Meta Ad Performance Dropped? Here's How to Turn It Around Quickly

Facebook ad performance can sometimes drop without warning, leaving marketers and business owners scratching their heads.

If you've noticed a sudden dip in your ad performance, know that you're not alone.

Performance fluctuations are inevitable, and even Meta acknowledges this.

In this issue, we’ll explore the reasons behind these drops and provide actionable steps to help you get your campaigns back on track.

Fluctuations are a normal part of running ads on Meta platforms.

According to Meta, here are 4 key points to consider when analyzing ad performance:

1. Look at overall results

If you're using campaign level budget (Advantage campaign budget), analyze results for your campaign as a whole.

For ad set budgets, focus on the overall ad set performance.

2. Be careful with specific result breakdowns

Breaking down results by hour, for instance, can show performance oscillations that average out over time.

Instead, use result breakdowns at the campaign level over the course of a full week or view results with no breakdowns to understand overall campaign performance.

3. Expect spend fluctuations

Daily budgets are averages over a week and can fluctuate up to 75% above or below the set budget on any given day.

With lifetime budgets, spend may vary more on days with better opportunities and less on days with fewer opportunities.

Important to note, that on a lifetime budget Meta won’t spend more than the amount you set.

However, if you go for daily spend Meta can overspend with 80% on any given day. The spending cycle resets at midnight, so you can have a lot of overspending.

I experienced this in my agency, on one our ad accounts.

We had a great offer running, and on the last day of the promotion we saw that Meta heavily overspent on the daily budget but brought excellent results.

Here is the screenshot:

4. Focus on your optimization event

If you’ve optimized for conversions (sales, leads), metrics like CPC or CPM might not accurately reflect performance.

The system might prioritize higher-cost impressions if it leads to lower conversion prices.

Always focus on the conversion event you chose for your ad set!

If you understand these points, you can better navigate the inevitable fluctuations and focus on long-term performance rather than short-term variances.

In the following section, we'll dive into practical steps you can take to quickly turn around a drop in ad performance.

When a sudden drop in ad performance occurs, many small business owners react in one of two ways:

1. They either stop running Meta Ads altogether, claiming the platform isn't right for them.

2. They blame their current agencies (media buyers, creative agency) and start searching for a new partner.

These reactions are understandable but often counterproductive.

If you want to avoid these knee-jerk responses and turn your ad performance around quickly, here are some tips to help you overcome these sudden drops.

How to overcome Sudden Performance Drops in Meta Ads

1. Stop/Pause the Ad Campaign for a Few Days or Even a Week

Sometimes, giving your ad account a short break can work wonders.

Pausing the campaign allows the system to reset, which can lead to improved performance once you resume.

This break can help clear any accumulated issues and give your ads a fresh start.

2. Create a New Campaign with the Same Ads

One effective trick is to create a new campaign using the same ad IDs.

By doing this, you can bypass any issues that might be affecting the current campaign's performance.

Let the new campaign run for 4-5 days, then analyze the results to see if there’s any improvement.

3. Change Bid Strategy

Experiment with different bid strategies like bid cap, cost per result, or ROAS goal while keeping the same ad IDs.

This adjustment can optimize your spending and target more effective opportunities in the ad auction.

Sometimes a different approach to bidding can unlock better performance.

4. Revigorate an Old Campaign

If you have an old campaign that previously delivered excellent results, try adding your current ads to it.

We’ve seen campaigns that continue to perform well when new ads are added, thanks to their optimized history.

This method can sometimes sustain good results for months.

Pro Tip: We've used this trick at my agency. We kept adding new ads to the same campaign for ~ 6 months, as new campaigns did not perform as well as the old one.

5. Consider Seasonality

Remember, ad performance can fluctuate with seasons.

While Meta ads can deliver great results year-round, some periods are inherently better than others.

Additionally, certain products might convert better on other platforms like Google Ads or TikTok. Don’t blame Meta; instead, consider market conditions and seasonal trends.

6. Iterate Your Ad Creatives

If you’ve had success with specific types of ads (like before/after comparisons, benefit call-outs, social proof, or testimonials), try creating similar ads with slight variations.

Sometimes all you need is a fresh hook or a new visual element to reignite performance.

Pro Tip: Create a Winning Promotion

If all else fails, take your best market-leading offer and craft a compelling promotion.

Use one outstanding ad creative and ad copy to promote this offer.

This focused approach can often drive significant results when other strategies have stalled.

In summary, sudden drops in Meta ad performance can be frustrating, but they are a common occurrence.

By understanding the nature of these fluctuations and implementing the strategies outlined above, you can quickly turn things around and get your campaigns back on track.

Have you experienced a sudden drop in your Meta ad performance?

If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out.

Stay tuned for our next issue, where we will delve into advanced techniques for optimizing your Meta ad campaigns.