When running Meta Ads, deciding how to allocate your budget is crucial. Should you control the budget for each ad set individually, or let Meta’s algorithm optimise it for you?
Here we explore Ad Set Budget Optimisation (ASBO) vs. Campaign Budget Optimisation (CBO), comparing their strengths and weaknesses to help you choose the right strategy.
Ad Set Budget Optimisation (ASBO) lets you control how much budget goes to each ad set in your campaign. You decide exactly how much to spend on different audiences, placements, or creative variations.
Audience Testing: You want to test multiple audiences and give each a fixed share of your budget.
Granular Control: You prefer to micromanage budgets for specific ad sets.
Testing Creatives: Running A/B tests? ASBO is great for assigning budgets to each variation.
Pros:
More control over budget distribution
Ideal for testing different audiences or creatives
Allows for more precise insights into ad performance
Cons:
Requires constant manual adjustments
Less flexibility for real-time budget shifts
Underperforming ad sets can waste your budget
Campaign Budget Optimisation (CBO) automates your budget allocation. You set a total budget at the campaign level, and Meta’s algorithm decides how much to spend on each ad set based on performance.
Scaling Campaigns: Ideal for large campaigns, as Meta automatically allocates more to the best-performing ad sets.
Saving Time: You don’t have to manually adjust budgets—Meta does it for you.
Long-Term Efficiency: Best for ongoing campaigns, where performance needs consistent optimisation.
Pros:
Automatically shifts budget to the top-performing ad sets
Saves time with fewer manual adjustments
Great for maximising efficiency and scaling campaigns
Cons:
Less control over individual ad set budgets
Small, niche audiences might be overlooked
Early top performers might dominate the budget, skewing results
ASBO gives you full control over where your budget goes.
CBO uses Meta’s AI to optimise budget allocation automatically.
ASBO is perfect for A/B testing audiences or creatives.
CBO is better for scaling up a successful campaign quickly.
ASBO lets you dig deeper into individual ad set performance.
CBO focuses on efficiency and automatically funds the best results.
Ad Set Budget Optimisation works best when:
You need tight control over where your money is going.
You’re testing a lot of different audiences or creatives.
You want to experiment with niche audiences or placements.
Example: You’re running a small campaign targeting niche audiences and want to make sure each gets a specific share of the budget for testing.
Campaign Budget Optimisation shines when:
You’re running a large-scale campaign and don’t want to micromanage.
You want Meta’s algorithm to handle budget shifts in real-time.
You’re looking for long-term efficiency and growth.
Example: You’re managing a campaign across multiple audiences and need a simple, automated way to allocate your budget for maximum ROI.
Here’s a quick rundown of when each strategy works best:
Feature | ASBO | CBO |
Control | Manual budget control | Automated budget distribution |
Best For | Testing audiences/creatives | Scaling large campaigns |
Time Investment | High (manual adjustments) | Low (automated) |
Budget Flexibility | Low (fixed budgets per ad set) | High (real-time budget shifts) |
Efficiency | Depends on manual changes | Algorithm maximises performance |
Ultimately, the choice between ASBO and CBO depends on your campaign objectives, budget size, and the level of control you want to maintain.
Choose ASBO if you’re focusing on testing and learning. It’s ideal for smaller, experimental campaigns where you need granular control over audience targeting and creative testing. With ASBO, you can allocate budgets based on your own insights and preferences, making it perfect for testing multiple strategies simultaneously. However, be prepared to invest time in manually adjusting the budgets as the campaign progresses.
Choose CBO if you're looking to scale or manage larger, long-term campaigns with minimal intervention. CBO leverages Meta's algorithm to distribute the budget in real-time, optimising for the best-performing ad sets. It’s designed for efficiency, letting you focus on broader campaign goals without needing to tweak individual ad sets. CBO is perfect for businesses aiming to scale up quickly, where automation and performance-based distribution take priority over granular control.
For most marketers, the answer lies in balance. ASBO is excellent for testing and gaining insights, while CBO is a great choice when you’re ready to scale and want to maximise ROI. A hybrid approach, using ASBO during the testing phase and switching to CBO for optimisation and scaling, can often deliver the best results.
Remember, successful advertising isn’t just about choosing one method over the other. It’s about understanding when each strategy works best and applying them accordingly to your business goals.
Struggling to decide between ASBO and CBO? Our team at Kaweb can help you choose the right strategy, optimise your ad budget, and get the best results from your Meta Ads. Contact us today for a consultation!
