How to run Facebook/Instagram/Google ads without wasting all your money

Should I try running ads to drive traffic to my site? How much will it cost? Will I lose money?

  • How do I run Facebook/Instagram/Google ads without wasting my money? 
  • How much should I spend?
  • What is A/B testing and why is is so important?

How do I run Facebook/Instagram/Google ads without wasting my money?

Here’s a run down on how to start and what to do so that you don’t just waste all your money:

The high level answer is that there is a fair amount to learn about how to run FB ads really well and economically. Most people waste a lot of money in a month or two then back off and stop entirely because they lost money. The plan is:

1. This first step is RESEARCH and learning. It should take a few days or weeks if you’re going slowly. Learn all you can by Googling and YouTubing videos and pages such like these:

2. Start with one campaign. A campaign can be one ad, or a group of ads… I suggest you start with three ads, all set up as one campaign.

The reason you set up a few ads as ONE campaign is so you can A/B test the ads.

What will happen, is Facebook or Google will rotate through your three ads one after the other. So they will each be shown the same number of times basically.

A/B Testing – the KEY to running ads

A/B testing means testing ad “A” against ad “B”. The idea is that the ads are similar, and we want to see which one more people click on, or purchase from, when the two ads are shown to the public an equal number of times.

Facebook or Google, etc will run your two ads one after the other, A, then B, then A, then B, etc.  They both get the same amount of exposure to the public.

Then after a period of time, say a week or 10 days, or a month, we look at which ad performed better.

Then, we take the best performing ad, and we make a copy of it. Now we make ONE change to the copied ad. For example, we change the colors, or the photo, or the wording. But we only change one thing – this is important. 

Then we run the ORIGINAL ad against the COPIED AD (with the one change) and we see which one performs better. 

We do that over and over again normally, learning which things our audience responds to. 

You don’t need to limit your campaign to two ads either.. you can run many ads in one campaign, as long as only ONE things is changed in each ad, then it’s a fair A/B test. It helps us learn which little changes the audience responds to. 

Start slowly with small spends of only $25-$50 per week to see what’s working and what’s not. So you will set a weekly limit for this campaign of say $25 or so.

3. Run your campaign, see what happens.

4. Now you become a data detective. You need to see which of the three ads out performed the others. Hopefully this will be the case and one will have done better, if not keep trying different marketing messages, photos, wording, colors, etc.

5. Revise and improve on the ad that outperformed the others on your first campaign. Try changing ONE thing on that ad, such as the wording, or the photo, or the colors. Just change one, so you will know if that change mattered… did it help or hurt performance?

5. Set up your second campaign using the original ad, and the 2 new variations of that ad you’ve made. So they are very similar aside from different wording, or photo, or colors.

6. Run that new campaign and see if any of your ads improved upon the performance of the original. Keep doing this: Select the top performer and set up a new campaign that tests variations of the top performer to see what gets the most clicks or conversions.

7. After some weeks, or months, you’ll start to get good at knowing what will work or not. Also try different audiences. This is also a hugely critical part of the your ad – the audience or demographic – that sees your ads. Facebook and Google allow you to control this to some degree.

8. Keep revising and learning, and grow your weekly $$ ad spend as your results and conversions increase and you become more comfortable using the Facebook or Google Ads Managers.

9. Keep solid records of every campaign so you know what ads worked and which audiences worked
 

How much should I spend on Facebook Ads?

Start with a weekly budget of $25-$40. You can set this limit within your ad campaign settings. Increase this amount as you begin to see conversions and you’re making at least as much as you’re spending.

Can I choose to run Instagram ads also when using Facebook Ads manager?

Yes. Both Facebook and Instagram are owned by the same parent company, Meta… so when you’re setting up your Facebook ads you can choose to also run them on Instagram if you like.

Top 10 Actionable Tips you can use to get started using Facebook Ads:

  1. Set Clear Objectives: Start by defining your goals for your Facebook Ads campaign. Facebook offers a variety of objectives like Brand Awareness, Reach, Traffic, Engagement, Conversions, etc. Choose an objective that aligns with your business goals.
  2. Know Your Audience: Understanding your target audience is crucial. Gather data about your customers’ demographics, interests, and behaviors. Use this information to target your ads effectively.
  3. Choose the Right Ad Format: Facebook offers several ad formats such as image, video, carousel, slideshow, and collection. Choose a format that best suits your message and audience.
  4. Learn everything you can about A/B testing and the most common and smart ways to do it. 
  5. Design Engaging Ads: Your ad design should be visually appealing and engaging. Use high-quality images or videos, compelling headlines, and clear, concise ad text. Remember to include a clear call-to-action (CTA).
  6. Optimize for Mobile: Most Facebook users access the platform via mobile. Ensure your ads look good and perform well on mobile devices.
  7. Set Up Facebook Pixel: Facebook Pixel is a code that you place on your website. It collects data that helps you track conversions from Facebook ads, optimize ads, build targeted audiences for future ads, and remarket to people who have taken some kind of action on your website.
  8. Test and Optimize: Test different versions of your ads (A/B testing) to see what works best with your audience. This could be changing the ad text, headline, image, or call-to-action. Use the insights to optimize your future ads.
  9. Monitor Ad Performance: Regularly check your ad performance using Facebook Ads Manager. Pay attention to key metrics like reach, impressions, clicks, and conversions to understand if your ads are working.
  10. Set a Budget and Schedule: Decide how much you want to spend on your Facebook Ads campaign and set a daily or lifetime budget. Also, schedule your ads to run continuously or within a specific date range.
  11. Learn From Others: Look at successful ads from businesses similar to yours for inspiration. Learn from their ad strategies to improve your own.

Related posts:

  1. Marketing Basics
  2. Building The Actual Business
  3. Steps To Start A Business
  4. How To Use Social Media

Do you need help with your new business?

I help people with their business questions and goals. I've helped hundreds and I can give you the guidance and mentoring you need to figure out every step. Why learn the hard lessons yourself, when you can consult with an expert who can save you valuable time and money?

Contact me with information about exactly what you need. My private entrepreneur coaching rates are affordable, with a money back guarantee if you're not happy.

Shoot Me An Email!