For a list of all possible automation fields and format, consult this table.
At the campaign and ad set levels, by default each item in the feedst results in an automated output. At the ad level, the number of created ads depends on whether you're creating a carousel ad or using an Image or Video Template with multiple items.
You set up automation separately at each level of the campaign hierarchy. Among other things, this means you can use a different data feed for each level.
Tip While you're setting up the automation, we encourage you to use the feed explorer: it helps you to visualize what your automation output will look like.
Before you start
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For the basic steps on creating a campaign, see Create a regular campaign manually.
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Set up data feeds and connect them as automation feeds to Smartly.
- Create image and video templates.
Tip Do you want to check what automation feeds have been connected to Smartly, or connect a new feed? Click Configure feeds.
Create an automated campaign, ad set or ad
- Under Campaign/Ad Set/Ad Automation section, toggle automation on.
Do this only at the levels you want to automate. For example, if you only want to automate the ads, only enable automation at the ad level. - In Data Source, select the automation feed that provides the data.
By default, ad set and ad levels inherit the feed settings from their parent level, but you can change the preselected feed if you're using multiple feeds. - Enter a name for your campaign, ad set and/or ad, following a sustainable naming convention. You can use static text, feed data, or naming macros in the names, or a combination of all of these.
- Meta only: define feed filtering, grouping and sorting.
- Meta only: under Limit the number of campaigns / ad sets / ads, choose the maximum number of items to be created based on feed data.
- Fill in other fields using data from the feed to automate the individual field inputs. See how to use feed data in input fields.
You can also use feed data to automatically update the status of a campaign, ad set, or ad. See more on how to automatically activate or pause campaigns, ad sets, or ads, or how to archive or delete them. - When you're done creating the campaign, ad sets and ads, review your campaign and publish it.
You can also use the review page while you're still working on content. Click Review and publish to check what the automation output would be with your current settings, and come back to adjust them as needed.
Publishing rules
Under Advanced publishing rules You can choose if Smartly automatically updates your campaigns with every update that involves changes in the feed or if you first want to review the changes and publish manually.
Smartly automation aims to minimize archiving ads and creating new ones when feed data changes. Instead, we update the ads whenever possible.
The following actions trigger ad updates:
- Changes in feed content (for example, a headline changes).
- New feed items are added to an existing group (for example, an existing ad gets a new headline)
- For Google Ads, removing feed items (rows) from a group (for example, one of the headlines is removed) but the group still has enough items to populate the ad.
In other platforms, if an item (feed row) is removed from a group, the old ad is archived and a new ad is created with the remaining items in the group
The following actions cause ads to be archived:
- Feed items (row) are removed AND grouping is not used.
- Feed items (rows) are removed AND the group does not have enough items to create an ad (for example, one of two Carousel ad cards is removed; at least two cards are needed for a Carousel ad.)
Set a maximum limit on the campaigns, ad sets or ads created (Meta only)
Set a limit on how many automated campaigns, ad sets, or ads can be in active or paused state at the same time. This affects both how many campaigns, ad sets, or ads automation creates at a time and how automation archives existing ads.
For example, with a maximum limit on ads, Smartly automatically creates new ads when the feed data changes, but it also archives any existing ads that go over the limit or it doesn't create potential new ads.
Under Limit the amount of..., define the maximum number of campaigns, ad sets per campaign, or ads per ad set.
Note When you set a limit, take into account the filtering, grouping, and sorting settings you have defined. For example, the sorting order determines where the limit is drawn and whether existing ads are archived or potential new ones are not created.
Using multiple feeds in a campaign
If you change the selected feed and the same feed is used at the level below in the campaign hierarchy, the feed is also updated to that level automatically. For example, if you're using the same feed at all levels, just change it at the campaign level and that's it!
If you're using different feeds at different levels, select how you want to distribute the automated ad sets to the automated campaigns, or the automated ads to the automated ad sets/campaigns:
- Only create the ad sets in designated campaigns, or the ads in designated ad sets.
- Define a matching rule that determines which ad sets go to which campaigns (or ads to ad sets or campaigns). The rule defines the feed fields at both levels and the operator used for the matching.
- In a matching rule, we recommend that you use same column name in both feeds for the matching. For example, both your ad set feed and ad feed might have an Country field that you want to use to match which ads are created in which ad sets, such as only US ads in US ad sets.
- Create all the ad sets to all the campaigns, or all the ads to all the ad sets.
The campaign, ad set, or ad is now a 'template' that automation uses to create campaigns, ad sets, and ads when you publish. Check the bottom right corner of the automation settings: it shows how many campaigns and ad sets automation will create for you. For ads, only items are displayed: the number of ads created depends on which ad format you choose or how many items the Image or Video Templates of your choice need to consume.