We get it - META (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, & Threads) is a huge pain. They're constantly updating, things that should work suddenly don't, and ads? Ads are scary because now you're spending money with a system that seems unreliable.
Even with the complete mess that META is - their ads are still some of the best performing of any ad platform - and they are cheap.
First, it's important to know what META ads are BEST at. Every ad platform has its strengths and weaknesses. META is good at driving awareness, brand recognition, purchase consideration, and is great for building a community. Ads on META can also drive conversions but it is not as good at that compared to ads on Google Search.
Ads on META are good at driving these goals for two main reasons:
META ads are cheap (they can have a CPM as low as $1 - meaning it costs $0.001 to show an ad to one person.)
META ads have a massive reach. Facebook has 3.07 billion active monthly users, Instagram & WhatsApp have 2 billion active monthly users, and Threads has a little over 300 million monthly active users.
META reaches almost 50% of the world's population and 4 out of 10 people use a META platform every day. In the United States, about 52% of the population uses META daily, and about 75% uses META monthly. That means that 1 out of 2 people use it daily and 3 out of 4 people use it monthly in the US.
Google Ads, which include YouTube, are more expensive. The average CPM for Google is $3.12 - $38.40 (the cost to show an ad to one person is between $.003 and $0.04) while the average CPM for META is $1.00 - $7.43 (the cost to show an ad to one person is between $.001 and $0.007.) Those may not seem like huge differences, but with volume (the more times you show your ad) the difference is clear. Brands can get 10x more visibility for the same budget on META compared to other platforms. In fact, a budget for as little as $1/ day over time can make a huge difference for businesses.
META Ads have a benefit that Google Search Ads do not - which is the ability for branded visuals, which includes your organization's page name, profile picture, AND the visual creative part of the ad (which is the main attraction.) All of these areas allow you to brand your ads much better than other platforms - leading to increased brand recognition among your audience.
When we talk about META Ads - we also need to talk about META targeting. It's one thing to have such a large reach but when running ads you also want to hit the right people - and not just everyone on the internet.
META has been in the data game longer than almost anyone when it comes to digital advertising, and their targeting is pretty awesome. Here are some of those benefits:
Granular Audience Targeting
META allows advertisers to segment audiences based on precise characteristics, including:
Demographics: Age, gender, education, job title, relationship status, and more.
Location: Target by country, state, city, or even a specific radius around a physical location.
Interests & Behaviors: META tracks user engagement, likes, follows, and purchases to allow advertisers to reach people based on hobbies, shopping habits, and lifestyle choices.
Connections: Advertisers can target users who have engaged with their page, app, or event.
Custom Audiences (Retargeting)
META allows businesses to re-engage users who have already interacted with them:
Website visitors: Track users who have visited specific pages.
Customer lists: Upload email lists to match users on META.
App activity: Retarget people who engaged with your mobile app.
Engagement-based audiences: Retarget users who interacted with a post, ad, video, or page.
Lookalike Audiences (Audience Expansion)
META can find new potential customers who behave similarly to your best existing customers:
Uses AI and machine learning to identify patterns.
Allows businesses to scale ad reach efficiently.
Behavioral & Purchase Data
META tracks detailed behavioral signals, including:
Past purchase behavior: Identify users likely to buy certain products.
Travel habits: Target frequent travelers or people planning a trip.
Device usage: Optimize campaigns for specific devices (iOS, Android, desktop).
AI-Powered Optimization
META’s algorithm learns and adapts over time:
Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO): Automatically shifts budget toward the best-performing audiences and ad sets.
Advantage+ Shopping & Leads: Uses machine learning to target high-intent buyers.
Automated A/B testing: Helps improve ad performance.
Multi-Platform Reach
META ads appear on multiple placements:
Facebook Feed, Stories, Reels
Instagram Feed, Stories, Explore, Reels
Messenger
Audience Network (third-party apps & websites)
In addition to everything mentioned above, META should always be part of a well-balanced Advertising mix because META boosts the effectiveness of ads you may be running on other ad platforms.
META + Google = Results
Google and META seem to have the best synergy, at least that we've seen. The following points make running Google ads without META ads seem like – at minimum – a very poor choice.
On average, META improves the overall mix effectiveness by up to 20% - especially when paired with Google ads.
1% - 3% of people who see a META ad will Google the company in the ad within 72 hours of seeing the ad.
Studies show brand search volume increases by ~19% when running Meta + Google ads together.
Brand recall increases up to 30% when running Google and META ads simultaneously.
Audience engagement on META leads to increased search volume and conversions on Google.
Retargeting users on META who visited your website but didn’t convert keeps your brand top-of-mind: A familiar brand can lead to an increased CTR (because they remember your brand) in Google ads, leading to lower CPCs and better ad placements.
Yes, META can be frustrating. It’s constantly changing, the interface is clunky, and running ads can feel intimidating. But despite its flaws, META remains one of the most powerful and cost-effective advertising platforms available today.
Its ability to drive awareness, brand recognition, and community engagement at a fraction of the cost of other ad platforms makes it a critical part of any digital marketing strategy. The sheer reach — touching nearly 50% of the global population — means your audience is already there. The advanced targeting, retargeting, and AI-powered optimization ensure your message gets in front of the right people at the right time.
And when combined with Google ads, the impact is even greater. Running META and Google ads together can increase brand recall by 30%, boost brand search volume by 19%, and improve overall ad effectiveness by 20%.
So, while META ads might not be perfect, they are too effective to ignore. Whether you're looking to increase visibility, build a community, or drive conversions, leveraging META’s advertising power will help maximize your marketing results—especially when paired with a strong Google ads strategy.
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