Facebook Ads
Use GrowthLoop audiences for Meta Ads Manager targeting.
Connect this destination to export audience membership into Meta Ads Manager as a custom audience, for use in Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp campaigns.
This destination writes to your Facebook Ads account and is a good fit when you want to:
- Make GrowthLoop audiences available for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp ads
- Match contacts on the fields that improve match rates
This maps to GrowthLoop Audiences and Journeys:
| Use it for | Audiences | Journeys |
|---|---|---|
| Sending GrowthLoop audiences to Meta Ads Manager | ✓ | ✓ |
To send anonymous website visitors or conversion events, use Facebook Conversions. Do not use a Facebook Ads audience export for those workflows.
Prerequisites
Make sure you have:
- A Facebook business account associated with Meta Ads Manager.
- Permission to grant GrowthLoop access to that account.
- The Ad Account that should receive exported audiences.
Set up Facebook Ads as a destination
- In GrowthLoop, click the Destinations tab on the left sidebar.
- Click New Destination in the upper right corner.
- Search for Meta / Facebook Ads and click Add Meta / Facebook Ads.
- Log in to Facebook with the business account associated with Ads Manager.
- After you grant GrowthLoop access, enter the required information, then click Create.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Destination Name | Name this destination in GrowthLoop. Use a name so your team recognizes its purpose, like "Facebook Ads". |
| Sync Frequency | Set the default export frequency to Daily or Hourly. You can override this setting for individual exports. |
| Select Ad Account | Ads account that should receive exported audiences. |
GrowthLoop validates the connection. Facebook Ads then appears in your list of connected destinations.
Export to Facebook Ads
From within GrowthLoop, export from an audience or from a journey Destination Node. See Export an audience or Build a journey if you need more information on these steps.
After building or selecting an audience, click Export, then search for Meta / Facebook Ads. In a journey, add a Destination Node under Ads and select Meta / Facebook Ads.
Map contact identifiers
Map as many match fields as you can. Additional match fields improve match rates.
| Match field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Email address | |
| MADID | Mobile advertising ID |
| Phone | Phone number |
| Facebook App User ID | App-scoped user ID |
| Facebook Page User ID | Page-scoped user ID |
| First Name, Last Name | Name fields |
| City, State / Province, Country, Zip Code | Address fields |
| Date of Birth | Date of birth |
| Gender | Gender |
See Enhanced Match Rate if your organization has it enabled.
Configure the export
This is where you set the campaign type and schedule for audience exports. On a journey Destination Node, you set timing on the journey canvas.
| Setting | Audience export | Journey Destination Node |
|---|---|---|
| Export Name | Defaults to {audience name}_GL_Audience_{audience ID}. That is the name GrowthLoop creates in Ads Manager unless you change it. | Required. Enter a name so you can find the export in GrowthLoop and Ads Manager. |
| Campaign type | Choose a one-time or ongoing export. | The journey schedule controls when the journey runs and contacts are sent to Facebook Ads. |
| Custom Audience Status | Choose New to create a custom audience, or Existing and select the audience. | Set this on the audience export. |
| Schedule | Set frequency, start date, end date, and days of the week for ongoing exports. | Users reach this node when the journey runs. Add a Delay Node or set Criteria Evaluation to control timing. |
Export behavior
This is what GrowthLoop writes when you export an audience.
| Behavior | What happens |
|---|---|
| What GrowthLoop writes | A customer audience in Meta Ads Manager. Direction is GrowthLoop → Meta. |
| When it runs | GrowthLoop sends the export as a batch on the next successful run. An export that starts Now runs within about 15 minutes. Journeys send exports on demand when users reach the Destination Node. |
| New custom audience | GrowthLoop creates a custom audience with the export name and adds members. |
| Existing custom audience | GrowthLoop adds members to the audience you selected. |
| One-time exports | GrowthLoop sends current membership once. |
| Ongoing adds and removals | Ongoing exports add contacts who enter the audience and remove those who leave. |
| Deletes | GrowthLoop does not delete the Meta custom audience. |
| Placements | Use the audience in campaigns with Manual Placements to serve ads on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or other placements. |
Confirm the export was successful
When the run finishes, confirm you can use the data in Facebook Ads.
- Audience export: In Ads Manager, type Audiences into the quick search tool in the lower left of your ad account. Look up the audience named after the export. Look for the
_GL_Audience_name unless you changed Export Name. - Journey Destination Node: In Audiences, look up the custom audience named after the export. Confirm a contact who reached the node is in it.
NoteWhen you create a Campaign with your business account, you can select Manual Placements to direct ads to Facebook, Instagram, and/or Messenger, among other customizations. For more information on creating and curating an ad campaign with Facebook, see Meta's ad campaign help.
In GrowthLoop, review counts on the audience Exports tab, or open the Activity tab on the journey Destination Node. See Export an audience or Monitor a journey for more information.
Congrats on successfully exporting to Facebook Ads!
Troubleshooting
These are the issues we see most often. You can always email us at [email protected] for help.
| Problem | Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Connection fails to validate | OAuth did not complete, or you signed in with the wrong Facebook account | Log in with the business account that owns the Ad Account and grant GrowthLoop access |
| Audiences land in the wrong account | The wrong Ad Account is selected | Edit the destination and select the Ad Account that should receive exports |
| Existing audience does not update | Custom Audience Status is New, or the selected audience belongs to a different ad account | Choose Existing and select an audience from the connected Ad Account |
| Rows fail to match | Too few match fields are mapped | Map as many match fields as you can |
| The audience is missing in Ads Manager | You are looking in campaigns, or you are searching for the unsuffixed audience name | Search Audiences in the quick search tool in the lower left. Look for the _GL_Audience_ name unless you changed Export Name |
Updated 16 days ago