What Are the 6 New Meta Campaign Objectives?

Date
Oct 20, 2021
Feb 20, 2024
Time
17 mins
On this page
Facebook ad objectives

Ready to hit your advertising bullseye? Meta's trimmed down their campaign objectives. That means you’re in for some laser-focused campaigns. More inside.

Meta's Ads Manager makeover means business. They’ve cut down from 11 Facebook campaign objectives to just 6 for sharper focus and clearer outcomes. Time to sweep away the excess and focus on what truly drives results ✨🧹

Let’s unpack what the new objectives mean for advertisers and business owners.

What is a Meta campaign objective?

A Meta campaign objective serves as the guide for your advertising efforts within Meta’s Ads Manager. It defines the specific goal you aim to achieve with your ad campaign. You can also think of it as the compass that directs your advertising ship toward a desired destination.

Now, why does this matter?

It's all about alignment with your goals. Choosing the right campaign objective is the first step because it ensures your advertising strategy is in sync with your broader business objectives. Whether you're looking to boost brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or generate leads, your objective sets the tone for your entire campaign.

Secondly, it creates an optimization path. The objective you choose significantly influences how Meta's algorithms optimize the delivery of your ads. Each objective triggers specific ad optimization mechanisms. For instance, if your goal is to drive website traffic, Meta's system will prioritize showing your ad to users who are more likely to click through to your website.

And finally, it's about resource allocation. Different types of campaign objectives require different resource allocations. Your budget, ad creatives, and targeting strategies all depend on the objective you select. By understanding your objective, you can effectively allocate resources to achieve the best possible results.

The 6 new Meta campaign objectives (ODAX)

The new Facebook objectives are: traffic, leads, awareness, sales, engagement, and app promotion. This is how the previous Meta Ads objectives have been reorganized in Meta Ads Manager:

  • ‘Traffic’ is still ‘Traffic’
  • ‘Engagement’ is still ‘Engagement’
  • ‘Lead generation’ is now under ‘Leads’
  • ‘Store traffic’ is now under ‘Awareness’
  • ‘Brand awareness’ is now under ‘Awareness’
  • ‘Reach’ is now under ‘Awareness’
  • ‘Video views’ is now under ‘Awareness’ and ‘Engagement’
  • ‘App installs’ is now ‘App promotion’
  • ‘Messages’ is now under ‘Engagement’ and ‘Leads’
  • ‘Conversions’ is now under ‘Engagement,' ‘Leads,' and ‘Sales’
  • ‘Catalog sales’ is now under ‘Sales’

Now, let’s explore each of these objectives, their meanings, and the recommended placements and Facebook CTA options:

1. Awareness 💥📣

The ‘Awareness’ objective is perfect for introducing your brand or product to a broad audience, making it ideal for new businesses, rebranding ventures, and product launches.

Facebook Awareness objective ad example

A brand awareness campaign on Facebook targets top-of-the-funnel acquisition audiences, primarily prospective customers who are unfamiliar with your brand. It's crucial to guide them from their first interaction to purchase and beyond by offering related products or upgrades. 

Placements:

  • Instagram feed
  • Facebook feed
  • Audience Network

Recommended CTAs:

  • ‘Discover’
  • ‘Learn More’
  • ‘Watch Now’

2. Traffic 👣💨

The ‘Traffic’ objective on Facebook focuses on driving users to a specific destination, such as your website, app, or landing page.

Looking to drive visitors to specific destinations, such as flash sales or service pages? If so, the Traffic objective is your solution. It directs targeted traffic to these destinations, significantly enhancing the chances of conversions. Whether you’re promoting limited-time offers or specific services, this objective ensures that interested users land exactly where you want them to.

Facebook Traffic objective ad example

It's like opening the floodgates, ensuring that your promotion reaches the right audience and drives them straight to your enticing offer.

Placements:

  • Facebook feed
  • Instagram feed
  • Audience Network
  • Messenger inbox

Recommended CTAs:

  • ‘Shop Now’
  • ‘Visit Website’
  • ‘Get App’

3. Engagement 🔥👏

The ‘Engagement’ objective is for you if you want to encourage users to interact with your content. It’s for when you want to spark conversations, likes, shares, and comments. 

Consider this scenario: You’ve just opened a pastry shop. Using the Facebook Engagement objective, you can encourage customers to share their delightful experiences, comment on your delectable treats, and spread the word about your business. 

This way, you’ll create a buzz, build an authentic community, and keep your patrons coming back for more. There are 4 types of ads you can create with the Engagement objective:

  • Post engagement - Promote an organic post to encourage interaction. This can include likes, comments, shares, and other forms of engagement.
  • Page likes - Target individuals who are likely to follow your page, increasing your follower count and expanding your audience reach.
  • Offer claims - Promote special offers that users can save for later or be reminded of when they are near your store.
  • Event responses - Increase attendance at your Facebook events by promoting them to relevant audiences and encouraging responses such as ‘Interested’ or ‘Going.’
Meta Engagement objective ad examples
Tip 🔔 This type of ad thrives when accompanied by strong community management. It’s worth having a team member on standby to respond to comments to enhance interaction.

Placements:

  • Facebook feed
  • Instagram feed
  • Audience Network
  • Messenger inbox or Instagram Direct

Recommended CTAs:

  • ‘Like Page’
  • ‘Comment’
  • ‘Share’

4. Leads 👭🔍

Opt for the 'Leads' objective when your campaign goal is to attract potential customers or clients into your sales pipeline. For instance, you might use this objective to boost mailing list subscriptions for your email marketing initiatives.

This can prove particularly effective if you're aiming to cultivate lasting loyalty and encourage repeat business rather than focusing solely on immediate one-time sales through a shorter conversion process.

Additionally, the 'Leads' objective is perfect for pre-release campaigns, where your product or service isn't yet available and you're in the initial stages of generating interest and possibly securing pre-sales.

Meta Leads objective ad examples

Placements:

  • Facebook feed
  • Instagram feed
  • Audience Network
  • Messenger inbox

Recommended CTAs:

  • ‘Sign Up’ or ‘Apply now’
  • ‘Subscribe’
  • ‘Get Quote’

5. App Promotion 🤳

If your business revolves around encouraging app installs or promoting engagement within your mobile platform, the App Promotion objective is essential. It specifically targets users who are likely to install your app. Whether you’re launching a new app or aiming to boost existing engagement, this objective helps you reach your target audience on mobile devices.

Meta App Promotion objective ad examples

To ensure your Facebook ad campaign attracts potential users to download your app, it's crucial to highlight the benefits they'll gain from using it. Make your ad enticing to encourage downloads from the App Store or Google Play Store.

Before launching an App Promotion campaign, take these steps:

  1. Register your app on the Facebook for Developer’s site. Without this, your ads may optimize for clicks rather than installs.
  2. Link your Facebook ad account to your registered app. You can find this option under “Settings” -> “Advanced” on your App Dashboard.
  3. Set up the Facebook SDK and your app events. This enables tracking and optimization for in-app events and customer lifetime value.

After integrating the Facebook SDK, set up your app events.

Additionally, keep in mind that Facebook has adjusted App Promotion campaigns in response to Apple’s iOS 14 announcement, so stay updated with the latest Facebook updates and best practices.

Placements:

  • Facebook feed
  • Instagram feed
  • Audience Network
  • Messenger inbox

Recommended CTAs:

  • ‘Install Now’
  • ‘Play Game’
  • ‘Use App’

6. Sales 🛒🛍️

If your primary focus is driving direct transactions or prompting specific actions like adding items to the cart, the Sales objective is your ally. 

This objective is tailored for eCommerce businesses aiming to achieve seamless conversions. With its focus on guiding users towards desired actions, such as making purchases, it's the ideal tool for maximizing sales potential in conversion ads on Facebook.

Meta Sales objective ad examples

These ads are particularly suited for warmer audiences who are already familiar with your brand or business, making them an integral component of any retargeting strategy.

Placements:

  • Facebook feed
  • Instagram feed
  • Audience Network
  • Messenger inbox

Recommended CTAs:

  • ‘Buy’
  • ‘Shop Now’
  • ‘Order Now’
Tip 🔔: For more effectiveness, these ads should be optimized using data from the Facebook Pixel, a tracking code installed on your website or eCommerce store. The tracking code enables you to analyze potential customers' interactions with your shop after engaging with your ad. This data can then be used to retarget them later.

Conclusion: Launch smarter, not harder

Just like Meta's streamlined approach to campaign objectives, Madgicx’s Audience Launcher is all about cutting through the noise and getting straight to what matters: making you money. 

Utilizing the power of AI and machine learning, Audience Launcher helps you launch a full-funnel targeting strategy in just a few minutes.

Madgicx Audience Launcher - Audiences

Equipped with over 100 pre-built audiences, you can swiftly tap into new markets and seize fresh opportunities at the click of a button (literally). Spot an audience that intrigues you? Simply hit 'Launch' and watch your campaigns take flight.

With Madgicx’s innovative Top Seed Audiences feature, you can blend multiple high-converting lookalikes into one Super Lookalike Audience. Plus, Madgicx lets you create lookalike audiences of up to 20% (compared to only 10% in the Meta Ads Manager).

By showing you data about your top locations, ad placements, demographics, etc., Audience Launcher ensures you're reaching the right audience at the right time, maximizing your campaign's impact and ROI.

Plus, with features like automatic exclusion of warm audiences, there's a clear focus on acquiring new customers and scaling your business. So why wait? Dip your feet with a 7-day FREE TRIAL.

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Date
Oct 20, 2021
Feb 20, 2024
Annette Nyembe

Digital copywriter with a passion for sculpting words that resonate in a digital age.

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