One mantra everyone should live by is to work smarter, not harder. And in 2022, that's easier than ever with the technology we have at our fingertips - particularly as digital marketers. And, when it comes to running ads on Facebook, you should consider working smarter with Facebook automated ads.
Hold up - what are Facebook automated ads, you ask?
This is yet another feature the social media giant has added to its ads manager to streamline the process of ad creation. Not only does this feature help you get more done faster, but it may also increase the performance of your ads when used correctly.
Less work and better results sound great, right?
You're probably chomping at the bit to start learning how to use Facebook automated ads. Don't worry - you're in the right place. In this brief guide, you're going to learn all about Facebook ads automation. You'll discover what it can do for you, how to use it, and more. Let's not waste any more time - we'll begin with a definition of the feature.
What Are Facebook Automated Ads?
First and foremost, what are Facebook automated ads? They're exactly what they sound like - ad campaigns that are generated through AI technology. That's right - Facebook's AI can help you achieve unparalleled efficiency in creating your ads. The process was already streamlined before, but now, it's even better.
This feature is especially important for those who spend hours upon hours in their dashboard duplicating ads and creating AB tests, or for those who struggle to find the right audience or budget for their offer. You can think about Facebook ads automation as gaining insights from Facebook's top advertising experts.
Keep in mind, there is only so much that can be done with this feature. You can't just click a button and generate winning campaigns on autopilot (although we wouldn't be shocked if this was the case in the future). You still need to guide the AI through the process - setting out with the right goals, copy, and design.
Why Use Automated Ads On Facebook?
So - what exactly can automated ads on Facebook do for you? Here are just a few noteworthy features:
- Help you create multiple versions of a given ad (useful for AB tests and optimization)
- Deliver personalized recommendations from the Facebook algorithm for creating ads. This can improve performance. Remember - the algorithm knows your customers better than they know themselves!
- Help you pick the perfect audience targeting and budget. While every advertiser's business and marketing goals differ, the software does a remarkable job with these recommendations in our experience.
- Optimize the manner in which you ad campaign tracking metrics to your campaigns. This makes it easy to assess performance and optimize campaigns.
The software even offers ongoing recommendations to help you optimize your ads over time - not just during the campaign creation process. Pretty sweet, right? But one thing we didn't mention that the feature helps you do? Save more time.
Your time is money. Instead of slaving away in the Facebook ads manager dashboard, you can spend more time on generating creative assets, writing out the copy for future ads, or any other task that your time is better suited towards. Think about automated ads on Facebook as your virtual assistant - specifically for when you create ads and monitor performance.
All things considered, new advertisers and seasoned veterans alike should take a chance on running these types of ads. As a beginner, the software may end up being your best resource. As an expert, you will be surprised at the performance you see through automated Facebook ads. But how do you get started? Let's walk you through it.
How To Make Facebook Automated Ads: Step By Step Guide
Now that you know more about Facebook ads automation, it's the moment you've been waiting for. We're going to teach you how to use Facebook automated ads. As you'll soon discover, it's incredibly simple - as you'd expect from any sort of automation software.
Step 1) Navigate To Your Facebook Page
First things first - you need to get the whole process started. While you may assume the process takes place in your ad manager account, that is not the case. Instead, navigate to your Facebook page. Here, you'll want to click the "promote" button to the right of your menu. Look for the loudspeaker icon if you're struggling to find it.
Step 2) Choose your goal
upon clicking the promote button on your Facebook page, you'll be presented with a goal. These include getting started with Facebook ads automation, getting more visitors to your website, getting more messages/calls/leads, promoting a page, or boosting a Facebook/Instagram post. Starting out, you'll want to click the first option.
Step 3) Tell Facebook About Your Business
once you click "get started with automated ads on Facebook", you'll go through a bit of a survey where the software learns all about your business. Questions range from "do you want people to come to your business location", to "do people buy products on your website?". Basically, the AI is trying to learn how best to build your campaign. You'll also disclose topics here that your audience may be interested in.
Step 4) Create Your Ad Versions
Eventually, the survey will come to a close. Now, it's time to start building your ads with the help of AI. You can choose up to six images to upload as your creative. These can be your own personal images or stock images if you don't have creative assets.
Upon uploading your assets, you'll be taken to the last step in the process: determining what your ads will actually look like. To effectively create ads, you'll want to choose the goal for your ad campaign (leads, bookings, or traffic). You'll be presented with the automation's recommendation for your goal - but you can choose another goal if they miss the mark. Keep in mind that certain goals will feature additional steps. For example - if your goal is to get more leads, you'll be responsible for helping build the contact form.
In terms of actually creating your ads, you can edit just about everything that you'd be able to edit in manual ad creation: including the image, heading, description, and CTA (button). You'll see a preview of your ad throughout this final step for easy tweaking and review.
Step 5) Confirm Your Ad Settings
You've arrived at the last step - you will confirm all the details of your automated Facebook campaigns. That includes a quick double-check of your daily budget. You can adjust the budget as necessary, but Facebook will offer a recommendation. You'll be given insights into how many people your ad may reach here.
If your Facebook advertising efforts fall under a special ad category, you'll be responsible for declaring this information in this step as well. This will limit the interest targeting your ads feature in an effort to prevent discrimination of special categories - like housing, credit, employment, and social issues/politics.
Another thing to check is the targeting - your audience and placements. Facebook ads automation is great because a 'Smart Audience' is built for you. This is the group of people Facebook's AI deems most likely to convert for your intended goal. However, you can edit this as well if necessary to add Facebook detailed targeting expansion, for example. Take a look at the placements the AI recommends too - you can choose whether your ads are shown on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, etc.
Upon final review, it's time for you to click "Promote Now" and start running your campaign. Facebook advertising has never been this simple!
Closing Thoughts On How To Make Facebook Automated Ads
Well, there you have it. Everything you should know about Facebook ads automation. You now know what exactly these are, the possibilities they unlock, and how to make Facebook automated ads. We've walked you through the process step by step - as you can see, it's incredibly intuitive. You can get started today and see the results for yourself.
Keep in mind - these types of ads will rarely outperform a well-thought-out, manually built Facebook CBO. However, if you're strapped for time and just want to dip your toes in the water with Facebook advertising, this is a great approach. If you've just been boosting posts to date, this is a great next step before committing to an entire Facebook advertising campaign. And, it makes it easy to test different ad versions against each other without slaving over the ads manager dashboard.
Want to learn more about building winning campaigns on Facebook, or other digital advertising platforms? Our digital marketing community consists of the internet's most successful entrepreneurs and media buyers, all sharing tips and insights on how you can do the same thing they're doing. The community is a place where you can grow and perfect your craft - with real-world data from those who are actually doing what you want to do. It's an invaluable resource - and you can join the Utopia today and see it firsthand for yourself.