Meta Ads 101

So, you’ve got the green light to run a Meta ad—awesome! Whether you're looking to boost a message, drive traffic to your website, or generate leads, setting up a Meta ad can feel a little overwhelming at first. But it doesn’t have to be! Below, we will walk you through the basics of how Meta ads are structured, what each part does, and how to get started without overcomplicating things. Ready? Let’s-a-go (said in our best Mario impression).

Organic vs Paid…What’s the Difference?

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Organic Social Posts

Organic social media is like making a homemade sourdough starter—it takes patience, consistency, and sometimes, a little luck. You’re relying on engagement, shares, and the ever-changing algorithm to get your content seen by your audience for free (ya know, besides the time it takes to strategize and create it 😉). It’s essential for long-term brand building, creating community, and showing off your brand’s personality.

Paid Ads

Paid ads, on the other hand, are like DoorDashing that artisan sourdough straight to your doorstep—faster, more direct, and you get exactly what you’re paying for. With paid Meta ads (sometimes called PPC ads), you can put your content in front of a specific audience based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and more. Essentially, paid ads help you reach a wider audience in less time than organic posts alone

By Their Powers Combined…

Here’s the real tea: both organic and paid ads matter. In fact, they work best when they work together. Your organic presence builds trust and keeps your audience engaged, while paid ads amplify your reach and bring in fresh leads. It’s a dynamic duo—like peanut butter and jelly, Lorelai and Rory, or mac and cheese.

Meta Ad Hierarchy 

Okay, you’ve got your ad account set up (honestly, that’s a whole ‘nother blog; let us know if you need help). Now, let’s break down the basic structure of a Meta ad campaign. Each campaign has three layers: the campaign, the ad set(s), and the ad(s) itself. And because we love a good food analogy, let’s think of these layers as a pizza.

Campaign = Crust

The foundation of any Meta ad campaign is the campaign itself—aka the crust. This is where you set your objective (a fancy way of saying what you want the ad to do) and your budget (psst, you can do this either at the campaign level or within ad sets, but only one option is possible).

Ad Objective Cheat Sheet:

🍕 Awareness: Attract new people who’ve never heard of you
🍕 Traffic: Drive visitors to your website
🍕 Engagement: Encourage more likes, comments, and shares
🍕 Leads: Capture potential customers’ contact info

Ad Set = Cheese & Sauce

Once the crust is set, it’s time to add some basics—because plain bread is just sad. This is where you define your target audience, schedule, budget (if not set at the campaign level), and ad placements (where your ad will appear).

Think of ad sets like different types of cheese—some campaigns need multiple ad sets to test different audiences or timelines, while others can keep it simple with just one.

Ad = Toppings

Now that we technically have a pizza, it’s time to make it delicious. This is where you plug in your ad creative, copy, and destination (where people go when they click) inside each individual ad set. Here’s a little cheat sheet on what all of those different text placements actually look like on an ad:

Meta Ad Anatomy 

Some Quick Tips

• Start Small: Begin with a modest budget to test what works before going all in.
• Focus on Local: For brick-and-mortar businesses, geo-targeting helps reach nearby customers.
• Push What’s Working: Identify high-performing organic posts and amplify them.
• Test Test Test: Utilize analytics to refine your strategy.
• Rotate Content: Swap out images, copy, or targeting every few weeks to avoid ad fatigue.

Meta ads can be a game-changer for your brand, but like any good marketing strategy, they work best when you approach them with intention (and maybe a snack, since all this pizza talk probably made you hungry). Whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up, we’d love to strategize with you to set up ads that actually get results—without just blindly throwing money at the platform. 

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