The three levels of a campaign
| Level | What you set |
|---|---|
| Campaign | The objective, such as leads or sales |
| Ad set | Audience, budget, schedule and placements |
| Ad | Images or video, text and the call to action |
Meta offers six objectives. They are awareness, traffic, engagement, leads, app promotion and sales. Pick the one that matches the result you want, since Meta optimizes toward it.
How delivery works
- GoalYou choose leads, sales or another result.
- AudienceYou set a location and broad signals.
- LearningMeta tests who responds to the ads.
- DeliveryAds reach people likely to act.
Meta says an ad set usually leaves the learning phase after about 50 optimization events in a week. Big edits restart learning, so change things in batches.
Where Meta fits for local businesses
- Visual services, like remodeling, landscaping or salons
- Offers and seasonal promotions
- Retargeting people who visited your site
- Building awareness before people need you
Meta ads rarely catch urgent needs. Nobody scrolls Instagram looking for an emergency plumber. Search covers that, and Meta builds demand around it.
Good example. A landscaper runs before-and-after videos to people nearby with a spring design consultation offer. Lead forms collect details.
Bad example. A landscaper boosts a logo image with "Call us today." It gets a few likes and no leads.
Read PPC vs paid social. Our Facebook and Instagram ads management starts at $1,000 a month.