Marin avoids daily budget tweaks because they resemble day trading, which is inefficient. He requires at least three days of consistent good results at the target CPA before increasing the budget.
Marin emphasizes the importance of product-market fit and a proven offer before running ads. His structure prioritizes product, offer, creative, and then technical ad account adjustments. Ads are seen as amplifiers for something already working.
Marin started as a digital marketing apprentice while studying computer science. He transitioned to freelancing and eventually joined Inspire Brand Group, where he advanced from junior to head of performance and eventually became a partner after seven years.
Marin disagrees because Facebook data shows that creatives account for 56% of ad performance. The remaining 44% includes factors like product-market fit, offer strategy, and technical ad account optimizations.
Marin suggests price anchoring and BOGO (buy one, get one) offers. For example, he increased conversion rates by 30% by tweaking a three-month bundle offer to a two-month bundle with an additional two months free, while maintaining the same margins.
Marin prefers quality over quantity, requesting four concepts per week, each with at least three variations. He focuses on maximizing the chances of finding a winning creative by testing different hooks, lengths, and thumbnails.
Marin uses Adset Budget Optimization (ABO) for sandbox testing, where each new ad set is a new concept. He scales winners within the testing campaign and graduates proven ads to Advantage Shopping Plus campaigns with cost caps for further scaling.
Cost caps allow Marin to set a maximum cost per result, ensuring Facebook only spends when it can meet the target CPA. This helps maintain profitability and prevents overspending on underperforming ads.
Marin uses a strategy called 'resurrection and handbrake.' He reduces the budget (handbrake) and duplicates the ad to give it a fresh chance (resurrection). If the ad performs well after duplication, he continues scaling; otherwise, he kills it.
Marin recommends aligning targets, ensuring inventory, avoiding ad account caps, and defining offers based on margins. He suggests using bundles to increase AOV while maintaining margins and leveraging data from previous years to forecast accurately.
In this episode of the 2X eCommerce podcast, host Kunle Campbell interviews Marin Istvanic, a partner at Inspire Brand Group, on effective strategies for scaling meta ads. Marin shares his insights on structuring, testing, and scaling ad campaigns, emphasizing the importance of product-market fit and optimal offers. He outlines best practices for sandbox testing using Adset Budget Optimization (ABO) and leveraging Advantage Shopping Plus for scaling. Marin also discusses the significance of creative quality over quantity, the use of cost caps for budget management, and how to maximize ad performance through meticulous testing and data analysis. The conversation covers Marin's journey from a freelance media buyer to an agency partner, his approach to managing client budgets, and his take on the creative vs. technical aspects of media buying. The episode concludes with practical tips for Q4 advertising and maximizing ROI during high-traffic periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
(00:00) - Scaling Meta Ads: An Advanced Playbook for eCommerce Growth → Marin Ištvanić
(01:22) - Podcast Introduction and Guest Welcome
(03:05) - Marin Istvanic's Journey into Media Buying
(12:00) - The Role of Creatives in Media Buying
(13:47) - Effective Offer Strategies for Better Conversion
(18:10) - Agency Operations and Client Management
(21:45) - Testing and Scaling Ad Campaigns
(27:57) - The Power of Data in Digital Marketing
(28:42) - Ad Copy Strategies and Testing
(29:55) - Static Images vs. Video Ads
(31:53) - Creative Diversification and Client Guidance
(33:14) - Optimizing Ad Performance Metrics
(35:12) - Scaling and Budget Management
(42:40) - Resurrecting and Adjusting Campaigns
(47:18) - Preparing for Q4 and Black Friday
(50:30) - Final Thoughts and Where to Find More Tips
Resources Mentioned in the Episode
Inspire Brand Group
Marin Ištvanić’s agency, specializing in Meta ad campaigns for eCommerce brands.
Website: Inspire Digital Group)
Funnel Calculator
A custom-built Google Sheets tool Marin uses to analyze drop-off points in the customer journey and optimize funnel performance.
Promised to be shared with the audience via the show notes.
ABO and Advantage Shopping Plus
Strategies discussed for testing and scaling ad campaigns.
Advantage Shopping Plus: A simplified Meta campaign type with exclusions and cost caps.
Analytics Tools
Triple Whale: Used to track key ad metrics like percentage of new visits and audience breakdowns.
Northbeam: Another analytics tool for tracking ad performance and audience behavior.
Connect with 2X eCommerce:
Get a Copy of Kunle’s BookElevate your e-commerce game with Kunle Campbell's book, "E-Commerce Growth Strategy: A Brand-Driven Approach to Attract Shoppers, Build Community and Retain Customers." Discover practical strategies and insights to boost your e-commerce growth.
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