Meta is now making it possible for small businesses worldwide to use its AI and automation tools to squeeze more performance out of their Facebook and Instagram ad budgets.

Back in March, the company consolidated all of its automation tools under the Meta Advantage portfolio. This week, the company rolled it out globally.

The Advantage tools break down into two buckets. Advantage products let the advertiser apply AI to and automation to a specific element of a campaign. For example, audience targeting. The Advantage+ products allow advertisers to automate entire campaigns. 

“We’ve found that 52% of consumers want to find brands and products they haven’t heard about, but align with their shopping preferences,” Meta said in announcing the rollout. “Through Advantage+ solutions, advertisers can tap into the power of AI to provide more relevant campaigns to the people who matter most to their businesses.”

Automation could be a game changer for small business advertisers. Especially those DIY’ing their digital advertising. While Facebook and Instagram ads can be highly effective, it’s also very easy to blow through a mountain of cash before figuring out the right combination of audience, budget, creative execution, and so on. Presumably, these tools will help advertisers use budgets more efficiently. And, of course, waste less money on trial and error. 

It’s also another example of a trend we see happening over and over again. Eventually, SMBs gain access to advanced technology once reserved for large enterprises.

Driving Down Cost per Purchase

Starting this week, small business advertisers worldwide will be able to use the Advantage tools through their Facebook Pages. The tools will be opened up to retail and eCommerce advertisers beginning next week. 

So here is what Meta says in a company blog post about the effectiveness of automation. 

In a study of 15 A/B tests, we discovered that Advantage+ shopping campaigns drove 12% lower cost per purchase conversion compared to advertisers’ Business as Usual (BAU) ads. With these savings, businesses can reinvest in their marketing strategies and drive customer acquisition and sales more efficiently.

Of course, Meta shared a testimonial. In this case, from UK-based children’s retailer KIDLY, which uses automation to get more efficiency from its ad spend.

“As a business, we are always looking for new ways to optimize campaigns and drive sales more efficiently. With Meta Advantange+ shopping campaigns, we saw an uplift in return on ad spend, with little time and effort required,” said Sophie Voller, Senior Social Media Manager, KIDLY.  “As a result, we’ve incorporated the product into our marketing strategy.”