TLDR: Facebook Ads aren’t what they used to be. Meta’s AI now does much of the targeting heavy lifting, which makes it even more important to get the foundations right (Pixel + Conversions API). Brands need to ensure they’re sending accurate, high-quality data into the platform, because the AI can only learn and perform as well as the data it’s fed. Having crystal-clear objectives and focusing your energy on creatives that truly resonate with your audience. Consolidate campaigns, test smartly, watch your data like a hawk, and use your creative as the new targeting
Table of Contents
Before you start
Before you even think about “optimising,” you need to have the basics covered and prepare. No amount of clever copy or creative will save you if you’re missing the basics.
Check your Facebook Pixels
First up: Install the Meta Pixel on your website. This tiny piece of code is what tells Meta who’s visiting, what they’re looking at, and whether they’re buying. Without it, you’re basically throwing darts in the dark.
Set up events
Next, set up standard and custom events. Sure, “Purchase” is important, but you also want to know if people are adding to cart, viewing content, or starting checkout. These are the breadcrumbs that help Meta find more people who’ll actually buy from you.
Make sure you have Conversion API’s
And here’s one many brands still skip, the Conversions API. Since iOS 14, browser tracking has been less reliable. CAPI sends data directly from your server to Meta, meaning you get better tracking, better optimisation, and fewer headaches when your ads don’t seem to “match” your sales numbers.
Find your audience
Finally, knowing your audience, seems like the obvious thing to research, but make sure you know which campaigns should target which section of your audience, this way you’ll get the best results. For top-of-funnel campaigns (awareness and consideration), you can still hand Meta some audience suggestions. But for conversions? The algorithm will do the heavy lifting. These days, your creative is the real targeting.
How to optimise your Facebook Ads campaigns
If you’ve run ads on Facebook for a while, you’ll know the platform we’re working with now is very different from the one we had even two years ago. AI and machine learning now dominate the targeting process. That means the “old school” strategies, things like splitting ad sets into a hundred micro-groups, are outdated. The new best practice? Build strong creative, set the right objectives, and let Meta’s system work for you.
Start with clear objectives
Meta will give you exactly what you ask for, so be careful what you choose. If you tell it you want link clicks, it’ll get you link clicks. They might not be from people likely to buy, but hey, you asked for clicks. If you want sales, optimise for conversions from the start.
Match your campaign objective to where your audience is in the funnel. Awareness? Go for reach or video views. Middle of funnel? Traffic or engagement. Bottom of funnel? Conversions or sales. And don’t forget to define what success looks like, whether that’s ROAS, CPA, or CTR.
Structure your campaigns
Campaign sprawl is a silent budget killer. Too many small campaigns mean none of them have enough data or budget to get out of the learning phase.
Instead, consolidate. Use Campaign Budget Optimisation (CBO) so Meta can send more budget to what’s working, but put a cap on spend for existing customers so you’re still reaching new people. And when you test, you usually set creative or performance rather than splitting hairs over placements or audience types.
Creative is key
If there’s one takeaway from the new Meta era, it’s this: creative is the new targeting. Your ads need to speak directly to your customers’ pain points, desires, and curiosity.
Mix up your formats, images, videos, carousels, collections, but design for mobile-first. That means vertical or square formats, bold visuals, and hooks that grab attention in the first three seconds.
Your copy should be benefit-focused, not just product-focused. Use strong calls-to-action and, where possible, real voices, things like UGC and testimonials work best.
Be smart about placements and budget
Your KPI should guide your placement strategy. For awareness campaigns, it’s worth manually selecting Instagram and Facebook feeds/stories over Audience Network or Messenger. But if you’re running conversions, trust Automatic Placements, Meta will naturally lean toward where your ads perform best.
Start with a budget that’s at least two to three times your CPA goal, and scale gradually. Big jumps can reset the learning phase and tank performance.
Know the value of placements
Meta now lets you tell the platform which placements you value most, like Instagram Stories or specific age groups. But a word of caution: just because you think a placement will perform better doesn’t mean it will, in fact, you might just end up paying more for the same results.
Monitor your metrics
Optimisation isn’t “set it and forget it.” Watch your CTR, if it’s low, your creative or audience may be off. Keep tabs on your CPM, if it’s high, your audience size is smaller. Monitor frequency to spot ad fatigue before it kills your results. Always track ROAS to see if your ads are really making you money, and don’t forget MER to get a full-picture view of efficiency across all channels, not just in-platform metrics.
Use your data to adjust
When something’s not working, don’t keep throwing money at it, pause it. Move budget to what’s performing well. Refresh your creatives every couple of weeks to keep things fresh. And if your relevance scores or engagement drop, adjust your targeting or creative accordingly.
Learn when to retarget
Bring warm audiences back into the fold when you’re ready. This could be a new season collection or an exclusive offer. Use your website visitors, add-to-cart-but-no-purchase shoppers, or people who’ve engaged with your Instagram. Dynamic product ads are perfect for this if you’re in eCommerce. And don’t forget to sequence your content so people see different messages at different stages of the funnel.
Review, iterate, repeat
Make weekly performance reviews a habit. Plan out what you’ll test next, new creatives, new offers, or maybe a slightly different campaign objective. Facebook Ads change constantly, so the brands that keep refreshing their campaigns with their audience in mind are the ones that win.
The bottom line
Meta’s platform has changed, and with it, so have the rules of the game. If you’re still running ads like it’s 2019, you’re leaving money on the table. Today, the real magic happens when you:
- Nail your foundations (Pixel + CAPI + events).
- Build smart, consolidated campaigns.
- Let AI do the targeting, but feed it with great creative.
- Keep testing, learning, and refreshing.
Creative is no longer just “part” of your ads, it is your targeting. So put in the time to craft stories, visuals, and copy that truly connect. Your results will thank you. For more information on how you can ensure that you have the right support when optimising your Meta ads, contact the team at Modo25, send us an email at team@modo25.com.
