Episode Summary: [Breaking]: How to Test (& De-Dupe) Meta Advantage+ Campaigns with 100% Accuracy

Podcast Information:

• Title: Perpetual Traffic
• Host/Author: Tier 11
• Hosts: Ralph Burns and Lauren Petrullo
• Description: Perpetual Traffic is a twice-weekly podcast dedicated to sharing advanced strategies for acquiring leads and sales online. The show leverages the extensive agency experience of the hosts and the innovative traffic strategies developed at Tier 11, offering actionable insights for media buyers, marketing executives, and business owners alike.

Episode Overview: In this episode, released on May 16, 2025, Ralph Burns and John Moran delve deep into the intricacies of testing and eliminating duplication (deduping) in Meta's Advantage+ campaigns. The discussion is enriched with real-world case studies, advanced strategies, and insightful Q&A sessions addressing listener queries on optimizing digital marketing efforts.

1. Introduction to Cutting-Edge Meta Strategies

Ralph Burns opens the episode by emphasizing the rapid evolution of Meta's advertising platform. He highlights Tier 11's pioneering role as one of the first Facebook ad agencies and underscores the necessity of staying ahead with the latest tactics.

Ralph Burns [00:00]: "We’re going to be renaming this. We were calling it 211 line, but it’s not really that good of a name with John, it doesn’t have a really good ring to it."

2. The CAPI Import Strategy and Deduping

John Moran introduces the CAPI (Conversions API) import strategy, a novel approach designed to prevent data duplication when using both MetaPixel and server-side tagging. This strategy ensures accurate reporting, optimized campaign performance, and efficient ad spend.

John Moran [06:37]: "What Meta wants is if they have these users who are in the top of the funnel, middle of the funnel, and the bottom of the funnel, and you're producing all of your creative over here in these kind of bubbles, essentially, and this is all of your ads in one ad set, then what meta's job and what they are saying they can do now is say we understand where our users are in the buyer journey based on how much we can match their needs and activities to your creative and then we will combine them."

3. Testing and Scaling Advantage+ Campaigns

The hosts explore how to effectively test Meta's Advantage+ campaigns by structuring them with a single campaign containing two distinct ad sets: one for testing and another for scaling. This method allows marketers to identify high-performing segments and allocate budgets more efficiently.

Ralph Burns [10:17]: "So where do you want to start? Screen share or just explanation? All right, Screen sharing is the way we roll here."

4. Case Study: Healthcare Company's Campaign Optimization

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to a case study involving a healthcare company struggling to acquire new customers despite substantial ad spend. Through the CAPI import strategy, John Moran reveals how the company was inadvertently spending 60% of its budget on returning customers rather than new ones, leading to inefficiencies and diminished profitability.

John Moran [12:15]: "Spending millions of dollars a month on 60% of your own returning customers is what is going to be the death of any company."

The analysis uncovers that without proper deduping, campaigns may appear successful superficially (e.g., high ROAS) but are fundamentally flawed due to skewed customer acquisition metrics.

5. Meta's AI Targeting and Its Implications

The discussion transitions to Meta's AI-driven targeting capabilities. Moran expresses concerns over Meta's algorithms potentially locking users into specific ad sets indefinitely, hindering the flexibility to target different stages of the customer journey effectively.

John Moran [22:04]: "We're good at marketing. I'm not good at this."

6. Practical Q&A: Listener Queries on Campaign Optimization

The episode features a robust Q&A segment where listeners pose questions related to Google Ads and Meta strategies. Topics include generating distressed seller leads, optimizing search campaigns, and leveraging feeder strategies for high AOV products.

Highlighted Questions and Answers:

• Distressed Seller Leads Optimization:

  John Moran [39:35]: "Set a CPC and daily budget that is fairly high. If you're using 700 high budget, set a 700 CPC. I know it sounds stupid, but what you're looking for is some sort of sign of life that tells you if this is actually even going to work at all."

• Balancing Standard Shopping and Performance Max (PMax):

  John Moran [43:40]: "If you have a longer sales cycle, higher or higher AOV or both, you need more time and more channels to develop that education that they feel comfortable on spending that much amount of money."

• Optimizing Standard Shopping Campaigns:

  John Moran [60:33]: "Top five ways about to find standard shopping. So first thing, use low TROAS. Second, use a main campaign that is going to be a catch-all. Dogpile means the campaign strategy that I like the best for shopping is one campaign says all your products and then you're dogpiling on top of that with individual campaigns that are also running with those same products with additional ad spend."

7. Conclusion: Emphasizing Granular Tracking and Adaptation

Ralph Burns and John Moran conclude by reiterating the importance of granular tracking and adapting to Meta's evolving algorithms. They encourage listeners to utilize advanced tools like the Tier 11 Data Suite for comprehensive campaign diagnostics and to stay informed through continued learning and adaptation.

Ralph Burns [64:11]: "All right, so that is this week's show. We'll leave links inside the show notes here in order to... you've been listening to Perpetual Traffic."

Key Takeaways:

• CAPI Import Strategy: Essential for preventing data duplication and ensuring accurate customer acquisition metrics.
• Advantage+ Campaign Structure: Utilizing a single campaign with separate ad sets for testing and scaling can optimize ad spend and performance.
• Granular Customer Tracking: Understanding NCAC at the product level enables more effective budgeting and targeting.
• Adaptation to Meta’s AI: Staying flexible and continually updating strategies in response to Meta’s algorithm changes is crucial for sustained success.
• Practical Optimization Tips: Implementing strategies like feeder and dogpile, optimizing product feeds, and careful bid management can significantly enhance campaign outcomes.

Notable Quotes:

• John Moran [12:15]: "Spending millions of dollars a month on 60% of your own returning customers is what is going to be the death of any company."
• John Moran [22:04]: "We're good at marketing. I'm not good at this."
• John Moran [60:33]: "Top five ways about to find standard shopping... Dogpile means the campaign strategy that I like the best for shopping is one campaign says all your products and then you're dogpiling on top of that with individual campaigns that are also running with those same products with additional ad spend."

This episode serves as a masterclass in leveraging Meta's advertising tools to their fullest potential, offering actionable insights and advanced strategies for marketers aiming to optimize their digital campaigns with precision and efficiency.