Mastering Meta Ads: Best Practices for Advantage+ Campaigns

If you're managing paid ads on Facebook or Instagram, you’ve probably heard of Meta's Advantage+ features. These powerful tools use AI and machine learning to automate and optimise your campaigns for better results, but only if you set them up right.

In this post, we’re walking through Meta Ads best practices for:

• Advantage+ Audience
• Advantage+ Placements
• Advantage Campaign Budget
• Creative Optimisation using Advantage+ Creative

Whether you're running Meta Ads for your own business or clients, these tips will help reduce cost per result and improve performance.

1. Advantage+ Audience: Go Broad, Let the AI Work

When using Advantage+ Audience targeting, the goal is to let Meta’s machine learning find the best people to show your ads to.

Best Practices:

• Target at least 2 million people: Meta performs best when it has a large dataset to optimise from. A broad audience = better data.
• Keep targeting minimal: Only set age, gender, and location. Avoid overly detailed interests or behaviours — the system works better with fewer restrictions.
• Avoid overlapping ad sets: If you’re running multiple campaigns with similar targeting, combine them into one ad set with a bigger budget. This helps avoid internal competition and wasted spend.

2. Advantage+ Placements: Let Meta Choose Where to Show Your Ads

Instead of picking and choosing where your ads appear, Advantage+ Placements lets Meta optimise placements across its entire network — Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network.

Best Practices:

• Use Advantage+ or select 6+ placements manually to give the system flexibility.
• More placements = more potential impressions at a lower cost.
• Check Ads Manager: Make sure all ad sets are using Advantage+ placements, or a broad enough range, to maximise efficiency.

Remember: You’re not just buying ad space — you’re buying results. Letting Meta choose placements often leads to cheaper conversions and wider reach.

3. Advantage Campaign Budget: Smarter Budgeting with AI

Advantage Campaign Budget (previously Campaign Budget Optimisation or CBO) uses AI to shift your budget across ad sets based on what’s working best.

Best Practices:

• Use auto-bid to let Meta find the lowest cost per result.
• Avoid setting tiny budgets across multiple ad sets. Fewer, consolidated ad sets = more data for the system to optimise with.
• Let the algorithm seek the highest value conversions across your entire campaign.

This tool simplifies budget management and helps you get more from every dollar spent — especially if you're running multiple creative angles or targeting strategies.

4. Creative Optimisation: Use Advantage+ Creative Enhancements

Meta’s machine learning doesn’t stop at audiences and budgets — it can now automatically enhance your ad creatives for better performance.

Best Practices:

• Turn on Advantage+ Creative Enhancements: This adds things like subtle animations, background changes, or formatting tweaks that increase engagement — all done automatically.
• Use both static and video in the same ad set. This mix helps avoid creative fatigue and caters to different audience behaviours.
• Include 3–5 creative assets per ad set to give the algorithm options.
• Use vertical formats (1:1, 4:5, or 9:16) to make the most of placements like Stories and Reels.

Pro Tip: If you’re already doing content shoots, film vertical and horizontal versions of your videos to maximise placement options.

Final Thoughts

Meta’s Advantage+ tools are designed to do the heavy lifting — but they need the right structure to work effectively.

If you want:

• Lower cost per result
• Smarter budget allocation
• More exposure across Meta platforms
• Easier campaign setup and better ROI

…then trust the system, go broad, and feed it great creative.

Need help setting up your Meta Ads for success? At Pro Marketing Wollongong, we help businesses across the South Coast and beyond get real results from their digital ads — from setup to reporting and everything in between.

📞 Book a free strategy chat to get started.

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