Over the last few months, our Meta Ads performance has been wildly inconsistent. One day we have a 4x ROAS, and the next it drops to 0.5x with no changes to the creative or budget. Is anyone else experiencing this volatility, and have you found a way to "reset" the algorithm's learning phase?
3 answers
Volatility is the new normal on Meta. The best way to combat this is to move toward a "Broad Targeting" approach. Stop narrowing your audiences by interests and let the creative do the targeting. Meta’s AI is now sophisticated enough that it identifies who is likely to convert based on how they interact with your video or image. When you use tight interest groups, you increase your CPM and make the campaign more susceptible to small shifts in user behavior. We’ve stabilized several accounts by simplifying the structure into one CBO campaign with broad sets.
When you say "Broad Targeting," are you still including basic demographic filters like age and location, or are you literally leaving everything wide open for the AI to decide?
I’ve found that frequently refreshing the creative—at least once every two weeks—is the only way to stop the ROAS from tanking after the initial "honeymoon" phase of a new ad.
Agreed, Laura. Creative fatigue is real and happens faster now. Constant testing of new hooks and formats is essential to keep the algorithm engaged and performing.
Brian, we usually keep the location and a broad age range (like 25-65+) if the product is age-specific. Other than that, we leave it open. The goal is to give the algorithm as much "liquidity" as possible so it can find the cheapest conversions across the entire platform.