{"id":2931,"date":"2018-03-21T08:21:49","date_gmt":"2018-03-21T08:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/karolakarlson.com\/?p=2931"},"modified":"2019-09-29T16:07:09","modified_gmt":"2019-09-29T16:07:09","slug":"facebook-ads-optimization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/karolakarlson.com\/ro\/facebook-ads-optimization\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Facebook Ad Optimization Hack is… No Optimization"},"content":{"rendered":"

Facebook ads optimization hacks are a topic cherished by marketing blogs \u2013 they look highly practical and actionable.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Campaign optimizations hacks like \u201cA\/B test a lot of different ads\u201d or \u201cset up a custom ad delivery schedule\u201d sound awesome in theory, but do they really work in practice?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As someone who has managed hundreds of Facebook ad campaigns, my answer is \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or rather, \u201cnot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where this article is coming from, intended as\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. A rant about micro-level ad optimization<\/strong> (from a previous advocate of such a practice)<\/li>\n
  2. A comforting guide<\/strong> to any marketer thinking that they\u2019re not optimizing their campaigns enough (success lies elsewhere than optimization)<\/li>\n
  3. A warning sign<\/strong> to marketers who are overthinking their Facebook campaigns (to the extent that might ruin your campaign\u2019s success)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    But first, let\u2019s make one thing clear…<\/p>\n

    I\u2019m guilty as hell of promoting micro-level Facebook ad optimization.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I\u2019ve written on this topic for a handful of business blogs, including Entrepreneur<\/a>, Content Marketing Institute<\/a>, AdEspresso<\/a>, KlientBoos<\/a>t. The top Google Search results for \u201cfacebook ads optimization\u201d are the cherries on top of my Facebook ads optimization articles cake.<\/p>\n

    \"facebook
    I’ve got a lengthy history with Facebook ad hacks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The logical question to follow is\u2026 Are all these articles BS?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    That\u2019s not true either.<\/p>\n

    There\u2019s the right place and time for each and every of those Facebook ad hacks.<\/p>\n

    Thing is, all Facebook ad hacks are not relevant to ALL campaigns.<\/p>\n

    How over-optimization may damage your Facebook campaigns<\/h2>\n

    To make things a bit clearer, here\u2019s a list of popular Facebook ad optimization hacks that marketing blogs suggest:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Set up a custom ad schedule,<\/strong> e.g. show your ads only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5pm to 10pm.<\/li>\n
    2. Optimize your ad placement,<\/strong> e.g. let Facebook show your ads only on desktop or mobile, or remove the Audience Network placement.<\/li>\n
    3. A\/B test your ad ideas,<\/strong> e.g. first test 10 different ad variations and later use the best-performing one.<\/li>\n
    4. Set up many different Custom Audiences,<\/strong> e.g. target people who are on your email lists.<\/li>\n
    5. Create Lookalike Audiences<\/strong> who are similar to your existing clients.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      There are so many more of those! These three I found from a Social Media Examiner<\/a> article that\u2019s also a top Google Search result on the topic.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Set up a sales funnel<\/strong> and create a different campaign and messaging for prospects, clients, retargeting audiences, etc.<\/li>\n
      2. Monitor your ad frequency<\/strong> and when you see the frequency exceed 1.7, you better be careful!<\/li>\n
      3. Select the right bidding option,<\/strong> e.g. optimize for Link Clicks at the beginning of your campaign, then switch to Conversions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Every time I read about such hacks I\u2019m thinking \u201cOMG I have to try them!\u201d<\/p>\n

        \"optimizing
        Just take my money, I\u2019ve got to try this new hack \u2013 Image source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        And, well\u2026 I have<\/i> tried them \u2013 tens of different optimization hacks.<\/p>\n

        Do they work?<\/p>\n

        Yes and no.<\/p>\n

        Sometimes, no optimization is better than over-optimization<\/h2>\n

        Here\u2019s the caveat \u2013 many Facebook ad optimization hacks are relevant only to high-volume campaigns.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        In some respects, it would make sense that if you\u2019re running a low-budget Facebook ad campaign, you need to save more money and optimize more.<\/p>\n

        That\u2019s when over-optimization happens.<\/p>\n

        If you apply 10 different Facebook ad hacks to a campaign with a $100 – $1000 budget, you\u2019re probably going to damage your campaign\u2019s delivery and results.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Why?<\/p>\n

        Because you\u2019re limiting your ad delivery to a way-too-small audience or ruling out potentially good ad placements.<\/p>\n

        \"Over-optimization\"
        Over-optimization limits your ad campaign’s reach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        Also, you\u2019re likely to make frequent changes while optimizing your campaign (more than one change per every 24h) that are impairing the work of Facebook\u2019s auto-optimization algorithms.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Not good.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        So what is the silver bullet here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

        A year ago, I would never have thought I\u2019d come to saying this, but\u2026<\/p>\n

        You should test running a campaign without using any optimization hacks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Just test it for once.<\/p>\n

        Also, whenever you\u2019re unsure what an optimization hack is meant for, don\u2019t apply it to your campaign.<\/p>\n

        \"Just
        Just keep it simple \u2013 Image source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        And while you\u2019re not getting worked up about small things like which call-to-action buttons to test or which campaign placements to use, you\u2019re going to save a lot of time!<\/p>\n

        The time you\u2019re going to spare by not puzzling about campaign optimization, can be put into a lot better use.<\/p>\n

        Here are the two TRULY MAGICAL TRICKS that will make your ad campaign perform better than any micro-level optimization hack:<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Figure out your product\u2019s unique selling proposition (USP)<\/strong><\/li>\n
        2. Create 2-3 (not 10) high-quality ad images<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Believe me, both of these are easier said than done.<\/p>\n

          Figuring out your USP is a difficult task in today\u2019s competition-heavy business world. The advertising legend David Ogilvy had some pretty good suggestions on this topic<\/a> up his sleeve.<\/p>\n

          Regarding high-quality ad images, you can start by learning what\u2019s working for other brands and gathering inspiration. Also, I suggest that you read this article about top Facebook ad design hacks<\/a>. For inspiration, check out these Facebook<\/a> and Instagram ad examples<\/a>.<\/p>\n

          ! No Facebook ad optimization hack is going to make your campaign succeed if you have boring ad messages and your images fail to catch attention.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Focus on initial campaign setup rather than optimization<\/h2>\n

          The key to successful Facebook campaigns lies in well-done homework.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Before you go to the Facebook Ads Manager to set up your campaign, figure out what your campaign\u2019s goals<\/a> are.<\/p>\n

          Do you want to increase brand awareness or boost sales? Who is your most potential target audience? And so on\u2026<\/p>\n

          Based on your campaign goals, you will know what kind of messaging and campaign objectives to use. <\/strong><\/p>\n

          For example, if your goal is to get mobile app installs, you should use Facebook Mobile App Installs<\/a> campaign objective.<\/p>\n

          I have explained my recommended Facebook campaign setup process in this article<\/a>. Just a few key takeaways that you should keep in mind:<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Spend at least $100-$200 per every new campaign \u2013<\/strong> for less, Facebook auto-optimization algorithms won\u2019t be able to optimize your ad delivery.<\/li>\n
          2. Set up a single<\/i> ad campaign with a single<\/i> ad set and 1-3 ads<\/strong> while resisting the urge to fragment your campaigns into scattered low-budget ad sets.<\/li>\n
          3. Don\u2019t A\/B test too many elements at once \u2013<\/strong> you won\u2019t have enough results to conclude the test. Here\u2019s my guide to Facebook ad A\/B testing<\/a>.<\/li>\n
          4. Don\u2019t worry too much about the ad placements<\/strong>, custom delivery schedule, and manual bidding. Use Facebook\u2019s default settings for all these things.<\/li>\n
          5. Set up Facebook Pixel<\/strong> to track your campaign\u2019s results and set up Facebook retargeting campaigns<\/a>. IT\u2019S A MUST-HAVE!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Once you\u2019ve hit the \u201cPublish\u201d button, let your Facebook campaign run for at least 6h before making any conclusions.<\/strong> (In the perfect world, you\u2019d let it run for at least 24h, but you probably can\u2019t make yourself wait that long)<\/p>\n

            Optimizing you Facebook ads based on results<\/h2>\n

            When it comes to optimizing your Facebook ads after <\/i>publishing your ad campaign, it\u2019s a whole different story.<\/strong><\/p>\n

            Naturally, you should keep your eye on campaign results and if you don\u2019t like what you\u2019re seeing, take action.<\/p>\n

            In addition to other ad metrics that you consider important, you should definitely measure the COST-PER-RESULT. This is the one KPI that will tell you if you campaign\u2019s doing well or not.<\/p>\n

            (I am not going to explain in this article how to save a badly performing campaign. But it\u2019s for sure a topic I\u2019d like to cover in the future.)<\/p>\n

            Ok\u2026 But returning to the discussion over Facebook ads optimization, there\u2019s one last question I\u2019d like to answer.<\/p>\n

            What about third-party Facebook advertising tools?<\/h2>\n

            Today, there\u2019s a software tool for everything, especially in the profitable industry that is Facebook advertising.<\/p>\n

            These tools are meant to help you with campaign setup and ads optimization.<\/p>\n

            \"\"<\/p>\n

            Facebook ads management tool \u2013 Image source<\/a><\/p>\n

            Should you use a third-party Facebook advertising tool such as AdEspresso<\/a> or Smartly<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

            The answer is a big \u201cno.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

            If you come to think of it\u2026<\/p>\n