Pictured above is the Meta ads user interface (UI)—specifically, the campaign view. If you’re unfamiliar with the UI, it can seem overwhelming with all the columns, rows, data, and hidden tabs. Sum Digital is here to help you navigate the UI and find everything you need! Please note that this guide is exclusively for navigating the UI for reporting purposes—not building ads or optimizing.
1.) Drop-Down Menu
First, outlined at the top, you’ll see a drop-down menu (1) where you can select different ad accounts. Make sure that the account you want to analyze is the one that’s shown in the box. Slightly below that, you’ll also see three separate tabs for campaigns, ad sets, and ads. As you may know, campaigns house ad sets, and ad sets house ads. By switching between each tab, you’ll be able to navigate between campaigns, ad sets, and ads. You can also view the setup of a campaign, ad set, or ad by clicking on its blue linked name or by clicking “edit” when you hover over the pen icon in its respective row. By ticking off a specific campaign box on the far left, you can ensure you’re only viewing relevant ad sets and ads.
2.) Filters
Right below the drop-down menu is the filter (2) search bar. This allows you to filter by campaign name, if an ad had delivery, campaign objective, and more. Knowing how to effectively filter is important since accounts often have a lot of data, and you need to be able to find what you’re looking for.
3.) Date Ranges
At the top of the page in the far-right corner you’ll see a date range (3). Adjusting the date range will allow you to view performance for a specific time period. There are preset periods like the last 14 days or past month, but you can also customize it for the exact dates you’re interested in. This is an extremely important but often muddled step of data analysis, where marketers will pull data but be looking at the incorrect time range. ALWAYS be sure to check the date range before doing any data analysis.
4.) Columns
Next, we’re going to discuss columns (4). Different columns will allow you to see different metrics for campaigns, ad sets, and ads. Some of the most common columns/metrics that advertisers look at include amount spent, link clicks, impressions, purchases, purchases conversion value (revenue), and more. You can select the columns you want to look at by clicking “columns,” and then scrolling down and clicking “customize columns.” From there, your screen will look like the picture below, and you can select the metrics that you’re interested in. Note: You can save these columns by clicking “save as a column preset” at the bottom. This will ensure that your preferred columns are readily available for whenever you want to view data, saving valuable time.
5.) Breakdowns
Directly to the right of the “columns” button at the top, you’ll see “breakdown” (5). While you may want to have a mental breakdown after navigating the Meta UI, this is not that type of breakdown. In the breakdown drop-down menu, you can find any number of data breakdowns, which essentially allow you to view the data through a different lens. For instance, if you select the age breakdown, you can see how each campaign/ad set/ad performed, broken out by age bracket. This is particularly helpful if you want to see how your ads perform among different generations of users. You can also look at performance by gender, by platform (FB vs. IG), by day, by device (iPhone vs. Android vs. desktop), and more.
6.) Exporting Data
Lastly, we’re going to look at how to export data (6) from the UI. This is especially useful if you want to pivot the data in Excel and analyze it from various different views. This is better for larger analyses because pivoting is quicker and more navigable than the UI. To export data, simply click the export drop-down and select “export table data.” From there, you can name your report and export as a .xls file to your desktop. It should be noted that whatever data you are currently looking at on the UI is what will be exported. So, if you’re missing columns or breakdowns in the UI, they also won’t show up on the exported datasheet. As such, take care to double check the columns, the date range, and the breakdowns before exporting or you’ll be forced to export again later.
And that’s about it! There are many fun, hidden nuances to the Meta UI (read as: not fun and extremely hard to find) that make navigating this labyrinth even more difficult. That’s saying nothing of the small bugs that pop up from time to time. The most important takeaway from all this would be to double check everything and try resetting ads manager if you run into any odd problems. Godspeed and good luck, brave marketer.