📊 Meta Ads Campaign Management Guide

Complete step-by-step guide for Aria to create and manage Meta advertising campaigns

⚠️ Critical Safety Warning

NEVER launch a campaign with unresolved critical blockers. Critical blockers indicate compliance risks, missing infrastructure, or legal issues that could result in ad rejection, wasted budget, or regulatory problems. Always resolve all critical blockers before launch.

1. Accessing the Meta Ads Page

1 Open the Command Center dashboard at https://dashboard.thesherminator.com

2 In the left sidebar, click "Simbioza Meta Ads"

3 You'll see the campaigns list page with all active and planned campaigns

2. Understanding the Campaign List

Campaign Status Pipeline Banner

At the top of the page, you'll see a horizontal pipeline banner showing all campaign lifecycle stages with live counts:

Being Defined → Defined → Live → Paused → Closed
Each stage shows the count of campaigns currently in that stage
Stages with 0 campaigns are grayed out
Click any stage pill to filter the campaign list to only that stage
Click again to clear the filter and see all campaigns

💡 Quick Navigation

Use the pipeline banner to quickly jump to campaigns in a specific stage. For example, click "Live" to see only active campaigns, or "Being Defined" to review campaigns still in planning.

Blocker Alert Banner

When any campaign has active blockers, a red collapsible banner appears at the top showing:

"X blocker(s) needs attention (N critical, N high, N medium)"
Banner is collapsed by default to avoid clutter
Click to expand and see each blocker with:
- Severity badge (Critical/High/Medium)
- Campaign name
- Blocker title
- Resolution guidance
Click any blocker row to scroll to that campaign and auto-open the Campaign Formation tab
Banner disappears entirely when there are zero blockers across all campaigns

🔄 Live Data — Always Fresh

Campaign data is now served from a live backend API — not a static file. Every time the page loads, the Command Center fetches the latest campaign status, blocker state, and pixel health directly from the backend. The "Updated: just now" timestamp next to the campaign count confirms data freshness. You never need to manually refresh to see current state.

⚠️ Never Ignore the Blocker Banner

If you see critical blockers in the banner, address them immediately before launching any campaigns. Critical blockers represent compliance risks or broken infrastructure that will cause campaign failures.

Campaign Card Metrics

Each campaign card shows 5 key metrics at a glance:

Metric	What It Means
Launch Ready	Score out of 100 showing campaign readiness. Color-coded: green (80-100) = "Launch Ready", yellow (50-79) = "Almost Ready", red (0-49) = "Not Ready". Calculated from blockers and infrastructure completeness.
CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)	Target or actual cost to acquire one customer. Lower is better.
CTR (Click-Through Rate)	Target or actual percentage of people who click the ad. Higher is better.
Budget	Daily spend limit with budget burn indicator showing % of lifetime budget spent (green under 70%, yellow 70-90%, red 90%+). Shows "Spent: $X / $Y" below the progress bar.
CPL (Cost Per Lead)	Target or actual cost to get one lead. Lower is better.

Launch Readiness Score Breakdown

The Launch Ready metric is calculated as follows:

+40 points — No critical blockers
+20 points — No high-priority blockers
+20 points — Meta Pixel installed and active
+20 points — Visual assets uploaded and approved

Score interpretation:

80-100 (Green): "Launch Ready" — Safe to launch immediately
50-79 (Yellow): "Almost Ready" — Address remaining issues before launch
0-49 (Red): "Not Ready" — Critical work needed, do not launch

💡 Use Launch Ready as Your Go/No-Go Signal

You can quickly scan all campaigns and see which are ready to launch (green), which need minor fixes (yellow), and which need significant work (red) — all without opening individual campaigns.

Campaign Card Header Indicators

Each campaign card header now includes several at-a-glance status indicators:

Last Activity Timestamp

Directly below the campaign name, you'll see "Last activity: X ago" in small gray text. This shows when the campaign was last updated or had a report generated (e.g., "2 hours ago", "5 days ago"). Falls back to "Last activity: unknown" if no timestamp is available.

Pixel Status Badge

On the right side of the header row (before the expand chevron), a small pill shows pixel installation status:

"Pixel: Active" with green dot — Meta Pixel is installed and firing
"Pixel: Off" with red dot — Meta Pixel not installed (blocker)
Only appears when campaign formation data exists

Campaign Status Badges

Being Defined (orange) — Campaign is in planning phase
Defined (blue) — Campaign plan is complete, ready for launch prep
Live (green) — Campaign is actively running
Paused (yellow) — Campaign temporarily stopped
Closed (gray) — Campaign ended

Campaign Card Features

Click the card to expand and see full details
Three tabs in expanded view:
- Key Indicators — Performance metrics and AI recommendations
- Analysis Reports — Daily reports and insights
- Campaign Formation — Configuration details (blockers, ad sets, assets, targeting)

3. Creating a New Campaign

1 Click the "+ New Campaign" button (top right of the page)

2 A modal form will open. Fill in all required fields:

Required Fields

Campaign Name — Clear, descriptive name for the campaign

Good examples: "Simbioza Lead Gen - NY Only", "Chronic Conditions Test - Q2 2026"
Bad examples: "Test 1", "Campaign A"

Status — Choose based on your planning stage:

Being Defined — Use this when you're still planning. The system will create 5 default blockers for you to work through.
Defined — Use this only if you've already completed planning elsewhere and just need to track execution.

Target CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) — Dollar amount

How much you're willing to spend to acquire one paying customer
Example: If you expect 1 in 10 leads to convert and you want $50 CPL, your CAC would be around $500

Target CTR (Click-Through Rate) — Decimal format (0.02 = 2%)

Expected percentage of people who will click your ad
Healthcare industry average: 0.015 to 0.025 (1.5% to 2.5%)
Enter as: 0.02 for 2%, 0.035 for 3.5%

Daily Budget — Dollar amount per day

Meta will spend approximately this amount each day
Minimum recommended: $50/day for meaningful data
Start small: Test with $50-100/day before scaling

Lifetime Budget — Total budget for the campaign

Maximum total spend across the campaign's lifetime
Must be ≥ daily budget
Example: $50/day × 30 days = $1500 lifetime

Target CPL (Cost Per Lead) — Dollar amount

How much you're willing to spend to get one lead
Healthcare typical range: $20-80 per lead depending on condition and geography

3 Click "Create Campaign"

✅ Campaign Created!

Your new campaign will appear at the top of the list with "Being Defined" status, a Launch Ready score of 0 (red), and 5 default blockers. Now you're ready to populate the campaign formation details.

4. Populating Campaign Formation

Once your campaign is created, expand it and go to the "Campaign Formation" tab. You'll see several sections that need to be completed:

4.1 Understanding Blockers

Blockers are issues that prevent campaign launch. They're categorized by severity and directly impact your Launch Ready score:

Severity	What It Means	Action Required	Launch Ready Impact
Critical	Legal/compliance risk, broken infrastructure, or ad rejection risk	MUST resolve before launch	-40 points (prevents green score)
High	Missing essential components like tracking or landing pages	Should resolve before launch	-20 points (prevents green score)
Medium	Non-critical improvements or optimizations	Can launch without, but address ASAP	No direct impact on score

⚠️ Example Critical Blockers

"Verify Medicare Coverage Claim" — Ad copy says "Covered by Medicare" but service may not be. Compliance risk = ad rejection or legal trouble.
"Create Privacy Policy Page" — Lead form requires privacy policy URL but page doesn't exist. Meta will reject the ad.
"Switch app from Development to Live mode" — Campaign created in test mode won't actually run.

How to resolve blockers: Each blocker card shows a "Resolution" field with specific next steps. Each blocker also displays two timestamps: Created (when the blocker was first detected) and Last verified (when the system last confirmed it was still active). If a blocker's Last verified date is more than 7 days old, a "Stale — verify" indicator appears — this means the blocker may no longer be relevant and should be manually reviewed. To resolve a blocker directly from the UI, click the green "Resolve" button on the blocker card. This immediately marks it resolved and refreshes the campaign data. Note: auto-generated live blockers (such as the pixel check) will reappear if the underlying issue persists — the system re-checks on every fetch. Work through critical blockers first (to unlock the +40 Launch Ready points), then high-priority ones (to unlock the +20 points).

Watching your Launch Ready score climb: As you resolve blockers and complete infrastructure setup, watch the Launch Ready score increase. Your goal is green (80+) before launch.

4.2 Creating Ad Sets

Ad sets are groups of ads targeting specific audiences. Each campaign typically has 2-4 ad sets testing different angles.

What each ad set needs:

Name — Descriptive (e.g., "Chronic Conditions - Ages 55-70")
Daily Budget — Portion of campaign budget allocated to this ad set
Headline — Primary text in the ad (max 40 characters)
Primary Text — Main ad copy (max 125 characters for optimal performance)
Target Audience — Age range, location, demographics
Creative/Image — Visual asset (link to Roque's Studio for creation)

💡 Pro Tip: A/B Testing

Create multiple ad sets to test different messaging angles. For example: One focusing on "peace of mind", another on "saves time", and a third on "Medicare support". The system will track which performs best.

4.3 Visual Assets

Every ad needs high-quality visual content. Uploading approved assets contributes +20 points to your Launch Ready score.

Go to Roque's Studio (link in top navigation or from Campaign Formation tab)
Review existing asset library or request new designs
Each asset should have:
- Clear concept description
- Correct dimensions (1200x628 for feed ads, 1080x1920 for stories)
- File size under 5MB
- Approval status tracked
Once approved, link assets to specific ad sets
Verify the visual assets section shows "Complete" status (this unlocks the +20 Launch Ready points)

See Section 7 below for detailed Roque's Studio usage.

4.4 Targeting Configuration

Targeting determines who sees your ads. You'll need to specify:

Demographics:

Age range (e.g., 55-75 for Medicare-focused campaigns)
Gender (All, Male, Female, or custom)
Language (English for US campaigns)

Locations:

Geographic targeting (country, state, city, radius)
Example: "New York State" or "25-mile radius around Manhattan"

Interests:

Meta interest categories your audience cares about
Healthcare examples: "Health and wellness", "Medicare", "Chronic condition management"

Estimated Reach: The system shows how many people match your targeting. Aim for at least 50,000 for statistical significance.

4.5 Budget & Schedule

This section shows your budget allocation and when ads will run:

Daily Budget — Already set during campaign creation, but can be adjusted
Lifetime Budget — Total spend cap
Budget Burn Indicator — Once the campaign is live, the Budget metric card will show:
- Horizontal progress bar showing % of lifetime budget spent
- "Spent: $X / $Y" line below the bar
- Color coding: green under 70% spent, yellow 70-90%, red 90%+
- Campaigns not yet live show 0% with "Spent: $0 / $Y"
Schedule — Start/end dates or "run continuously"
Bid Strategy — How Meta optimizes your spend:
- Lowest Cost — Maximize results within budget (recommended for beginners)
- Cost Cap — Keep cost per result under a specific amount
- Bid Cap — Set maximum bid per auction

💡 Start with "Lowest Cost"

Let Meta's algorithm learn and optimize for at least 7-14 days before switching to more advanced bid strategies.

💡 Monitor Budget Burn Rate

Once your campaign is live, watch the budget burn indicator. If it's in the red (90%+ spent) and campaign is still running, consider increasing the lifetime budget or adjusting daily spend to avoid abrupt shutdowns.

4.6 Conversion Tracking

Critical for measuring campaign success and unlocking +20 Launch Ready points. You need:

Meta Pixel Installation:

Verify Meta Pixel is installed on simbioza.ai
Check status in Campaign Formation → Conversion Tracking section
If not installed, you'll see a blocker with installation instructions
Once installed and active, you'll see:
- "Pixel: Active" badge in campaign card header
- +20 points added to Launch Ready score

Conversion Events:

Define what actions count as "conversions"
Common events: Lead form submission, phone call, appointment booked, page view
At minimum, track "Lead" event when someone submits the form

Landing Pages:

Each ad set needs a landing page URL
Landing page must have Meta Pixel installed
Landing page should match ad messaging
Status tracked: "Live", "Not Created", "In Development"

🔑 Meta Token Expiry Monitoring

The backend automatically monitors Aria's Meta API token expiry. When the token is within 14 days of expiring, a high-priority blocker will automatically appear: "Meta token expiring in X days — refresh required." If the token is already expired, a critical blocker appears instead. This replaces the old manual, hardcoded approach — you never need to set this blocker manually. To refresh the token, Aria should generate a new long-lived token via the Meta developer portal and update /home/ubuntu/.openclaw/agents/frontend/backend/.env.local.

⚠️ Without Conversion Tracking

If conversion tracking isn't set up, you'll spend money but won't know which ads are working. Meta also can't optimize delivery. This is a common critical blocker — don't skip it! Additionally, your Launch Ready score will be capped at 60 (yellow) maximum.

5. Using Analysis Reports

Once your campaign launches, the "Analysis Reports" tab provides performance insights:

Report Types

Launch Report — Generated within 24h of campaign going live. Shows initial setup and baseline metrics.
Daily Report — Generated every morning. Highlights key metrics changes vs. previous day.
Planning Report — Created during campaign formation. Documents strategy and targeting decisions.

What Each Report Contains

Summary: High-level overview of campaign health

Highlights: Key wins or concerns

"CTR increased 15% — ad resonating well"
"CPL rising above target — may need creative refresh"

Observations: Data-driven insights from the analytics

Recommendations: Specific action items based on performance

💡 Review Daily Reports Every Morning

Make it a habit to check daily reports at the start of your day. React quickly to trends — advertising performance can shift fast.

6. Using the Knowledge Base

The Knowledge Base (accessible from the top navigation) contains reference material and best practices:

What's in the Knowledge Base

Meta Ads Best Practices — Industry benchmarks, optimization techniques
Healthcare Advertising Guidelines — Compliance rules specific to healthcare
Campaign Planning Templates — Frameworks for new campaign creation
Targeting Strategy Guides — How to define and refine audience targeting
Troubleshooting Common Issues — Solutions to frequently-encountered problems

When to Use the Knowledge Base

Before creating a new campaign (review planning templates)
When performance drops (check troubleshooting guides)
When unsure about compliance (review healthcare guidelines)
Quarterly for refreshers on best practices

7. Using Roque's Studio

Roque's Studio is where you request and manage visual assets for your campaigns.

Accessing Roque's Studio

1 Click "Roque's Studio" in the top navigation of the Meta Ads page

2 You'll see the asset library and project management interface

Requesting New Assets

Click "New Asset Request"
Fill in the creative brief:
- Asset Type: Feed image, story, video, carousel, etc.
- Campaign: Which campaign this is for
- Concept: Describe the visual idea (e.g., "Friendly elderly couple smiling, using tablet, warm lighting")
- Messaging: Key points the visual should convey
- Dimensions: Required size (auto-suggested based on asset type)
- Due Date: When you need it by
Submit request — Roque will review and either create or provide feedback

Reviewing Drafts

When Roque completes a draft, you'll see it in your "Pending Review" queue
View the asset and choose:
- Approve — Asset is ready to use in ads
- Request Changes — Provide specific feedback on what needs adjustment
- Reject — Start over with a new concept (use sparingly)

Managing Your Asset Library

Search/Filter: Find assets by campaign, status, or type
Download: Get final files for upload to Meta Ads Manager
Archive: Remove outdated assets from active library

💡 Plan Ahead

Request assets at least 3-5 days before you need them. Good creative takes time, and you may need revision rounds. Remember: approved assets contribute +20 points to your Launch Ready score.

8. Pre-Launch Checklist

Before launching any campaign, verify:

☐ Launch Ready score is green (80-100) — This confirms all critical prerequisites are met

☐ All critical blockers resolved — No red "Critical" badges in Campaign Formation or Blocker Alert Banner

☐ Meta Pixel installed and firing — Pixel Status Badge shows "Pixel: Active" with green dot

☐ Landing pages live and working — Click each landing page URL and verify it loads correctly

☐ All ad sets have approved creatives — No "Not Created" or "Pending" image statuses

☐ Targeting audience size reasonable — Estimated reach shows 50K+ people

☐ Budget allocated correctly — Daily and lifetime budgets make sense for campaign goals

☐ Compliance review complete — For healthcare: no unverified medical claims, privacy policy exists, HIPAA compliance addressed

✅ Ready to Launch!

Once all items above are checked and your Launch Ready score is green, you're ready to create the campaign in Meta Ads Manager and start driving leads.

9. Post-Launch Monitoring

After launch, monitor performance closely for the first 72 hours:

First 24 Hours

Check hourly to ensure ads are delivering
Verify conversion events are firing (Conversion Tracking section)
Look for any Meta rejection messages
Check the Pixel Status Badge remains green ("Pixel: Active")
Monitor the Budget metric card's burn rate indicator

Days 2-7

Review daily reports each morning
Track CTR and CPL trends
Let Meta's algorithm learn (don't make changes yet unless critical issue)
Watch the "Last activity" timestamp to ensure reports are generating
Monitor budget burn — if approaching 70% (yellow), plan for next steps

Week 2+

Compare performance against targets
Review AI recommendations in Key Indicators tab
Use the Campaign Status Pipeline to track lifecycle progression
Decide whether to:
- Scale: Increase budget on high-performers
- Optimize: Adjust targeting or creative on underperformers
- Pause: Stop ads that consistently miss targets

⚠️ Avoid Frequent Changes

Every time you edit a campaign (budget, targeting, creative), Meta's algorithm resets its learning phase. Make changes sparingly — wait at least 3-5 days between optimizations.

10. Getting Help

If you run into issues or have questions:

Check the Knowledge Base — Most common questions are answered there
Review blocker resolution guidance — Each blocker has specific next steps
Use the Blocker Alert Banner — Quick access to all active blockers across campaigns
Ask Darrow — He coordinates the team and can route questions to the right specialist
Consult Roque for creative questions — Visual strategy and asset creation
Escalate compliance concerns to Gilad — Anything involving legal/regulatory risk

11. How the Backend API Works (Technical Reference)

This section is for agents who need to understand the data architecture when debugging or building on top of the campaign system.

API Endpoints

GET /api/meta-ads/campaigns — Returns all campaigns with live-injected blockers, pixel status, and token health
GET /api/meta-ads/campaigns/:id — Returns a single campaign by ID
PATCH /api/meta-ads/campaigns/:id — Updates campaign fields (status, budget, etc.)
POST /api/meta-ads/campaigns — Creates a new campaign record
PATCH /api/meta-ads/campaigns/:id/blockers/:blockerId — Resolve or snooze a specific blocker. Send {"status": "resolved"} or {"status": "snoozed"}.

Live Sync Behavior

On every GET /api/meta-ads/campaigns call, the backend runs the following checks against Meta's API (with caching to avoid hammering Meta):

Token validity — Checked on every fetch, cached for 1 hour. Surfaces expiry warning at 14 days.
Campaign status — Checked every 15 minutes. If Meta shows ACTIVE but Command Center shows Defined, a discrepancy flag is raised.
Pixel status — Checked every 30 minutes. If last_fired_time is stale or absent, the pixel blocker appears.
Ad account status — Checked every 60 minutes.

Blocker IDs

Auto-generated live blockers use stable, deterministic IDs (e.g., pixel-not-installed, token-expiring). This ensures the Resolve button always targets the correct blocker regardless of when the page was loaded. Manual blockers created via the API should use descriptive kebab-case IDs.

Credentials

Meta API credentials (access token, ad account ID, app ID, app secret) are stored server-side in /home/ubuntu/.openclaw/agents/frontend/backend/.env.local. They are never exposed to the frontend or committed to source control. Current token: valid, expires ~June 3 2026. Ad account: act_4042508855999639.

Document Version: 2.1 (2026-04-06)
Last Updated: April 5, 2026
Maintained by: Darrow (Chief of Staff)

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