Facebook Ads
TikTok Ads
Shopify
Why What Worked in 2022 May No Longer Work
Do not automatically copy structures that worked in previous years. Meta frequently changes products, available signals and delivery, and the right decision depends on the account.
More automation in delivery
Meta has shifted towards Advantage+, broad targeting and CBO. Highly granular manual audiences can unnecessarily constrain delivery; assess whether that control is useful in your account.
iOS 14+ changed attribution
Reported data can include modelling and will differ from ecommerce-platform figures. Cross-check Ads Manager ROAS with the business source before making decisions.
Costs vary
CPM and acquisition cost vary by industry, season, audience, offer and competition. Compare equal periods and do not treat a general benchmark as an account target.
Correct Tracking Before Anything Else
A major mistake in accounts we audit is optimising campaigns using incomplete or incorrect data. Decisions then lack a reliable view of what is happening.
Conversions API (CAPI): an important measurement component in 2026
Browser tracking can be incomplete because of consent, browser restrictions and implementation. Measure the gap for each project.
CAPI can supplement browser signals. Validate consent, parameters, deduplication and consistency with the business source of truth.
Event Match Quality: Why It Matters
EMQ describes the quality of available matching parameters for an event. Interpret it alongside consent, event type and data legitimately supplied by users.
Hashed email + phone
Send permitted, available matching data with server-side events where appropriate. This can improve matching quality.
fbp and fbc parameters
Meta cookie and click identifiers, where legitimately available, can help match server-side events to users.
Consistent external_id
A consistent unique user ID across events can support matching, subject to appropriate permissions and data handling.
GA4 + GTM: A Second Layer of Verification
Do not rely solely on Meta data for budget decisions. If Meta reports ROAS 15Γ and GA4 8Γ, do not simply choose the better number. Investigate the difference.
Account Structure in 2026: Less Fragmentation, More Useful Data
A structure with many ad sets, finely segmented manual audiences and separate small budgets can fragment conversion data, leaving each ad set with too few signals for useful optimisation.
A structure to evaluate
Campaign 1: Advantage+ Shopping (ASC)
For a product catalogue, the source proposes ASC as a starting point, using automated targeting, placements and optimisation. Its suggested Existing Customer Budget Cap of up to 30% requires checking against current account controls and the new-customer objective.
Campaign 2: Manual Retargeting
Example windows: visitors over 30 days, add-to-cart over 14 days and checkout starters over 7 days, excluding buyers. Messages can address the viewed product directly.
Campaign 3: Test Layer
A small fixed budget, for example 10β15% of total spend, dedicated to new creative, messaging angles and formats. Winning tests can move into main or retargeting campaigns; unsuccessful tests are stopped and replaced.
Creative: A Competitive Advantage to Test
Targeting and bidding are increasingly automated. Advertisers share the same platform, while distinctive creative can provide differentiation.
The Hook: The First 3 Seconds Matter
On mobile, users quickly decide whether to stop scrolling. A strong opening helps earn attention before presenting the product.
Creative Refresh: Why Performance Can Stall
Creative fatigue may appear when frequency, costs and audience response deteriorate together. There is no universal threshold; use account history and audience size.
Scaling: Where Mistakes Happen
Scaling is more than doubling the budget overnight. Large changes can disrupt delivery and need to be evaluated against account conditions.
Vertical Scaling: Budget on the Same Campaign
The source suggests increases of 20β30% every 3β5 days when performance is stable. Treat that as a testable example, not a platform rule. With CBO, adjust the campaign-level budget.
You can test scaling when
- Business results are stable over a relevant window
- Margin and stock allow additional volume
- Acquisition cost remains within the approved limit
- Measurement is reconciled
Stop increasing when
- Business results deteriorate
- Audience or creative shows saturation
- Costs rise without confirmed incremental revenue
- The campaign gathers insufficient signals
Horizontal Scaling: New Campaigns
When a structure is profitable and stable, test expansion with a controlled budget and distinct objective, such as a new creative angle or product segment. A new campaign has its own learning stage, whether duplicated or created manually.
Offer Strategy: Getting More from the Same Budget
The offer is often overlooked in Meta Ads optimisation: the value proposition communicated by the ad, beyond a discount.
Free shipping above a threshold
Test free shipping against an equivalent percentage discount. The perceived benefit can differ, but superiority is not universal.
Bundles with high perceived value
Main product + complementary product + free shipping at the same price. Perceived value increases while price stays unchanged; verify the margin.
Real urgency, not fabricated urgency
An automatically renewed "offer expires in 24 hours" damages credibility. False urgency erodes brand trust.
A guarantee to reduce perceived risk
"30-day returns, no questions asked" addresses purchase concerns. On expensive products it may be more valuable than a 15% discount; use only terms the business actually honours.
Seasonality: Planning the Budget Across the Year
Black Friday is an event. Strategy also covers the other 11 months.
7 Mistakes That Waste Budget
Across hundreds of account audits, we see these recurring patterns:
Metrics That Matter Versus Noise
ROAS alone is insufficient and can be misleading.
MER: Marketing Efficiency Ratio
Total Revenue / Total Ad Spend across all channels. If you spend RON 10,000 on Meta + RON 5,000 on Google and record RON 150,000 total revenue, MER is 10Γ. It is a whole-business efficiency measure, not proof of profit or ad incrementality.
New Customer Acquisition Cost
What it costs to acquire a NEW customer, rather than a sale. Heavy retargeting of existing customers can show high ROAS without equivalent new-customer growth.
LTV / CAC ratio
Customer lifetime value compared with acquisition cost. Sustainability depends on margin, returns, repeat purchasing and payback time; there is no universal healthy ratio. The source flags below 2:1 as a potential fragility signal, which still requires business context.
A 30-Minute Account Audit
Run this audit before changing the account. Click each item to tick it.