In this multiple-part series, we’re highlighting how you can become a savvier Meta marketer by minimizing cost and maximizing results. 

First, let’s take a 3-step look at consolidating your audiences.

Step 1: Do Rapid-fire Testing 

The first thing you should do is quickly test different things, as your budget allows, to determine whether or not audience consolidation is a good fit for your program. Test one variable at a time. For example, let’s say you’re an education advertiser, and you’ve split parents and students into separate audiences. Even so, you’re using the same creative for both. 

In that case, it may make sense to launch one campaign for each group and test the reaction to your creative separately to see if one works better than the other.

Step 2: Analyze Results

Once the dust settles on your testing period, look at your performance. Is it pretty much the same across audiences? If it is, then there’s no benefit to splitting these audiences into two and you may even be wasting spend. They’re behaving similarly. Consolidate and help the algorithm pull in learnings more quickly.

Step 3: Measure (Lower) Cost

If you consolidate, your engagement cost will likely be cheaper since the Meta algorithm prefers bigger audiences.

Note that the same thing could happen if you test by geolocation. You may split out California because you think you’ll get better results, and because other states may not perform as well despite having a cheaper cost. It might, however, make sense to consolidate for cost savings–the algorithm rewards you for volume, and more volume means it optimizes more quickly.

Bottom line: test to make sure that consolidation is the way to go for your business. Chances are, it is. But go into it with the evidence you need to confirm you’re bringing greater efficiency to your Meta advertising campaigns.

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