Is Meta still a viable platform for ecommerce brands and advertisers?
We gathered a few top-tier Meta Ads experts to answer this question, and many others, at a recent Affiliate World event.
Hustler Marketing Head of Ad Creatives Iveta Makedonska, Loop Earplugs Head of Performance Marketing Alexander Lodeweyckx, PolicyJar VP of Business Development Cari Hartman, and Truly Office Founder Ronnie Teja sat down to discuss strategies for navigating platform updates, how to optimize ecommerce performance, and ways to maximize lead generation ROI.
A Multi-Channel Approach to Ecommerce & Platforms 🧑💻
While Meta remains a powerful platform, relying solely on it for ecommerce success is no longer sufficient.
TikTok has emerged as a major player due to its integration with Shopify. Shopify continues to serve a central role in managing ecommerce operations and connecting to various sales channels.
If you’re ready to diversify, start with a thorough assessment of TikTok Shop’s potential for your product offerings and target demographics. You can also optimize your Shopify store for seamless integration with multiple platforms, including TikTok Shop and Amazon, while implementing robust ROAS tracking and optimization strategies.
Meta’s Health Update 🩻
Meta’s health update has forced advertisers in the health and wellness space to rethink their strategies. Direct targeting of specific health conditions is no longer an option, requiring a more nuanced approach.
The panel stressed the need to shift from condition-specific targeting to highlighting products’ benefits and use cases. Instead of “earplugs for sleep apnea,” for example, advertisers should target more specific phrases like “earplugs for restful sleep and improved focus.” This requires a deep understanding of consumer needs and crafting messaging that resonates without triggering platform restrictions.
The panel also recommended focusing on aspirations like confidence, stress reduction, and other psychological benefits.
If you’re running Meta campaigns, start by auditing them for compliance with the health update. Then, rewrite your ad copy and retargeting parameters to emphasize benefits and use cases. Finally, develop a range of creative assets that explore different angles and psychological triggers.
Maximizing Lead Generation and Pay Per Call ROI 🔥
Lead generation and pay-per-call marketing remain lucrative strategies, especially in the insurance and financial services sectors. However, achieving optimal ROI requires strategic targeting, lead qualification, and offer optimization.
The panel discussed leveraging Facebook’s granular targeting capabilities to reach specific demographics for offers like Medicare and Affordable Care Act plans. This requires a rigorous lead qualification process, as well as strategic complementary offers (e.g., loans, debt consolidation) to monetize unqualified leads.
Meta advertisers can increase the effectiveness of lead generation campaigns with highly targeted audiences, but a multi-stage lead qualification process to segment leads is essential.
You’ll also need to tailor offers accordingly, but user-generated content (UGC) can be an unexpectedly useful tactic, as the panel noted that UGC often works for “dry” or complex financial products. Finally, develop a clear strategy for cross-selling and upselling complementary products.
Testing and Adaptation for Long-Term Success ⭐️
The panel repeatedly emphasized the critical role of continuous testing and adaptation in the dynamic world of digital advertising.
Implementing a structured testing framework for creative assets, targeting parameters, and platform strategies will provide essential data on various creative concepts, angles, and platforms’ performance.
The panel also pointed to the value of geo-testing to understand regional performance and the importance of staying informed about regulatory updates, such as upcoming one-to-one consent requirements. Geo-testing also helps with identifying high-performing regions, but long-term success is only possible if you include a system for monitoring and responding to regulatory changes.
The panel recommended using AI for specific tasks like voice cloning and animation, but they unanimously agreed that human oversight for editing and quality control is still essential before launching any creative assets or campaigns.
