In short
Marketing School Podcast Episode Notes
Episode Title
How Google and Meta Are Using AI To Make Ads Easier For You
Episode Number
#2636
Hosts
Neil Patel and Eric Siu
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Episode Summary In this episode, Neil Patel and Eric Siu explore how Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance advertising effectiveness and ease of use. They discuss innovative features and tools like Performance Max and Advantage Plus that automate ad campaigns, enabling businesses to optimize their advertising efforts for better return on investment (ROI).
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Key Concepts and Features
- AI-Driven Campaigns
- Performance Max (PMax) on Google
- Automated end-to-end campaigns.
- Utilizes AI for targeting, ad generation, and optimization.
- Advantage Plus on Meta
- Similar automation capabilities for enhanced ad performance.
- Automation and Optimization
- Image and Ad Variation Generation
- Google's AI tools can generate multiple image variations based on user input, optimizing for the best-performing option.
- Responsive Search Ads
- Google uses AI to mix and match different ad copy elements for tailored ad experiences.
- Shift from Manual to Machine Learning
- Traditional manual optimization methods are becoming less crucial.
- Advertisers are encouraged to let AI learn from the data without frequent interruptions.
- Unique Content Creation
- Google ensures AI-generated images are unique to avoid duplication among advertisers using similar tools.
- Importance of standing out in a crowded advertising space is emphasized.
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Discussions and Insights
- The Data Advantage
- Google and Meta have vast amounts of user data, which is integral to effective AI implementation.
- Future of AI in Marketing
- Embracing AI is deemed essential for future marketing success.
- Companies that leverage AI effectively could see exponential growth (5-10x marketers).
- Incentives for Improvement
- Google and Meta's revenue heavily relies on advertising performance, providing them with strong incentives to enhance their AI capabilities.
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Additional Features Highlighted
- Meta's Image Expansion and Text Variations
- Tools to adjust image sizes and text variations to enhance ad aesthetic and performance.
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Conclusion The episode underscores the importance of adapting to AI technologies in marketing strategies. As Google and Meta refine their AI offerings, marketers must embrace these tools to remain competitive and achieve optimal advertising outcomes.
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Call to Action
- Subscribe and Engage
- Listeners are encouraged to rate, review, and subscribe to help grow the podcast.
- Further Learning
- For additional insights, check out related content on Neil Patel’s and Eric Siu’s YouTube channels.
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Links Mentioned in Episode
- [Performance Max](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/10724809?hl=en)
- [Advantage Plus](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1158447736893094)
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Feedback
- Listeners are invited to suggest topics for future episodes and leave feedback in the comments.
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Connect with Hosts
- Eric Siu: [Single Grain](https://www.singlegrain.com)
- Neil Patel: [NP Digital](https://neilpatel.com)
- Social Media
- [Neil Patel on X](https://twitter.com/neilpatel)
- [Eric Siu on X](https://twitter.com/ericosiu)
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*Note: This markdown file serves as a comprehensive guide to the podcast episode, focusing on the integration of AI in advertising by Google and Meta, and the implications for marketers.*
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00All right. So we're going to talk about how Google and Meta are actually making advertising easier for you through AI. And look, we know there's a lot of hype around AI right now, but the bottom line is both these companies have mountains and mountains and mountains of data. And data is really the X factor when it comes to this AI stuff. So Neil and I wanted to give some thoughts and we'll kind of go back and forth here. I'll kick it off first. I mean, look, you know, when it comes to the very easy stuff that you can start executing today, if you're running ads right now, Performance Max, also known as Pmax on Google or Advantage Plus on Meta.
0:32These are basically end-to-end automated campaigns that use AI to help you target. You can generate ads and optimize towards set goals. Yeah. And what we're seeing right now is these tools that Meta and Google are creating when it comes to AI, they're trying to do everything to also help you get better performance in a shorter period of time. So, for example, I don't know if you've actually seen Google's videos when they first started talking about this. you can end up saying like, I'm selling cat food and it'll end up coming up with tons of different image variations for you. And you can give it a prompt on how you want the image modified and it'll do it on the fly.
1:13And they can do tons of variations and figure out which ones convert the best for you. But they're trying to end up making it, they're trying to end up making it where you can end up getting more out of your ads in a shorter period of time and a better ROI. so that way you can scale up your ads faster. Yep. Look, another one is responsive search ads, right? So this is for Google and they use AI to mix and match different portions of their copy and they're looking to give you different permutations for the individual searcher. So it's just making sure that you are serving the right ad at the right time to the right audience.
1:49And what I would say is, just going back to the performance max thing, the old days of doing Google, for example, on Google ads, I do believe it's harder to run Google ads than meta. That's just my personal opinion. But the way was, oh, look at my account structure, look at my keywords. It's all about negative keywords here and all this bidding strategies and all this stuff, right? I'm not saying that stuff's not important, but it just is not as important anymore. And the old ways of doing optimizing for Google was you have to have someone that's Johnny on the spot, looking at the numbers every single day, optimizing every single day, making sure that you're making changes.
2:24And then typically the client, let's say, for example, they will look at the account and see how many changes you're making. So just to see how active you are now, it's kind of changing a little more where it's just like you just want to let the machines learn. And so you set it up to Neil's point. Let's say you're running for cats. You're going to get to a point in the future where it's like the ads will optimize themselves. And then what Performance Max does right now is like they might drive you to a blog post first on your website because they feel like you're the type where you're more you're in the discovery phase right now.
2:51And then maybe later they'll retarget you to another page that's a product display page. Right. So you have to kind of let the machines learn now, because if you keep disrupting the learning, you're not going to get the most optimal responses. And so we've seen in some cases where you have an account running and maybe for the first two or three months, you're not getting much at all. and it looks like it sucks, right? But then after month three, it just starts to take off and you kind of just leave it there. And it's kind of on maintenance mode. You're checking it every couple, maybe every week or so or every couple of days, but you're not checking it like every hour or so.
3:22Yeah, the other thing that Google's doing is they'll help you with the headlines now and descriptions. Another cool feature that they've introduced as well is when you use AI to help create images, they promise that no two images are going to be alike. So your image is your image. This way, when your competition uses similar tools to create an image, it won't be duplicative, even if it's their tool, right? So they'll make sure that yours is one of a kind. And I think that's super important because when everyone's using AI for headline generators, description generators, image generators, etc., the last thing you want is a ton of people in the same vertical using the same old stuff.
4:02It's going to be hard for the competition to figure out or the consumer to figure out how you're going to stand out or what makes you different. And that's the last thing that businesses want in which everyone's using the same stuff because it performs the best. It's like, no. And they know this. So they're working on making sure that, yes, they want you to have optimal performance. So having optimal performance while by being unique. These platforms have trillions of data points. And you have to think about their incentives. So the late Charlie Munker who died, passed away last week, rest in peace, he's always said the line that he says that really sticks with me is show me the incentive and I'll show you the outcome.
4:39And well, the Googles and metas of the world, they are still, they generate most of their revenue through advertising. And their incentive is to make sure that people are performing on their platform so they can continue to make money because these are both very good money printing machines, very good businesses. And so you can bet that these AI features are only going to get better over time. And I would just suggest that taking a look at the recent Google Marketing Live videos, the MetaConnect 2023, if you're actually an ad manager, maybe if you're running the business, not so much. But just understanding that in the next five to 10 years or so, the people that really embrace the world of AI, these are going to become five to 10x marketers versus the ones that actually try to resist it.
5:22Those are the ones that are going to be left behind. And lastly, make sure on Meta you check out the image expansion and text variations. It's really cool, especially the image expansion because sometimes you have really amazing images, but it's not the right size. And it can help you fix that and still look amazing. All right. That is it for today. Please don't forget to check out this next video over here. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. It helps us grow. And we'll see you tomorrow.

