Meta’s making another move to push advertisers further into the arms of artificial intelligence, phasing out manual audience selection in Advantage+ catalog ads.
While many marketers may be feeling a little apprehensive about this change, it’s not the be-all and end-all of Meta Ads. In fact, some may see this change as an opportunity to scale up their paid social strategies without extra resources. Keep reading to learn more about catalog ads, and what you can do to minimise any impact.
What are Advantage+ catalog ads?
Meta’s Avantage+ catalog ads automatically display products from your Facebook catalog on users’ Facebook and Instagram feeds. The products they see are based on their interests, demographics and previous engagement with your brand. Meta has published a how-to guide on catalog ads here.
These ads are ideal for e-commerce businesses that want to promote their products, without having to manage their stock levels and prices manually. As part of Meta’s Advantage+ suite, catalog ads are a way of utilising AI in your paid media strategies while still maintaining elements of control.
What’s changed?
At the end of January, Meta removed manual Audience Types from Advantage+ catalog campaigns. It’s part of the social giant’s push towards automation, claiming that its automated targeting options yield better results.
While this may initially seem limiting to marketers, know that you can still create custom audiences within Advantage+, so you still maintain some control over your campaigns. You’ll still be able to retarget engaged users and decide who can and can’t see your ads. However, this option will not be available in a basic campaign set up.
Why has Meta removed manual Audience Types?
As with any move to automation, AI sceptics may feel that this change is yet another example of relying on artificial intelligence rather than a human mind – and the company’s recent AI push may paint that picture. Social Media Today explains why Meta may feel that making audience types an automated feature will, in theory, benefit us marketers:
This is because an AI system’s job is to process vast amounts of user behavior data in real-time, identifying patterns and connections that human advertisers might miss. The system analyzes user interests, browsing behavior, purchase intent, and past interactions to make more precise targeting decisions.
What do we think?
We use calatog ads for all our e-commerce clients and have seen success as a result. However, our client portfolio spans a variety of sectors, and we know that, when it comes to our paid media strategies, one size rarely fits all.
“Advantage+ catalogue ads are used to deliver product ads to users based on their interests, intent and actions. Meta thinks AI can do it better, but only testing different strategies will give us the real answer,” says our Paid Media expert, Sam Gosling.
Meta is betting big on AI-driven targeting. At Loom, we’re along for the ride, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep our hands on the wheel. Nothing can replace the human touch and we will always be mindful when using artificial intelligence in our work. AI can be a powerful tool if used thoughtfully.
Read our guide on why combining PPC automation with the human touch will drive campaign success.
Navigating the new landscape
So, how should your business respond to this change? As we mentioned earlier, we’re aware that this may seem daunting, but there are a few strategic moves you can make to ensure you’re still reaping the benefits of catalog ads:
- Embrace the tech, but not blindly – make sure that your Meta Pixel and CAPI are properly installed. Good tracking is the foundation of intelligent targeting.
- Set targets – know what you want to achieve when testing different strategies, so you can measure their success.
- Leverage custom audiences – just because the broad targeting options are disappearing doesn’t mean you’re powerless. First-party data and custom audiences are your best friend.
- Measure holistically – the true impact of Meta Ads is more difficult to understand than other channels. Learn how each lever impacts your overall revenue ROAS.
- Stay adaptive – the digital marketing world moves fast. What seems like a limitation today could be tomorrow’s breakthrough strategy.
Making the most of Meta with Loom Digital
Will Meta’s AI targeting improve ad performance? Only time will tell. However, what we do know is that marketers have not surrendered complete control to Meta’s algorithms. By making the most custom audiences, you still have a say in who gets to see your catalog ads.
“Ad platforms continue to shift more and more towards automation but they will struggle to get buy in from advertisers unless they see results. Meta’s AI has its place in a Meta Ads strategy but will have to improve before they see mass adoption from large advertisers.” – Sam Gosling
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your Meta Ads or would like to start incorporating the social platform into your marketing strategy, we’re here to help. Book a call with Tommy today.
