How to Set Up a Facebook Ad Campaign in Meta Ads Manager

Running Facebook or Instagram ads can feel overwhelming, especially if you have only used boosted posts before. The truth is, boosted posts have their place, but if you want real results, the best option is to use Meta Ads Manager. In this guide, I’ll walk you step by step through how to set up a campaign, organize your ad sets, and create ads that actually convert.

Why Use Meta Ads Manager Instead of Boosted Posts?

Boosted posts are quick and simple, but they are limited. When you use Ads Manager, you gain access to:

• More targeting options

• Flexible budget control

• Multiple placements across Facebook, Instagram, and more

• The ability to test different audiences and ad formats

If your goal is traffic, sales, or leads, Ads Manager is the way to go.

Understanding Campaigns, Ad Sets, and Ads

Meta organizes advertising into three levels:

• Campaign – The overall objective (traffic, sales, engagement, etc.)

• Ad Sets – The audiences you want to target and your budget settings

• Ads – The actual creatives (images, videos, carousels) your audience will see

Think of a campaign as the container, ad sets as the audiences, and ads as the content.

Step 1: Choose Your Campaign Objective

When you click Create, Meta will ask you what you want to achieve. Options include:

• Sales

• Traffic

• Engagement

• Leads

• Messaging

For beginners, Traffic is a great place to start since it focuses on link clicks and landing page views.

Step 2: Set Your Budget

You can choose either a daily budget or a lifetime budget.

• Daily budget gives you more control and helps you ease into ads without overspending.

• Start small — $5–$10 per day is enough to test when you’re new.

• Avoid starting too high ($50+ per day) until you know what works.

Step 3: Define Your Audience

In Ads Manager you can:

• Use a saved audience (based on customer lists or lookalikes)

• Create a test audience (targeting by interests such as “luxury cars” or “resorts”)

• Adjust by age, gender, and location

Tip: Run at least two ad sets — one for your saved audience and one test audience — so you can compare results.

Step 4: Choose Your Ad Placements

Placements are where your ads show up: Facebook Feed, Instagram Feed, Stories, Reels, etc.You can let Meta automatically optimize, or you can select your own placements if you want more control.

Step 5: Create Your Ads

This is the fun part. Each ad set can contain multiple ads. Test at least three types of creatives:

• Static image

• Carousel (multiple slides)

• Video (reels, horizontal, or square)

Mix up formats to see what your audience responds to best.

Step 6: Monitor and Optimize

• Let your ads run for 7–10 days before making big decisions.

• Shut off ads or ad sets that aren’t performing.

• Scale up the ones that bring results.

Bonus Tip: Use the Meta Pixel

If you want to track purchases, leads, or other actions on your website, set up the Meta Pixel. This will help you measure your return on ad spend (ROAS) and see exactly what’s working.

Final Thoughts

Setting up Facebook Ads in Meta Ads Manager doesn’t have to be intimidating. Start small, test different audiences and creatives, and let the data guide you. Over time, you’ll find what works best for your business.

👉 Want help managing your ads or need one-on-one consulting? Contact me at Laurenvmarketing@gmail.com to work together.