Why Meta Ads Might Be Lying to You
We know, we know, Facebook Ads Manager can feel like the best thing ever—it helps you scale your business and bring in more sales, right? But here’s the thing: the data you see in Facebook Ads Manager is almost never totally accurate.
Here’s why: Meta doesn’t talk to other platforms like Google, TikTok, or your email provider. So, if someone sees your ad today but ends up buying through an email you sent, both Meta and your email provider will claim credit for the sale! It’s like a tug-of-war for the credit, and it can get super confusing. Talk about a headache, right? 😤
What does this mean for your business?
This means that Meta might show a really high ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), but that doesn’t necessarily mean your sales are directly coming from Facebook ads. It might look amazing on paper, but it’s not a true reflection of the actual sales that can be directly attributed to the ad.
So, how do you really know what’s going on?
We recommend using a third-party tool like Hyros, which will show you exactly how many sales actually came from the ad. We’ve been using it for years and—spoiler alert—it shows that Meta usually reports about 2x more sales than they should. If you’re advertising for a Comment Sold website, it's closer to 10x more than it should be!
Take a look at this screenshot: we’ve compared the numbers from Hyros (the black column) vs what Meta Ads Manager shows (spoiler: it’s not the same). See the difference? Huge, right?
Quick Tip: If you don’t want to implement a 3rd party tool, like Hyros and you’re running ads for a Shopify store, we recommend cutting Meta’s numbers in half. If you’re running ads for a Comment Sold website, try taking 1/10 of what Meta shows for a more realistic view. If you’re a CS user, another trick is using the 1-day attribution window in Ads Manager. It’ll give you a clearer picture of the sales you’re really driving.
🚩 Red Flag Alert: Be cautious of amazing ad results, especially if it's data straight from Meta Ads Manager. Results showing 25x ROAS for example, are not realistic. Be smart about where you're getting your numbers from.
TLDR: Meta’s reporting isn’t the full picture, so don’t make decisions based on inflated numbers. Whether we’re running your ads or not, we want you to make smart decisions when it comes to your ad spend.
Got questions? Don’t hesitate to ask! We’re always here to help you navigate this crazy ad world.