Less Is More: How We Simplified Our Meta Ad Strategy To Drive Performance

In the ever-changing world of performance marketing, complexity isn’t always the answer. I’ve watched countless brands overcomplicate their Meta advertising, creating labyrinthine campaign structures that drain resources and muddy results. Today, I’m pulling back the curtain on a counterintuitive approach that’s been driving consistent success: a simplified three-campaign strategy.

The Context: When Simplicity Meets Strategy

We’re talking about a brand with a hefty average order value of over $300 and a considered purchase cycle that typically spans a month. With over 200 SKUs and varying price points, this account could easily become a management nightmare. Instead, we took a different route.

The Three-Campaign Approach

1. Advantage Plus Shopping Campaign (ASC)

Think of this as your creative playground and evergreen workhorse. Here’s what makes it special:

• A strong mix of creative types: video, static images, catalog ads
• Minimal active optimization
• Launch pad for your most promising new creative
• Naturally includes some retargeting without explicit targeting

The magic? Stability. We’re not constantly tweaking. We’re letting Meta’s algorithm do the heavy lifting, allowing top-performing ads to naturally rise to the top.

2. Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO) Campaign

This is where strategic scaling happens:

• Target ROAS bidding strategy
• Consistently exceeding performance targets
• Lower audience frequency compared to ASC
• Driving high-quality Google referral traffic

We’ve evolved this campaign from multiple ad sets to a more consolidated approach, grouping similar creatives to give Meta more optimization flexibility.

3. Dynamic Product Ads (DPA) Campaign

Our bottom-of-funnel workhorse with a twist:

• Initially heavy on retargeting
• Optimized to focus more on new customer acquisition
• Launching collection ads based on top-performing videos
• Carefully managing audience exclusions to prevent ad fatigue

Key Optimization Tactics

Creative Diversity: Maintain 5-6 creatives per ad set when budget allows. This prevents forced spending and gives Meta room to optimize.

Audience Management: Constantly refine exclusions. We dramatically reduced spending on existing customers, which improved our cost per new visitor.

Performance Tracking: Beyond Meta’s attribution, we’re using additional tools like Triple Whale to get a more comprehensive view of our performance.

The Results Speak Volumes

• Consistent traffic quality
• Ability to scale effectively
• Minimal campaign breakdowns
• Lower management overhead

Why This Matters

In a landscape where many are overcomplicating their Meta strategies, there’s power in restraint. Our approach isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing the right things more effectively.

Final Thoughts

Simplicity isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about creating a strategic framework that allows your marketing to breathe, adapt, and perform. Your campaigns should work for you, not the other way around.

Ready to simplify your Meta advertising approach? Let’s talk strategy.