Meta Digital Advertising - Part 2

Meta Digital Advertising Guide Part 2

Now that you’ve laid the groundwork, set up your Meta Business Account, connected your Facebook Page and Instagram Profile, installed the Meta Pixel and defined your audiences. It’s time for the fun part: building a live ad campaign.

You’ll use Meta’s Ads Manager, which gives you full control over objectives, budgets, targeting and creative.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or just refreshing your skills, this guide will walk you through every click. By the end, you’ll have a lead or sales focused

campaign live on both Facebook and Instagram.

Why Ads Manager?

While you can boost posts with a couple of taps, Ads Manager is where the real power lives. It lets you:

• Choose precise business objectives (leads, sales, app installs, etc.)

• Control your budget, schedule, and placements

• Split-test multiple audiences, creatives, and bid strategies

• See all your campaigns, ad sets and ads in one dashboard

• Optimize dynamically as performance data arrives

1. Accessing Ads Manager

1. Log in to your Meta Business Suite. (business.facebook.com)

2. Click “All tools” in the left-hand menu, then select “Ads Manager.”

3. You’ll arrive at your account overview, where you can see any existing campaigns or click “+ Create” to launch a new one.

   
   

2. Understanding the Ads Hierarchy

Every Facebook/Instagram ad setup has three nested levels:

Level	What It Controls
Campaign	Objective & buying type (auction vs. reservation)
Ad Set	Budget, schedule, audience targeting, placements
Ad	Creative: image/video, headline, text, call-to-action

You’ll always start at the Campaign level, then drill down to Ad Sets and Ads.

3. Campaign Creation: Step-by-Step

a) Click + Create

Choose “Create New Campaign” to open the setup wizard.

b) Buying Type: Always Use Auction

Auction (default) pits you against other advertisers and optimizes cost-per-result dynamically.– Reservation locks in a CPM but can lead to wasted impressions.

c) Campaign Objective: The Single Most Important Setting

Your campaign objective tells Meta exactly what action to optimize for. Getting this right is critical.

Objective	When to Choose
Sales	You have an ecommerce checkout or direct-to-cart purchase flow
Leads	You need email signups, contact forms, appointments
Traffic	You want clicks to blog posts or landing pages (not ideal for sales)
Engagement	Boosts likes/comments/shares (not ideal for direct ROI)
Awareness	Huge brands focusing on reach (rare for SMBs)

Beginners: pick Leads (inquiry forms, Messenger/WhatsApp) or Sales.

d) Campaign Type: Manual Campaign

Meta’s “automated” or “tailored” campaigns hide many controls. For learning and maximum flexibility, select Manual.

e) Name & Special Categories

Give your campaign a clear name (e.g., “Jan 2025 Lead Gen – SMB Owners”).– If you’re in Housing, Employment, Credit or Politics, declare the Special Ad Category to avoid account restrictions.

f) Budgeting & Testing

Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO) can simplify budgets across ad sets but keep it off if you’re learning.– Campaign Spending Limit is optional but helpful to avoid surprises.– Skip AB Testing for now—focus on mastering one campaign at a time.

4. Building Your Ad Sets

Once your campaign shell is ready:

1. Name your Ad Set (e.g., “The Best Ad Set Ever”)

2. Budget & Schedule

   • Daily vs. Lifetime: Daily gives steady pacing; Lifetime lets Meta spend more flexibly over your full window.

   • Start/End dates: Set a clear launch and wrap-up time.

3. Audience Targeting

   • Saved Audiences: demographic, interest and behavior filters.

   • Custom Audiences: website visitors (via Pixel), email lists, app users.

   • Lookalike Audiences: Meta finds new users who resemble your best customers.

4. Placements

   • For full control, choose Manual placements. Deselect any feeds you don’t want (e.g., Messenger if it’s not part of your plan).

   • Automatic placements can work, but manual ensures you know exactly where your ads run.

5. Designing High-Impact Ads

Within each Ad Set you’ll create one or more Ads—the actual creative units your audience sees.

1. Format:

   • Single Image or Video

   • Carousel (multiple images/cards)

   • Collection (instant shopping experiences)

2. Media:

   • Use high-resolution images/videos.

   • Stick to your brand colors and fonts.

3. Primary Text & Headline:

   • Keep your main message above the “See More” fold.

   • Headlines should be clear, benefit-driven and under 40 characters.

4. Call-to-Action (CTA):

   • Choose “Learn More,” “Sign Up,” “Shop Now,” etc., to match your objective.

5. URL & Pixel Setup:

   • Link directly to your lead form or product page.

   • Ensure your Meta Pixel parameters (e.g., Purchase, Lead) match your campaign objective.

6. Ad Name:

   • Use a naming convention that captures key variables (e.g., “IMG1_Product_Hype”).

   
   

6. Review & Publish

Before hitting Publish:

• Double-check your budget and schedule

• Ensure correct attribution of Pixel events

• Verify targeting segments

• Preview each creative format and placement

Once live, your ads will typically enter a short review period (minutes to a couple of hours). Meta will notify you of approval or any disapprovals.

7. Next Steps: Monitor, Learn & Optimize

Your work has just begun. In Part 3 of our series, we’ll cover:

• Key Metrics to Watch: CPC, CPM, Cost Per Lead or Sale

• Optimization Tactics: Budget shifts, creative swaps and audience refinements

• Scaling Strategies: When—and how—to increase spend without hurting performance

Pro Tip: Check your Ads Manager dashboard every 24–48 hours. Early data helps catch broken links, faulty creatives, or underperforming audiences before budgets run away.

Ready To Launch?

You now have a fully operational lead- or sales-focused campaign in Meta Ads Manager. Give it 48–72 hours to gather meaningful data, and then dive into Part 3 to supercharge your results.

Stay tuned and happy advertising!

The Evanam Team