The Best Facebook Ads Strategy for 2026 (Post Andromeda)

Understanding the Impact of Meta's Andromeda Update

Initial Reactions to the Andromeda Update

• Following the release of Meta's Andromeda update, many advertisers reported a significant drop in their return on ad spend (ROAS), with some seeing declines from high multiples down to barely breaking even.

• Despite widespread concern among tens of thousands of advertisers, adapting to these changes can provide a competitive advantage.

Strategies for Ad Success Post-Andromeda

• The transition from traditional audience selection to concept-driven audience creation is crucial. Advertisers must adapt their strategies accordingly.

• It's essential to develop multiple creative concepts that can perform differently; this allows for better optimization and understanding of what works best.

Setting Up Your First Ad Campaign

• For beginners, starting with a single prospecting campaign featuring three ad sets is recommended: one broad ad set and two interest-based ad sets.

• The broad ad set should target a wide audience while the interest groups should focus on niche brands relevant to your business.

Optimizing Campaign Performance

• Allow the pixel time to learn; it may take longer initially but will yield better results once optimized.

• Use campaign budget optimization (CBO), focusing on maximizing conversions rather than other metrics like add-to-carts or checkouts.

Key Settings for Effective Advertising

• Ensure conversion events are set correctly—always prioritize purchases as the main goal over less effective actions.

• In your broad pack settings, keep targeting broad without exclusions initially, allowing Facebook’s algorithm flexibility in finding potential customers.

Analyzing Competitor Strategies

• Monitor competitors' ads for inspiration and adapt successful elements into your own campaigns while adding unique touches.

Change in Prospecting Strategy

New Campaign for Existing Customers

• A new campaign targeting existing customers has been introduced to prevent Facebook from overspending on them.

• The goal is to separate prospecting (new acquisition) from retention efforts, ensuring clarity in marketing strategies.

Retention Campaign Setup

• In the ad set, maintain previous settings but focus on including purchasers from the last 180 days and any all-time lists.

• Avoid using the "use as a suggestion" option to ensure ads target only specified audiences without expansion by Facebook.

Limiting Ad Reach

• It's crucial to select "further limit the reach of your ads" to keep campaigns focused and effective.

• During this phase, aim to optimize creatives by producing more iterations of top-performing ads.

Introduction of the Pack System

Importance of Organization

• The pack system helps organize campaigns while allowing Facebook's algorithm to function effectively with a mix of control.

Launching New Creatives

• Each time new creatives are launched, they should be placed into a new pack without resetting learnings at higher levels.

Managing Ad Sets Effectively

• By introducing new packs, Facebook can allocate budget based on performance without manual intervention or pausing ads.

Scaling Mechanism Implementation

Graduating Top Performing Ads

• Successful ads are moved into a "winners' bucket," which serves as a holding area for high-performing creatives.

Testing Interest Groups Separately

• Graduated winners are tested within interest groups separately from creative variables to accurately assess performance.

Campaign Strategies for New Customer Acquisition

Broad Campaign Structure

• The speaker describes a broad campaign strategy, labeling it as "scale," where all ads are placed in one ad set to maximize spending on top-performing ads.

• Existing customers are excluded from targeting to focus solely on acquiring new customers.

The Messy Middle: Challenges in Spending

• The "messy middle" refers to the $10,000 to $30,000 spending range where brands often struggle with mental and financial roadblocks.

• Brands may hesitate to spend over $1,000 daily due to perceived risks, leading to overspending on existing audiences instead of focusing on new customer acquisition.

Importance of Targeting New Customers

• Emphasis is placed on ensuring that advertising efforts prioritize reaching pure prospects who have not previously engaged with the brand.

• The speaker invites brands within the $20K/month revenue range to apply for assistance through their agency, Moonlighters.

Scaling Beyond $30K: Fluidity in Budgeting

• Once spending exceeds $30K, accounts can grow rapidly; budgets may fluctuate significantly based on performance metrics.

• Maintaining a prospecting CBO (Campaign Budget Optimization) system is crucial during this phase while introducing retargeting strategies.

Retargeting Strategies and CBO Roadblocks

• Retargeting becomes essential as spending increases; recommended strategies include targeting add-to-cart users and site visitors within specific time frames.

• A common issue arises when one ad set consumes most of the budget; setting ad set spending limits can help distribute funds more evenly across campaigns.

Managing Ad Set Spending Limits

• To address CBO roadblocks, adjust ad set spending limits by switching from percentage-based to dollar value settings based on target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition).

• If an ad set consistently meets or exceeds its minimum spend without scaling effectively, it may need reevaluation or removal of limits.

Insights for High-Spending Brands

• For brands spending over $100K monthly, perceptions of scale differ significantly compared to lower budgets; understanding percentage growth versus absolute numbers is key.

• As creative assets increase at higher spend levels, strategic adjustments become necessary for effective campaign management.

How Much Creative Do You Need for Advertising Growth?

The Rule of 10,000

• For every $10,000 spent monthly on advertising, upload an equivalent number of ads weekly. For instance, spending $100,000 means uploading 10 ads per week.

• This rule does not account for size variations or minor iterations; it emphasizes the need for distinct ad creatives.

Managing Larger Ad Accounts

• As ad accounts grow beyond $100K in spend, additional strategies must be considered to maintain effectiveness and performance.

• Implement cost caps and bid caps to sustain return on ad spend (ROAS) and manage cost per acquisition effectively.

Optimizing Ad Spend Timing

• Utilize day parting and week parting strategies by analyzing which days yield better performance; allocate more budget to those high-performing days.

• Check Shopify data to ensure spending aligns with peak performance days for potential improvements in overall campaign effectiveness.

Incremental Attribution Insights

• Transition from traditional attribution models (like 7-day click or one-day view) to incremental attribution to capture the true impact of Facebook advertising.

• Understanding the halo effect from referrals and word-of-mouth is crucial as businesses scale their advertising efforts.

Additional Resources

• A comprehensive guide detailing these strategies is available through a link in the description, including flowcharts and implementation steps.