Automated Rules allow you to save time and increase efficiency by automating changes to your campaigns, ad sets, and ads when specific conditions have been met. In this post, you’ll learn how to access and set up these rules to enhance ad performance.
To access Automated Rules, use the All Tools menu in Ads Manager and you’ll find it within the Advertise group.
Click to create a rule at the top left…
A Note on Rules Templates
Originally, advertisers were provided multiple options for templates that they could choose from when creating an Automated Rule.
Templates covered ways to automatically control Advantage+ Creative, Auction Overlap, and Audience Fragmentation. This is no longer the case.
Truthfully, these rules always felt out of place. They didn’t trigger based on performance or any metric. This is the entire purpose of the custom rules. That said, these are still available — they just aren’t part of Automated Rules.
Items within these templates can now be found within Automatic Adjustments on your Account Overview page.
Custom Rule
Now when you click to create an Automated Rule, you’ll be taken through the custom rule creation process.
Custom rules are for when you want to automate changes that you typically make manually based on performance. You may turn an ad set off or lower budget based on a high Cost Per Action. You could increase the budget of a high-performing ad set. Or you might increase or decrease manual bids. Since you can have these actions run in the background automatically, it can improve your efficiency.
First, decide whether you want this rule to apply to all active campaigns, ad sets, or ads.
If you want to limit the execution of this rule to specific campaigns, ad sets, or ads, see the end of this post.
Next, select the action that you want this rule to execute. You have the following options, depending on whether rules apply to campaigns, ad sets, or ads:
Campaigns: Turn off/on, send notification, or adjust budget.
Ad Sets: Turn off/on, send notification, adjust budget, or adjust bid.
Ads: Turn off/on or send notification.
Set the conditions when your rule would apply.
Define a time range to determine the amount of data to base your rule on. For example, you may want to increase budget by 10% if Cost Per Conversion is under $10 for 7 days.
Determine how frequently the rule will run. This is different from the time range, which determines the amount of data the rule is based on. You could have a rule run once per day that is based on the prior 7 days of data.
And finally, determine how you’d like to be notified.
Here’s an example of what a rule could look like to increase the budget 10% if Cost Per Purchase is under $20, pulling from three days of data and checking on a daily basis…
Apply to Specific Campaigns, Ad Sets, or Ads
When you create rules from the Automated Rules section, they will apply to all active campaigns, ad sets, or ads. But, you can create or apply rules to specific advertising, too.
From the Ads Manager table view, check the box of a campaign or ad set that you want a rule to apply to. Then click the Rules dropdown menu and select from the following options:
- Create a New Rule
- Apply an Existing Rule
- View Active Rules
- Manage Rules
If you create a new custom rule, you’ll see that you have the option of applying this rule to advertising you selected or all that is active.
Your Turn
Do you use Automated Rules? What kinds of rules do you use?
Let me know in the comments below!
