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Meta (Facebook) Ads

Step-by-step guide to setting up a Meta ad for app installs with attribution tracking in Grovs.

Running app install campaigns on Facebook and Instagram can drive significant downloads, even without integrating the Meta SDK. This guide covers how to set up a Meta ad campaign with Grovs attribution tracking.

Before you begin, make sure you have:

1

Access Meta Ads Manager

  1. Go to Meta Ads Manager.
  2. Click Create to start a new campaign.
  3. Choose App Promotion as your campaign objective.
  4. Select App Installs as your goal.

You can use any campaign objective -- Grovs tracks all actions regardless of the goal you select.

2

Create a Grovs tracking link

Instead of linking directly to the app store, use a Grovs-generated link for better tracking and device-based redirection. Grovs dynamic links route users to the correct store or open the app directly if already installed.

  1. Go to your Grovs dashboard.
  2. Click + New link.
  3. Select Meta as the ad platform.
  4. Fill in the link details (title, subtitle, tags, social media preview).
  5. Create and copy the link.
  6. Paste the copied link into your Meta ad instead of a direct store URL.
3

Set up audience targeting

Define your target audience:

  • Location -- choose regions where your app is available
  • Age and Gender -- set demographics based on your ideal user base
  • Interests and Behaviors -- target users interested in similar apps or relevant categories
  • Custom Audiences (optional) -- upload customer lists or retarget users who engaged with previous ads
4

Select placements

  1. Choose Automatic Placements (recommended) to let Meta optimize delivery across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network.
  2. Alternatively, select Manual Placements to control where your ad appears (e.g., Instagram Stories, Facebook Feed).
5

Set your budget and schedule

  1. Budget -- set a daily or lifetime budget aligned with your campaign goals.
  2. Bid Strategy -- choose Lowest Cost for automatic bidding or Cost Cap for a target CPI.
  3. Schedule -- choose a start and end date, or run the campaign continuously.
6

Create your ad

  1. Format -- select Single Image, Carousel, or Video Ad.
  2. Media -- upload high-quality images or videos highlighting your app's features.
  3. Primary Text -- write a compelling description that encourages downloads.
  4. CTA -- choose Install Now and link it to your Grovs tracking link from step 2.
  5. Preview -- review how your ad will look across placements.
7

Publish and monitor performance in Grovs

  1. Click Publish to launch your campaign.
  2. Use Grovs Analytics to monitor performance:
    • Installs -- total new users who installed the app
    • Reinstalls -- users who previously uninstalled and reinstalled
    • Reactivations -- users who became active again through the ad
    • Average time spent -- measures post-install engagement
  3. Adjust targeting, budget, or creatives based on the data.