep these things are super

important for you to iron out before you

actually start building your campaigns

and it's everything that we'll be

covering in today's video now the first

thing we're going to go through is the

core meta ads account structure we're

going to go through your campaign types

an overview and testing and of course

peek Insight of each of those campaigns

so you can see exactly how they're set

up I'm also going to go over budget here

we're going to be looking really closely

at that table and see how your budget

could actually affect the end result of

what your campaign or your account

structure actually looks like and I want

to touch on low budgets and of course

your testing budget and finally of

course I want to address which creatives

you need to be testing in 2024 so let's

go ahead and dive into that meta ads

campaign structure so as you can see

right here we have two campaigns live

yes two campaigns is the new core

account structure for meta ads and you

can see here we have a creative testing

campaign this is going to be a business

as usual conversion or sales to purchase

campaign this is the campaign that is

going to house all of the creative tests

that you're conducting and the way that

I like to conduct creative tests is

using adet budgeting for every single

creative test we're actually going to be

launching that in a net new adet and

giving it its own budget to make sure

that we are actually getting learnings

from every single creative test that

we're running now let's go back here for

a second you can also see we have an

Advantage Plus shopping campaign and

that's it yeah for real there's no

retargeting here and there's a very good

reason for that the reason why is

because the Advantage Plus shopping

campaign honestly acts like a

retargeting campaign especially when you

first launch it meta has even said that

the Advantage Plus shopping campaigns

work on a spectrum of intent and

initially they are actually targeting

people that have an explicit interest in

your product and business and by

explicit interest this means that these

people have indicated that they have an

interest in you in your business so

these are people that are already being

tracked on your pixel that are already

interacting with you on social media so

these are violence the person R

targeting audiences and as you begin to

let your ASC campaign grow in budget and

also just keeping it on longer that is

when the spectrum of intent is going to

move from explicit to implicit so as you

continue getting more data through that

campaign that's when it actually starts

to shift to more colder audiences but as

it stands especially when you first

launch it and in my experience even the

longer you run it it does tend to over

index more on retargeting audiences so

there's no reason for you know as long

as you have an ASC campaign to have

retargeting campaigns now one other

fundamental thing that you need to

understand when building out your core

meta ads account structure is this you

do not need to create a Facebook ads

funnel to be successful in fact this is

probably going to waste a ton of money

especially if you are in direct consumer

or e-commerce and the reason why is

because consolidation really does tend

to yield the best results and what's

interesting actually about that table

that I showed you earlier none of those

Brands were using traffic or engagement

or brand awareness campaigns none of

them even the ones that started off by

just spending $5 K per month none of

them are using those to create a funnel

another common question that I get about

this campaign structure is okay why do I

separate my creative testing from

Advantage Plus can't I just put my new

creatives into the Advantage Plus

campaigns so I want to address that

question head on number one you are

guaranteed by getting learnings in a

certain amount of time if you push

budget to the creative tests when you

have them isolated in sometimes an

advantage plus you're not actually going

to get budget or it's going to take a

long time to get budget so you're not

going to have those learnings and for

many Brands to continue to know what

type of creative they need to make next

they need to get those learnings a lot

quicker also I find that having the

creative testing campaign and isolating

the creative test it makes having the

creative learnings and the data a lot

easier to synthesize and analyze and go

over also I find that it's a really nice

way to begin scaling cuz the idea in

2024 is that your creative does the

targeting so if you are able to isolate

your creatives and if you find Winners

you can continue to increase the budget

in your creative testing campaign while

also then taking that ad creative that

one putting it into your ASC campaign

the ASC campaign kind of becomes like a

super campaign that's taking all your

best creatives and is putting them out

there to the mass Market or in

retargeting right but you're able to do

horizontal scaling and also continuing

to get the great results coming from the

creative testing campaign still so not

throwing anything out that's working if

you want to go into my exact methodology

on Creative testing I do have a new

video that I just recently launched

right here that goes over every single

thing in the creative testing campaign

and how I'm building out those

methodologies now some notes on the

Advantage Plus campaign number one this

tends to work best with the top

performing creatives so I don't find

that it's actually really effective for

doing creative testing and really if you

find that an ad creative is performing

well in your creative testing campaign

you duplicate the ad not the ad set into

Advantage Plus and I found more recently

too that the more options you have in

your Advantage Plus campaign the better

it tends to perform so even if something

doesn't look like it's getting as much

traction just go ahead and leave it on

and allow the algorithm to optimize

really I just like to optimize based on

the budget instead of turning on an off

ad creative unless an ad creative is

really starting to get a CPA that's way

too high and it's not worth it otherwise

I just kind of like to Let It Rock now

as it stands this simp simple campaign

structure you can actually see when I

used to make this video where I had the

retargeting in the scaling campaigns I

don't really have those anymore for the

most part but this core campaign is

really all that you need to get started

so now let's talk about budgets and when

in why you might end up adding new

campaigns Beyond this core structure so

the first thing that I want to address

right now are smaller budgets even if

you have a small budget like 3 Grand to

5 grand a month should you still use

both a test testing campaign in an

Advantage Plus shopping campaign if

absolute efficiency is your number one

goal say you're a small Mom and Pop shop

and you just want to give Facebook ads a

try do you really need to go through the

hassle of having a creative testing

campaign I would actually say go ahead

and start by launching the Advantage

Plus shopping campaign only and go from

there in fact one of the brands that I

took a look at before this they have one

campaign that is an ASC campaign and

interestingly enough these are DPA

catalog ads only and what's really great

about this is they're getting amazing

results from this and it's not really

subjected to creative fatigue and it

requires almost no maintenance on their

part because as they start adding more

products to the catalog they don't

actually have to create new ads on

Facebook ads manager which is awesome so

if I was launching a new ad account for

my own brand I'd actually first start

with an ASC campaign maybe test out a

few different formats in there to get

some learnings and to get some traction

and then as I started to increase my

budgets and increase the amount of

creative that I was testing especially

if I'm testing a new creative I'd say

every week or every other week that's

then when I would start to have the AO

campaign and start creative testing with

a new adset every time I want to test a

New Concept now the reason why I am a

little nervous to tell people just go

all ASC as I have found them to be

pretty volatile especially in the

day-to-day performance sometimes the CPA

will be amazing for a few days in a row

and then we'll have a huge CPA Spike for

a day or two and on the other hand the

more business as usual campaigns or the

create a testing campaigns those can

often be a lot more steady and

consistent but of course this depends

brand to Brand now I want to take

another look back at this table and look

at why many of these brands have more

than two campaigns right CU you're

probably looking at that and you're

confused and you want to make sure that

you're not doing the wrong thing now

number one several of these brands have

Legacy campaigns that have continue to

perform so there's no reason to turn

them off right so maybe they have an old

creative testing campaign that's still

rocking they have an old scaling

campaign that's still doing really well

for them there's no reason to turn

anything off if something is working

even if it falls out of best practices

additionally some of the brands that

have higher budgets are also working

with several different creative agencies

and those creative agencies have their

own testing campaigns now this isn't

really a best practice or a rule of

thumb in fact some of the brands that I

work with that spend a million plus for

a month they actually have all of their

Partners testing creative in the same

Crea testing campaign it's honestly more

or less a decision that's up to the

brand and the agency and I don't see too

many performance fluctuations I

personally like to keep them all in one

creative testing campaign cuz it's a lot

easier for me to synthesize data based

on what's a creative test what's

business as usual are top performing and

then I can build out more detailed

reports in motion based on that some of

these Brands too are testing different

bidding options like bid Caps or cost

caps I don't really have a POV on that

one to be honest everybody else does on

Twitter if you're curious about that

just you know put up the flag and I'm

sure someone will answer you a few of

these Brands too also have different ASC

campaigns for different products like

this apparel brand for instance and for

what it's worth this brand also has a

completely separate ASC campaign for DPA

ads which I see becoming more and more

popular but again for the most part at

the core and also where the brands are

spending the most money tends to be in

the Consolidated top performing ASC

campaigns and their creative testing

campaigns all of the other campaigns

that they have are lower Spenders it's

things that they're testing out or it's

Legacy campaigns that have been doing

well for them for a long time now the

final thing I want to talk about are the

creatives that all brands should be

testing so if you decide okay I'm going

to go ahead and create this campaign

structure what type of creatives should

I go ahead and start launching them in

the creative testing campaign and these

are great for low budgets too so

something like a features point out add

this is something that you know is

really going to be able to Target people

who already have a specific interest in

your product but it's a great way to

highlight hey this is why my product is

potentially better than a competitor

product I also really like having

quotations or Golden Nugget reviews at

the top of these I found that actually

does a lot to increase conversion rates

another really common ad format that I

see great traction coming out of

especially for new brands this is often

times the first creative winner I see

come out for new brands especially

lowbudget brands are the versus them ad

very very traditional type of creative

but it's something that I consider a

must test um and something to consider

too is especially with new brands I find

them to be really nervous about testing

this type of AD creative because they

feel like they're talking down on other

brands don't look at it that way you can

talk about a more General type of them

instead of calling out a specific

competitor um it's really just showing

why your product is better than the

others or better than the other options

out there so I really wish people would

reframe their mind on that ad creative

cuz I'm tired of answering that question

another really easy one cheap as hell to

make are ugly ads you've seen them

everywhere you maybe even converted on

one of these ads these are ad creatives

that heck I even had a client make last

week and it ended up working really well

for them so it's still rocking in 2024

um and different types of ugc ads are

going to be performing really well too

let's take a look um in my creative

testing video I actually gave eight

creative tests I would go ahead and

start off with right here features point

out as them before and afters another

big thing I always hear um from people

too is oh before and after ads aren't

allowed on Facebook ads in 2024 this is

a myth this is a myth this is a myth

Facebook actually has a guide on how to

do it um but what you can't do right is

show before and afters of idealized

results so what they are going to dock

you on is like if you do like a big

photo shoot and it looks like you were

manufacturing the after image right so

that's why you have to use ugc or ugc

style creators to actually show those

before and afters and make sure that

you're not manufacturing or doctoring

those images and you can't really use it

for weight loss or cosmetic procedures

there's a little bit of flexibility

around there and you also don't have to

use the words before and after um

sometimes that gets flagged but if you

appeal it often times it'll go through

but yeah just you know the more you know

ugc problem solution style ads this is

like the bread and butter of ugc

definitely give those a try founder

stories really easy to create and great

if you're a Founder working on a low

budget all you got to do is open up your

phone and honestly just tell your story

of why you created the brand and what

your product is about I often find that

Founders ads work really well because

the founder is often the most connected

to the why someone should buy it maybe

they have a really personal story then

we have testimonial Statics statistic

Statics and they are those ugly ads I

hope that you guys enjoyed this video if

you have any questions or if you like

actually me showing this data table let

me know this is definitely something

that I'm testing out with my content and

uh I'd love to hear feedback from you

guys on that all right I will see you

next week bye