Marketing Operators Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Spending More & Reaching Less? Fix Your Meta Account With Us
Release Date: July 15, 2025
Hosts: Connor Rolain, Connor MacDonald, Cody Plofker

Introduction

In this episode of Marketing Operators, hosts Cody and Connor delve into optimizing Meta advertising accounts amidst shifting market dynamics. The discussion focuses on addressing challenges in Meta's ad efficiency, exploring innovative strategies to enhance reach, reduce costs, and leverage AI-driven tools for better performance.

AI Creative Strategies with Motion

Cody introduces Motion's AI Creative Strategist, an advanced tool developed by leading DTC marketers to analyze and optimize ad creatives using real data from Meta ad accounts.

• Cody [00:25]: "Program in many ways. There's nothing that you can do about CPM... Motion's AI creative strategist... unique is that you get to use agents to analyze your creative using real data from your Meta ad account."

• Connor [01:31]: "Oh yeah, absolutely. Our team's deep in there."

They discuss how AI agents critique and reframe ad messaging, providing actionable insights that enhance creative strategies and save significant team time. For example, Motion's AI suggested reframing an ad to address daily friction in wallet and phone management, demonstrating its powerful analytical capabilities.

Challenges and Improvements in Meta Advertising

Despite Meta driving a substantial portion of their revenue, Connor highlights ongoing challenges with reach and profitability:

• Connor [32:38]: "We've ran probably four meta holdouts this year so far. Maybe five 40%, 45% incrementality in those regions."

• Cody [35:54]: "There are so many metrics in between spend and ROAS... we needed better year over year comparisons more frequently."

The hosts emphasize the importance of detailed funnel diagnostics beyond mere spend and ROAS to understand metrics like CPM, CTR, and conversion rates. Cody suggests setting up columns that force media buyers to monitor these intermediate metrics regularly to prevent performance degradation.

Prime Day Performance Insights

Cody analyzes the recent Prime Day performance, noting a 40% decline year-over-year due to Amazon extending the sale from two to four days:

• Cody [23:10]: "Prime day one, prime day two, down about 40% year over year."

They discuss the implications for brands, advising them to plan for a potentially softer Q4 by adjusting inventory and sales strategies accordingly. Connor echoes the sentiment, highlighting the need to monitor consumer spending trends closely.

Channel Diversification Strategies

Both hosts agree on the necessity to diversify marketing channels beyond Meta to improve reach and efficiency.

• Cody [44:45]: "We launched Twitter, we launched YouTube. We like very quickly adjust and like immediately saw improved results."

• Connor [45:24]: "We're spending a lot there, but almost all of it is on purchase optimization."

They discuss reallocating budgets to platforms like YouTube and influencers after recognizing the limitations of a Meta-centric strategy. Connor mentions a renewed focus on influencer partnerships to reach new audiences more effectively.

Funnel Diagnostics and Metrics Monitoring

Cody and Connor underscore the need for regular, detailed analysis of funnel metrics to identify and address performance issues promptly:

• Cody [38:19]: "Every other week or something... a true deep dive... is probably like a bi-weekly check-in."

They advocate for monitoring rolling reach, cost per thousand accounts reached, and similar metrics to maintain a high-performing ad account. Connor suggests automating these reports to stay updated without manual oversight.

Partnership Ads and Persona Targeting

The effectiveness of partnership ads and persona-based targeting is a key topic:

• Cody [61:39]: "Our jobs are basically just to allocate budgets across a ton of different cost curves."

• Connor [62:41]: "We're running a lot of partnership ads and we're essentially 10xing that part of our strategy."

They discuss tailoring landing pages and creatives to specific demographics, such as Millennials and Gen X, to enhance engagement and conversion rates. Cody shares success stories like the Joe Rogan ad, which, while not reaching new audiences, effectively converted existing ones by presenting familiar yet refreshed content.

AI in Copywriting and Creative Processes

The use of AI tools in streamlining creative processes is highlighted:

• Cody [72:39]: "I've been building out similar looking pages... using ChatGPT to write the reasons."

• Connor [74:14]: "I'm excited about this test because it shows that... we can be more strategic with our resources."

They describe using AI for generating tailored landing pages and ad copies for different personas, allowing rapid creation of multiple campaign variants. This approach enhances efficiency and enables teams to focus on strategy and refinement.

Post-Purchase Upselling with After Sell

Before concluding, Cody introduces the concept of monetizing the post-purchase experience using tools like After Sell to generate additional revenue through personalized offers on the thank-you page.

• Cody [66:46]: "Most brands are optimizing the transaction journey but stopping at the thank you page, and that is a big mistake."

After Sell offers premium, non-competing offers that are AI-driven and personalized, leading to significant uplift per order and high engagement rates. This strategy transforms the thank-you page into a revenue-generating opportunity.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with both hosts summarizing their strategies to tackle Meta advertising challenges, emphasizing the importance of diversified channel strategies, detailed funnel diagnostics, and innovative use of AI to enhance marketing efficiency and reach. They encourage listeners to adopt similar approaches to optimize their own Meta accounts and overall marketing efforts.

Notable Quotes:

• Connor [00:07]: "About half of our revenue and new customer revenue is driven by Meta, which is like amazing."
• Cody [00:25]: "There's so many metrics in between spend and ROAS that we should be hyper aware of."
• Cody [03:04]: "You do not need a Motion contract to use this."
• Cody [08:15]: "Jones Road was in Vogue this week."
• Cody [23:23]: "But if we have a different sale, we'll think about it."
• Connor [32:38]: "Half of our revenue and new customer revenue is driven by Meta, which is like amazing."
• Cody [35:54]: "We needed better year over year comparisons more frequently."
• Connor [41:58]: "We're in the 60s... we launched TV."
• Cody [66:46]: "If you're not monetizing your post purchase experience, you're leaving easy profit on the table."

Note: Advertisements, sponsored segments, and promotional content have been excluded to maintain focus on the episode’s core discussions.