be betta on meta (and beyond): The latest in Digital

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Shared Resources from the Instructors

🎯 Key Takeaways & Team Discussion Points

1. Meta Is Still the Primary Driver

• Despite frustrations with the platform, Meta (Facebook/Instagram) continues to deliver the strongest measurable ticket sales results for most venues and promoters.

• For many organizations, Meta remains the “anchor” of the digital ad strategy.

Team Discussion:

• Is Meta currently our strongest-performing paid platform?

• Are we allocating our budget accordingly?

2. Creative Matters More Than Ever

• Meta’s algorithm is increasingly prioritizing creative performance over highly detailed audience targeting.

• Video content, motion graphics, reels, stories, and multiple creative formats are becoming more important.

• Static graphics alone may not be enough to sustain performance.

Team Discussion:

• Are we creating enough video or motion-based content?

• Do we refresh creative often enough to avoid ad fatigue?

• What creative formats are performing best for us?

3. Broad Targeting & Advantage+ Are Changing the Game

• Meta is relying more heavily on AI-driven delivery and signals rather than manual audience targeting.

• Custom audiences still matter, but broad targeting and Advantage+ strategies are becoming increasingly effective when paired with strong creative and proper tracking setup.

Team Discussion:

• Are we testing broad targeting alongside custom audiences?

• Are we too reliant on old targeting methods?

4. Infrastructure Is Critical

• Ads only perform as well as the infrastructure behind them.

• Proper setup of:

  • Meta Business Portfolio

  • Pixel/Event Manager

  • Conversion tracking

  • Access permissions

  • Ticketing integrations
    is essential.

Team Discussion:

• Is our Meta setup fully organized and accessible?

• Do multiple team members have admin access?

• Are our pixels and conversions tracking properly?

5. Budget Timing Matters More Than Budget Size

• Spending money at the right time is often more important than spending more money.

• Most panelists emphasized:

  • lighter “on sale” spending,

  • minimal maintenance spending,

  • heavier “closeout” spending when audiences are most likely to purchase.

Team Discussion:

• Are we aligning ad spend with actual buyer behavior?

• Which genres or events tend to buy late vs. early in our market?

6. Learning Phase = Math Problem

• Conversion campaigns require enough budget to exit Meta’s “learning phase.”

• Small budgets may perform better using traffic objectives instead of conversion objectives.

Team Discussion:

• Are we selecting realistic campaign objectives based on our budgets?

• Should some campaigns prioritize awareness/traffic instead of conversions?

7. Retargeting Is Valuable

• Even low-budget “on sale” campaigns can provide valuable engagement and retargeting data for later campaigns.

• Building audience signals early can improve closeout performance later.

Team Discussion:

• Are we intentionally building retargeting audiences throughout campaigns?

• Are we leveraging past buyer and engagement data effectively?

8. Partnership Ads Are Growing in Importance

• Partnership ads (collab-style paid ads between venues and artists) are becoming easier and more effective.

• They help tap into artist audience signals without complicated custom audience setup.

Team Discussion:

• Should we begin testing partnership ads with artists?

• How can we streamline artist permission requests?

9. Other Platforms Still Matter

• Google/Search remains important, especially for capturing active intent.

• Reddit, TikTok, and other platforms may work well depending on audience demographics and budget size.

• Marketing works best when audiences encounter messaging across multiple touchpoints.

Team Discussion:

• Are we diversifying our digital marketing enough?

• Which secondary platforms make the most sense for our audience?

10. Ongoing Education Is Essential

• Meta changes constantly.

• The panel strongly emphasized continuous learning, peer collaboration, and sharing knowledge within the industry.

Team Discussion:

• How can we build regular marketing education into our workflow?

• What trainings, communities, or resources should we commit to following?

Immediate Action Items Suggested During the Training

• Audit Meta Business settings and permissions

• Ensure multiple admins have access

• Verify pixel/Event Manager setup

• Review ticketing platform integrations

• Refresh creative strategy

• Test new targeting approaches

• Focus on stronger tracking/reporting

• Continue learning and sharing best practices internally