Understanding The Main Differences Between Power Editor and Ads Manager for Facebook Ad Campaigns.
Like many entrepreneurs and social media managers, you’ve probably found your way into Facebook Business Manager at some point within the last few years. And, odds are, you were confused at some point. Business Manager is notorious for it’s confusing interface and awkward navigation. However, after writing it off for some time, I’ve come to appreciate it for what it’s worth…and I do believe Facebook has upped its game on the dashboard.
I still come across the question on a regular basis of what the difference is between Power Editor and Ads Manager, two sections within the Business Manager dashboard that seem very similar and maybe redundant at first glance. So, naturally when these questions pop up, I research to figure it out.
First, let’s start out by stating that there USED TO BE more differences between the two ads creation tools. However, there have been adjustments to Ads Manager over the last couple years and it’s now slowly resembling Power Editor more and more. So, yes, if you’re thinking they look oddly familiar, you’re not crazy!
Both Ads Manager and Power Editor both allow you to create ads on the three main levels within Facebook ads: campaigns, ad sets, and ads. Both allow you to edit ads, use customs audiences, and other key features within the Facebook ad world.
Power Editor has always been set up as the more advanced tool for managing ads on Facebook, whereas Ads Manager has a reputation for being good for the basics. Compared to Ads Manager, Power Editor has a few advanced functions that allow you to combine actions across a large group of ads more effectively and efficiently than in Ads Manager.
So, what are the big differences?
- Duplication: If you find that you’ll be creating an ad campaign where you need to copy over a lot of settings and ads, Power Editor is the tool to use. It’s easy to select the level of ad content you want to copy (campaign, ad set, or ad) and duplicate that over. For fast and easy duplication, Power Editor is the quickest tool.
- Mass Changes: For small editors and adjustments to ads, Ads Manager is the best tool to use. However, if you want to change something across multiple ads, Power Editor is a great tool for this. You can select multiple ads and change the headline for all selected efficiently with Power Editor, saving time. If you only have a handful of ads running, you won’t notice a difference between the two tools. However, if you’re running a HUGE campaign with a client with a large budget and scope, you’ll appreciate the “power” behind Power Editor.
- Insights: One of the most important parts of any digital advertising is checking the stats and data. Ads Manager offers the more user-friendly look at data for any of the different levels of an ad campaign (campaign, ad set, or ad) and allow you to easily filter the data for different types of data, selected time periods and more. Power Editor provides insights as well, but you have to go over to the report section, rather than the main view within Power Editor.
- Dark Posts: If you’re new to the term Dark Social, go check out a little bit about what this type of content is. Power Editor allows you to create dark posts, whereas Ads Manager only allows for more traditional (and simple) ads instead.
Big Takeaways:
- If you’re new to ads, start with Ads Manager and get a feel for the overall system within Facebook Business Manager.
- If you are running a handful of ads with a smaller overall budget, Ads Manager may be where you want to stay as a whole.
- If you are running enterprise level (or large complex campaigns), Power Editor is a great place to go to manage the numerous ads and combinations of ads. Usually the more advanced advertisers with highly complex ad campaigns will gravitate toward Power Editor.
- Try out both tools within Facebook Business Manager and see: you may find that one matches your own personal preference more than the other!
We utilize a lot of data on our team for our own campaigns, as well as our client projects, and Facebook’s data continues to be some of the best and most relevant data available today. It’s no wonder that more and more of our clients are turning to social media advertising to help get the word out about their brand.