If you’ve been around the Facebook ad world for even, like, 5 minutes… you know the term “ad creative.” Basically, you hear it again and again — because these images, captions, videos, and graphics form the visual cornerstone of all things ads.

Plus, if you test your creative the right way, you’ve unlocked a gold mine.

But, guess what? There’s a lot more to creative than just, well, creative. Typical, huh?

Enter: dynamic creative.

What’s dynamic creative?

Dynamic creative is a newer Facebook feature that automatically mixes up your ad creative to serve different audiences. This was built to avoid the same audience seeing the same creative mix time and time again in your ads — and designed to help you continually test which creative mixes work the best with your unique audience.

When you have dynamic creative turned on in the Ads Manager, Facebook will continue to adjust your ads and create different variations — while all the time learning from the different variations, impressions, and performances. It can be immensely helpful for testing, and it also typically leads to a better cost per lead.

Here’s the thing, though: dynamic creative has its pros, but it also has its cons. Often, the optimizations end up not making a ton of sense — so sometimes, you’ll get cut off text or cropped images. This is because we typically run square images (1080px by 1080px) and story images (1080px by 1920px), and good ol’ Facebook might swap these on someone’s feed.

Should I use dynamic creative in my ads?

So, here’s the thing: dynamic creative is definitely worth trying, and Facebook will encourage you to use it. It can lead to a significantly lower cost per lead, and it can help you test. However, we’ve seen just as much success from breaking out ads the traditional way with Facebook — AKA, testing our separate versions of ad creative on our own.

Also, it is a personal choice. For obvious reasons, some of our clients care about their image and how they show up on your feed. Depending on how FB wants to crop an image, it might cut off some all-important text, and the ad isn’t as compelling, or just doesn’t make sense. On the flip side, some of our clients don’t mind. They’d rather have the lower cost per lead and let FB do its thing. The FB algorithm picks up on the winning combination fairly quickly, which will help optimize the campaign.

To decide which you’d like to use, I’d recommend, well… TESTING (my favorite word!) both of these in your own ads. Try out dynamic creative, but keep an eye on things like image text and variations — because it might get a little funky, which you (and your clients) probably won’t love. Alternatively, try testing different versions of your creative (our go-to practice over here at System Envy).

Want to give dynamic creative a try?

Go for it! Just proceed with caution if you’re particular about your creative. 😉 To try it out, go to the ad set tab right above the budget section and toggle the switch to on! You’ll then be prompted in the ads tab to upload all of your image versions, copy and headline versions into ONE ad. And FB will do the rest!

Looking for more ad tips and insights? Stay plugged into the System Envy blog — my team and I will be diving into all things ads over here, as usual.

To say that TikTok has become a HUGE FREAKIN’ DEAL is a bit of an understatement.

There are over a billion active users on the platform (!!!), users spend an average of 95 minutes per day on the app, and it’s become a thriving spot for people to grow huge numbers and followings.

Basically, it can be a goldmine in a lot of ways.

We’ve been knee-deep in learning the TT ads platform for the last year over here at System Envy, and we’ve been diving into the ways that our clients and readers can make big money via advertising on the platform.

Here’s the thing, though: when it comes to ads, there are some big-time differences that you need to understand, especially when compared to Facebook and Instagram ads.

You curious? Let’s dive into the pros and cons of TikTok advertising vs. Meta advertising (AKA, Instagram and Facebook).

First things first… understanding this about TikTok is key:

When new platforms launch — especially super popular ones — it’s human nature to want to start advertising on them… and quickly. However, it’s always, always going to be a better practice to do your due diligence on the platform in question — especially since no platform is the same.

TikTok is no different there.

See, here’s the thing: Facebook and Instagram are known quantities in the ad world. While we see big algorithm changes on the platforms from time to time, the way people behave on both of these platforms has stayed fairly consistent for years now. When it comes to TikTok, though, we have a different beast.

Unlike the Meta platforms you’re likely more familiar with, TikTok is really more of a discovery platform (think: Pinterest-esque). The users on TikTok are likely familiar with being advertised to on Facebook and Instagram, but they’re certainly not expecting that type of advertisement when they scroll down their For You Pages. To create ads that actually make an impact, you have to understand this — and, in turn, create entertaining, engaging, short, and snappy videos that feel in line with the type of content they’re already expecting from TikTok.

This is why we always, always recommend that you spend a nice chunk of time in a research and discovery phase before advertising on TikTok. What is your ideal audience looking at? What are the kinds of things that attract their attention? Repel it? This matters.

Now, for the PROS of advertising on TikTok (and, uh… the cons)

We advertise on TikTok for quite a few of our clients, and we definitely foresee continuing to do so in the future. However, just like with annnyyyy advertising platform (trust us… any of ‘em), there are pros and cons.

Pros of advertising on TikTok

So advertising on TikTok is pretty freakin’ effective (makes sense, huh?), and we’ve actually seen a cost-per-lead that’s competitive with FB and IG ads. Plus, there are a few benefits to TikTok advertising that we really love.

First, you can set up events in TikTok with your URL, which is super handy. For instance, on FB or IG, you have to set up an event by adding a pixel tag to your website code — and even though FB/IG has an event set up tool, TikTok is a lot more seamless for this. It’s so, so easy, and gives more authority to the ads team to set up the code.

Next up in our fave pro of TikTok is a SUPER efficient feature that lets you reply to allll ad comments… which is so nice. You can filter, select certain ad groups, and find out info about the comment (for example, you can see whether the comment is positive or negative, and you can even see if it contains a question). Meta has nothing like this, and it’s SO freakin’ helpful for organizing comment moderation when you have multiple campaigns running.

Cons of advertising on TikTok

Nowwww, with pros come cons. ‘Tis life. And, in our opinion, TikTok kinda has a big con: the difficulty of setting up audiences. Basically, TikTok doesn’t let you set up audiences in the same way FB/IG does (with matching email addresses and names), which is a pretty big bummer. 

It only allows you to upload Apple IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) or GAID (Google Advertising ID) IDs, which isn’t available from most email marketing software — making it pretty much impossible to set up custom audience lists and lookalike audiences. This is a huge con, since creating those types of audiences is a really big marketing tool… and one we find highly successful for our clients. They perform really well, and make a pretty stark difference.

Apparently, TikTok is working on this (whoohoo!), but for now, it’s a massive limitation on targeting capabilities. Whomp, whomp.

So… should you advertise on TikTok?

Short answer? Yes, you should advertise on TikTok.

Long answer? You should advertise on TikTok in conjunction with FB/IG ads, and not on its own — at least, not right now. By diversifying your ads, you’ll be able to reach more people AND take advantage of things like custom audiences on the Meta platforms.

Have more q’s about this? We’re your team, always — just let us know!

Over here, course launches are a BIG part of what we do — and they’re also a big part of what makes our clients so incredible to work with. After all, what’s better than helping our clients show off their incredible courses to the world? From helping students transform their lives and businesses to teaching them how to navigate entrepreneurship and marketing, it’s the best thing to watch… and to help them succeed with.

Plus, you know we don’t gatekeep over here — which is why we want to share our very own ad course strategy with you! Click on this image to screenshot or save this infographic for your next course launch.

And, guess what? Ads are also PERFECT for helping you sell your offers on sale, too. (Word jumble, anyone?!)

So if you’ve wondered how to successfully set up a sale on your product/course/membership with Facebook ads, we’ve got you covered! Sales are a big thing for our clients, especially since so many of our clients have high-ticket offers and really engaged audiences. 

First up, gather alllll of your deets in one place.

When you’re prepping to run sale ads, you need to get all of your info sorted, strategized, and in one place. Whether it’s during key sale periods like Black Friday and the New Year or during any random point in the year, we allllways have sales going on — and here’s what you’ll need:

• Dates of the sale: When do you want to open and close cart for your sale dates? Do you have a drop-dead date in mind?
• Budget: What’s your budget for this ad campaign? Have you nurtured your audience enough to make that budget realistic?
• Sales goals: At the end of this ad campaign, what do you want your results to be? Conversions? Revenue? There’s no wrong answer here!
• URLS: You’ll need the right URLs for your sale landing pages, so paste those into a Google Doc!
• Messaging: How do you want to talk to your audience about the sale? Go ahead and start writing that copy, and then strategize that in advance.

Then, follow our project management steps to get your campaign running (and successful)!

Next up, it’s time to get the ads running! These are exact workflow steps we use to rock it with sale ads, so feel free to swipe:

• Create a section in Asana for the sale (or whatever project management tool you love!)
• Create image and copy tasks in Asana (what images do you need? How many captions?)
• Assign copy to be due in the next 2-3 business days
• Have ad manager review the text on image task, then assign for the next 2-3 business days
• Create a task for ads manager to set up the ads 2-3 days before the date
• Create a task for any follow-ups needed. Here are the follow-ups we usually have:
  • Final budget
  • Final URLs
  • Verification of pixels 
• Create a task for Post Sale Report due the day after the sale ends

You’re ready to go, friends! Have fun, and remember our top recommendation always… TEST!

Over here, we’re preeeeetty well-versed in the land of Meta ads. (After all, duh. It’s literally what we do.)

And in between tons of client launches — and millions of dollars in ad spend — we’ve learned quite a bit about the best practices for Meta ads, which is something we share as much as we can with clients, blog readers, friends, and everything in between.

See, the way we see it is this: the ad world isn’t supposed to be as dang confusing as people tend to make it! Not even close. Instead, we should all be helping each other the best we can — because navigating allllll of this shouldn’t be done alone.

Full. Stop.

So, friends, if you’ve been wondering how to get started in this big ole’ Meta ads world, we have you covered! Here are some of our top do’s and don’ts.

Our top 3 Meta ads do’s

From testing to warming up your audiences to different media types, these are 3 of the biggest do’s we focus on with our clients over here at System Envy:

• TEST.

We probably sound like broken records over here, but friends — there’s literally nothing more important to the success of your ads than testing, testing, and testing some more. From the people your ads are targeting to the copy you’re including in the ad, TEST. Trust us here. Wondering what to test? Try out some of these:

• • Your targeting parameters
  • Imagery in your ad
  • Copy (short versions and long versions)
  • Cold audiences vs. warm audiences
  • Emoji usage
  • Ad placement
  • Engagement vs. link clicks

• Expect to warm up your audiences.

Here’s the thing, friends: expecting to immediately sell a product or a service to a cold audience that has zero idea who you are isn’t going to work. Instead, consider your audience warming part of your strategy… and invest in it! 

Give your audience lead time, make them feel nurtured and catered to, and build that know, like, and trust factor that they need in order to buy from you. Once you really start focusing on this true engagement and relationship-building, you’ll see results. After all, people want to know “why” you’re the best to buy from — so show them!

• Try Reels, static images, AND carousels.

A few years ago, the options were super limited when it came to creative on ads… and you could pretty much only run an ad with an image. However, Meta now allows you to have actual, legit fun with Facebook ads (AKA, to try out things like Reels, static images, AND carousels). 

Basically, we are in *the* most fun time — ever — to be advertising… so take advantage of it! Test with different types of creative, utilize your existing Reels content, and engage your audience with exciting imagery that’s actually enjoyable to look at. It pays off!

Our top 3 Meta ads don’ts

Next up, we have our “no, thank you” list — AKA, the things that we’d consider a big NOPE in the world of Meta ads:

• Assuming a strategy will work because it worked for someone else

You know the saying “different strokes for different folks?” Well, friends — there’s pretty much nothing as true as that saying when it comes to Facebook ads. 

I have had so many clients and students come to me over the years wanting to try a strategy that someone else did, and I always warn against it for the exact reason of that quote up there. Different brands will always, always have a different offer, a different audience, and a different engagement rate — and that means that the same strategy that worked for them will NEVER exactly work for someone else (or vice versa). Remember this.

• Going “straight to sale”

If you build out an ad on Meta that immediately encourages a cold audience to make a purchase, you’re selling yourself short. SO short. Instead, prep and build content in advance that educates, nurtures, and engages your audience — and give it time to work! When you do this, you’re much more likely to build strong relationships that sell.

• Only trying out 1 type of asset

In case you haven’t noticed, testing is a PILLAR of what we do — and why it works — with us and our clients. There are tons of reasons for this, which is why we don’t ever want our clients to try out ads with only one type of asset (AKA, all still images, all Reels, all video, etc.). Instead, we’re big proponents of always, always mixing it up… regardless of what’s worked for you in the past.

Alright, pals — there are some of our top do’s and don’ts over here! However, that isn’t even close to all of ‘em. If you’re curious about other Meta ads best practices, take a scroll through our blog — it’s packed with goodies!

One thing I neeeever expected when I built this business was the fact that I would learn SO MUCH about technology as a whole — but being in this Facebook ads world has proven me wrong a million times.

But, really — spending time knee-deep in client launches has taught my team and me how to let technology work with us instead of against us, and that’s been a huge piece of the puzzle when it comes to client launches…. Especially when it comes to what we like to call “tech stacks.”

Here’s what you need to know:

What’s a tech stack?

While an actual tech stack is a legitimate technical software term, we think of it as a little different for client launches. Basically, a tech stack is a group — or a stack! — of software and tech that works together in tandem to help a launch be successful. These are things like email marketing tools, website hosting sites, webinar sites, social media, and course platforms — and each of them plays an integral role in warming up audiences, targeting them, and launching to them.

With the right tech stack, you can make a launch go off without a hitch — especially with automations running in the background. While we don’t recommend trying to manage a tech stack on your own (having someone who can analyze funnels, dig deep into the tech, and ensure that your cAPI and pixels are set up is key), this is how you can scale like crazy with an ad campaign.

What’s in a tech stack?

Typically, a tech stack for a launch (especially a high-ticket launch, like a course) involves 4 separate parts:

• Your email marketing tool: This is where you’ll nurture your list, keep them engaged, and send out things like freebies. We love Flodesk!
• Website hosts: This is the platform behind your website, and it’s what helps you manage everything from your design to your SEO. We love Showit!
• Webinar sites: If you’re doing a webinar-style launch, you need a webinar platform that talks to the other pieces of your tech stack — we’re obsessed with EasyWebinar for this.
• Course platforms: Running a course as part of your launch? Well, you definitely need the right platform to do so, whether it’s for your course content or a landing page  — and Kajabi is our top choice, always. 

Most of our clients use our preferred method for tech stacks — because they’re THE best of the best in the industry when it comes to working together on launches. Curious? Our longtime client Jenna Kutcher uses Kajabi for her course content, EasyWebinar for webinars, Flodesk for her emails, and Showit and WordPress to host her website and blog — and successful course launches are, well… kinda her thing!

—

So, you’ve got it — one of THEEEE biggest pieces to killing it with a course launch, AKA your tech stack! But, remember: it’s absolutely imperative to have someone on your team who knows how to manage the tech part of the tech stack… because otherwise it can get messy (and fast). Here’s a list of more things you might need to get set up to run your biz successfully:

• Interact: A quiz maker to create interactive quizzes at the top of your funnel to generate leads and sell products.
• Infusionsoft: An all-in-one sales and marketing automation platform comprised of a CRM, a marketing automation builder, sales pipeline automation, and E-commerce!
• Later: Schedule posts with this social media management platform built to save time. Plan, analyze, and publish your content using this easy-to-use tool (and get 10 free posts through this link!)

Need some help managing, scaling, and launching your campaigns like crazy? You know where to find us.

Facebook advertising can be THE most cost-effective way to scale your business… or it can be a waste of time and money. You know that we’re big on Facebook ads to scale cost-effectively (obviously!), which is why we constantly come back to one question:

Is your cost-per-lead good?

Because, here’s the thing: if it’s not, you’re doing yourself and your business a big disservice. Luckily, though, there are some key indicators you can look for to check on your cost-per-lead, and there are some ways to optimize that cost-per-lead well.

First things first… what makes sense for YOU and your business?

Cost-per-lead is not going to be the same across the board (not even close). CPL varies drastically depending on tons of things, like the platform you’re advertising on, your industry, your audience engagement, and your offer itself. Over here, we serve digital course creators and we’ll see a CPL lead from $0.30, all the way to $30.00 (depending on all of those factors). We estimate our typical CPL to be around $4-$8. 

But, no matter what the cost-per-lead IS, we ask ourselves one simple question:

Does it make sense?! AKA, are people actually buying the offer, OR are they being set up to buy an offer in the future?

See, not every lead is going to be a purchaser. So, if you usually see that you need 10 leads for one purchase, that makes a difference — AKA, say your CPL is $10. If your CPL is $10, your cost-per-sale is going to be $100. While that might be a great margin for a really high-ticket course, it’s not going to be a great margin for a $10 guide. 

This is also where you have to start thinking about where your leads are going to — are they instantly making a purchase, or are they signing up for your email list in hopes that they’ll make a later purchase? These things matter when it comes to building engaged customers *and* making smart business decisions, too.

So, here’s how to keep an eye on your cost-per-lead:

This is why we’re so big on tracking over here at System Envy — because great tracking is what helps you stay on top of whether or not people are converting from your funnel (and where, exactly, they are converting from). 

Having your pixel set up with the lead and purchase tag is key. You want the lead event on your opt-in confirmation pages, and your purchase event on your sale confirmation page. The best way to do this for tracking is to have this confirmation be a separate page/URL. That way you can test the confirmation of lead or sale by tracking the URL in Events Manager. People wouldn’t be able to navigate to this URL from any other path, so it’s a safe and effective way to get reliable data.

Then, you have to test. And test again. And, you guessed it… TEST SOME MORE. 🙂 By running different campaigns at different price points and CPLs, you can start to see which ones are working better — and you can also see very quickly (hellooo, ads manager) what your benchmarks should be.

—

Over here, we know that Facebook ads can seem confusing — but we’re all about demystifying them to help you rock your business *and* your ad strategy.