A Meeting of Marketing Minds
In this engaging discussion, two veteran Facebook advertisers - Barry Hot and Charley T - dive deep into their contrasting approaches to paid social media advertising, sharing insights from their combined decades of experience managing over $1B in ad spend.
Two Different Philosophies
The conversation revealed two distinct approaches to Facebook advertising:
Charley's Approach:
- Focus on simplicity and stability
- Prefer fewer ads (5-10) for better data clarity
- Emphasize business metrics over platform metrics
- Look at incremental lift across all marketing channels
Barry's Approach:
- Embrace complexity and multiple variables
- Run more ads (30-50+) to capture different audience segments
- Trust the system to optimize effectively
- Focus on spend as the key success metric
Key Insights on Attribution
Both experts agreed that attribution is complex and often misunderstood. Charley emphasized that "attribution as a concept is completely crazy" and argued that focusing too much on platform-level attribution can lead to poor decision-making. Barry highlighted the importance of looking at overall business impact rather than individual ad performance metrics.
Creative Testing and Scaling
One of the most heated debates centered around creative testing approaches:
Charley's Perspective:
"Creative testing outside of the scientific method is a complete waste of time. You need a control set to test against and measure real business impact."
Barry's Perspective:
"The system can handle multiple creatives and optimize effectively. Different ads resonate with different audiences, and more variables allow for better scaling."
Practical Tips for Advertisers
- Don't turn off ads solely based on poor apparent performance metrics
- Look at the bigger picture beyond just Facebook metrics
- Consider how ads impact other marketing channels
- Focus on sustainable growth rather than short-term wins
- Trust the system but verify with business results
The Biggest Mistake in Facebook Advertising
Both experts warned against the common mistake of turning off ads purely based on poor CPA or ROAS metrics without understanding the broader context. An ad that appears to be performing poorly in the platform might actually be driving significant value through other channels or contributing to overall business growth.
Conclusion
While Barry and Charley may disagree on specific tactics, they align on the fundamental goal: driving sustainable business growth through effective advertising. Their discussion highlights that there's no one-size-fits-all approach to Facebook advertising - success comes from understanding your business needs and choosing strategies that align with your capabilities and goals.
Want to learn more? Watch the full discussion here.