Good vs. Bad Ad Strategy: 5 Common Mistakes & How To Fix Them

Does this sound familiar to you?

You’ve boosted a post before on Facebook. You spent some money for a few days and then you turned it off because “it wasn’t working.” Except… you’re not totally sure what “working” even looks like in the first place.

I’ve been running paid ads, both Meta and Google, since 2018. For myself, for other business owners, and for agencies. Now that I have been running The Paper Fox Collective for almost a year (as a marketing consultant in Mission), I have connected with so many local business owners who keep hitting the same wall. 

Over time, I’ve watched brand new accounts hit six figures in sales in their first year, and I’ve watched perfectly good businesses, some right here in the Fraser Valley, burn through thousands of dollars because nobody told them the five things I’m about to tell you.

So…let’s talk about what bad ad strategy actually looks like, and what good ad strategy looks like instead. 

Mistake #1: Using the Wrong Platform

What should you do instead? Run ads on the platform your audience is on.

This is the very first thing I look at with a new client. That “audience” part isn’t just about Meta versus Meta, either. Sometimes the real answer is Meta versus Google entirely. 

Google Ads works when people are actively searching for what you offer right now: plumbing services near me, wedding photography, marketing consulting in Mission…

Meta works when you need to build awareness or reach someone before they even know they need you. 

Only ever trying one, or solely relying on one without exploring the other, could mean a lot of money left on the table. 

I worked with a company once whose marketing team was adamant that they needed to be on Google. They ran ads for over a year, with nothing to show for it. Just a large hole in their bank account. 

They never even considered Meta Ads, because…well, they didn’t even own a private Facebook account. If they weren’t on the platform, their target audience must not be on Facebook either, right?

Wrong.

Once we started running Meta Ads, the company started getting anywhere from 1-3 leads daily. 

Mistake #2: Spending Too Little or Too Much on Ads

What should you do instead? Spend the right amount for your campaign objective, location, and audience targeting.

I get asked “how much should I spend on ads?” more than almost any other question, and the honest answer is always: it depends. 

I know that’s not helpful, but this might be. 

Despite what that YouTube or TikTok video told you, different campaign objectives come with different minimum budgets. 

Want leads? You’re looking at $25-40/day, minimum. 

(Yes, that can be a lot of money for some businesses. This is why I turn more people away from paid advertising than I do onboard them. I’m here to educate, not take your money.)

Just want to build some brand awareness or grow your following? You can do that for $5-10/day. 

The mistake isn’t picking a small budget, it’s picking a budget that doesn’t match what you’re actually trying to accomplish. 

A local service business running Google Ads in one city needs a completely different budget than a business running Meta ads nationally for lead generation. 

At the end of the day, you won’t know what that magic number is until you test it out. Because it’s different for every business.

Mistake #3: Letting an Agency or Freelancer Own Your Accounts

What should you do instead? Set up, own and connect your accounts properly to your platforms.

This is one of the hills I will die on, and it applies just as much to Google Ads Manager accounts as it does to Meta Business Manager. 

I’ve had a few clients just in this last year lose access to their account (and even had one hacked) because they didn’t originally own it. 

DO NOT give ownership to anyone other than yourself. 

If someone’s setting up your account for you (as I OFTEN do for clients), have them set it up under your accounts. 

If an agency or freelancer walks away and takes your ad account, your pixel or conversion data, and months (or years) of learning with them, that’s not a small inconvenience. 

This is a transactional history that you won’t be able to get back. You’d essentially be starting from scratch. No bueno. 

Your accounts should always live under your business, with your team given access, not the other way around.

Mistake #4: Not Knowing If Your Ads Are Working

What should you do instead? Learn to read the reports and set up proper conversion tracking.

If you can’t tell me your cost per lead, your return on ad spend, or even whether the people clicking your ad are turning into customers, you’re not running ads. You’re playing a very expensive game.

This is true whether you’re in Google Ads or Meta Ads Manager. 

Conversion tracking isn’t optional. 

Not only is it the difference between knowing what’s working and finding out three months later that none of it was, but it’s what the platform actually needs to do its job.

If the conversions are recording every visit to your website instead of your contact form being filled out, the platform is receiving the wrong information and will adjust accordingly. It’ll seek out more of those website visits, because it thinks it’s hitting the jackpot.

(If this feels like it might be you, my post on why your marketing might not be working is a good next read.)

Mistake #5: Immediately Running Lead or Conversion Ads Without Seasoning Your Account

What should you do instead? Build up brand awareness and your audience first.

This is the mistake I see most often with brand new ad accounts, and it’s the one that costs the most money for business owners. 

Meta needs time to learn who responds to your brand before it can efficiently find people ready to buy, and even Google Ads perform better when the searcher already half-recognizes your name from somewhere else. 

Skipping that step is like proposing on a first date. It’s possible, but we don’t recommend it (lol).

So Where Does That Leave You?

If even one of these hits close to home, you’re not alone, and you’re definitely not the only business owner learning this the hard way, whether that learning happened on Meta, Google, or both. Ads work. Really well, actually. But they work because of strategy, not because you hit “boost” or “publish” and hoped for the best.

If you’d rather have someone experienced in your corner instead of guessing your way through it, that’s exactly why Google and Meta Ads Management is one of the services I offer. 

And if you want to learn to run your own ads well instead of handing them off entirely, keep an eye out for when The 10% Method opens up again.

Key Takeaways

• Match the platform to your audience, not just what feels familiar
• Spend the right amount for your objective, platform, location, and audience
• Own and connect your own ad accounts, on both Meta and Google
• Set up real conversion tracking so you know what’s actually working
• Build brand awareness before jumping straight to conversion ads