These 10 Tips will get you faster results with Facebook and Instagram ads. Go get started tday.
1. Run an Ad to Your Warm Audience First
Instead of jumping straight into cold audience ads, test your first ad on people who already know you—like your email list, website visitors, or social media followers. These people are more likely to engage, helping you see what works before spending money on strangers.
2. Use Facebook’s “Campaign Ideas Generator”
Most people don’t realize Facebook has a free Campaign Ideas Generator to help brainstorm ad ideas based on your industry and goals. You can use it to get creative copy and visuals! Find it here.
3. Start With Engagement or Video Views Ads, Not Sales
New advertisers often go straight for conversion ads, but that can be expensive. Instead, start with engagement or video view ads to warm up your audience before running sales ads. This lowers costs and improves results later.
4. Target Your Competitors’ Audience (Legally!)
You can’t directly target competitor pages, but you can target people who like related influencers, brands, or industry keywords. This is a great way to reach buyers already interested in your niche.
5. Create 3-5 Versions of the Same Ad
Most people make one ad and hope it works. Instead, create multiple versions with different headlines, images, and call-to-action buttons. Facebook will show the best-performing ad more often, helping you get better results with the same budget.
6. Test Super Specific Audiences (Not Just Broad Ones)
Facebook’s AI is smart, but sometimes narrow targeting works better. Try creating a micro audience (5,000–50,000 people) based on specific interests or behaviors. Example: Instead of just “business owners,” target “female business coaches who follow Amy Porterfield”.
7. Use the “Don’t Click This Ad” Trick
Reverse psychology works! Ads that challenge the viewer tend to get higher engagement. Try a playful ad copy like: 👉 “Warning: This Ad is NOT for You… Unless You Want More Clients!”
8. Retarget People Who Watched 50% of Your Video
Most new advertisers forget about retargeting. If someone watches half of your video ad, they’re interested! Set up an audience of these people and show them a follow-up offer to turn them into leads or customers.
9. Exclude People Who Already Took Action
Many beginners waste ad spend by showing ads to people who already signed up or bought. Always exclude past customers and leads from seeing the same ad—you’ll save money and prevent ad fatigue.
10. Set a Budget You Can Actually Learn From
If you’re only spending $1/day, your results will be too slow to analyze. A better approach? Start with $5-$10/day for a week, then review your data. You’ll quickly see what’s working without breaking the bank.
🚀 Want to make Facebook ads work even faster? Start implementing these unexpected strategies, and you’ll avoid common mistakes while getting better results from day one!
Carlene helps entrepreneurs get more traffic, engagement and leads by creating the best return on ad spend campaigns. She creates campaigns with whatever marketing budget her clients can work with for their business growth & expansion. Now is the perfect time to use strategic ads for growth, leads and achieve the income you deserve.
Running Facebook ads as an online entrepreneur can be one of the fastest ways to generate leads and sales, but only if done strategically. With ad costs rising and competition increasing, it’s crucial to focus on what actually works to get the best return on investment. Here are the top 3 Facebook ad tips to help you attract high-quality leads, increase conversions, and maximize your ad spend.
1. Use Lead Magnets to Build Your Email List First
One of the biggest mistakes online entrepreneurs make is running Facebook ads directly to a high-ticket offer or a sales page. Cold audiences (people who have never heard of you before) are far less likely to buy right away. Instead, focus on capturing leads first by offering a high-value freebie in exchange for their email.
Best Lead Magnet Ideas for Ads: ✅ Free PDF guide (e.g., “The 5-Step Formula for Scaling Your Coaching Business”) ✅ Free webinar or masterclass ✅ A quiz that leads to a personalized result ✅ A discount or exclusive offer
By running ads to a lead magnet, you can build trust, warm up your audience, and sell to them through an email sequence—where conversions are much higher!
👉 Pro Tip: Use a simple Facebook Lead Form Ad or a landing page optimized for conversions (like LeadPages or ClickFunnels). Keep the opt-in process short and easy!
2. Master Retargeting: The “Secret Sauce” to More Sales
Did you know that most people don’t buy the first time they see an offer? Studies show that it takes multiple touchpoints before someone feels ready to purchase. That’s where Facebook retargeting ads come in!
Retargeting lets you show ads specifically to people who have already engaged with your brand—whether they visited your website, watched a video, or signed up for a freebie.
Best Retargeting Strategies: 🔥 Warm Traffic Retargeting: Show ads to people who visited your website but didn’t opt in or purchase. Offer an incentive (e.g., bonus, limited-time discount). 🔥 Engagement Retargeting: Retarget people who have watched 50%+ of your video ad, engaged with your Facebook page, or commented on your posts. 🔥 Abandoned Cart Retargeting: If you sell digital products or courses, run ads to remind people who added something to their cart but didn’t check out.
👉 Pro Tip: Retargeting ads convert higher and cost less than cold audience ads—so always include them in your ad strategy!
3. Test & Optimize Your Ads for Maximum ROI
The best Facebook ad strategies don’t rely on guesswork—they rely on data. Instead of running one ad and hoping for the best, you should test different variations and analyze performance to see what’s working.
Key Things to Test in Your Ads: 📌 Headlines: Try different hooks—curiosity-driven, benefit-focused, or urgency-based. 📌 Ad Copy: Short vs. long copy, storytelling vs. direct approach. 📌 Creatives: Static images, carousel ads, reels-style video ads. 📌 Audiences: Lookalike audiences vs. interest-based targeting vs. warm audiences.
👉 Pro Tip: Use Facebook’s A/B testing feature to compare two versions of an ad and see which performs best. Then, scale the winning ad and turn off the underperformers.
Final Thoughts: Run Smarter Ads, Not Just More Ads
Facebook ads are one of the fastest ways to scale an online business, but only if you approach them strategically. Instead of throwing money at random ads, focus on building your list first, retargeting warm leads, and constantly testing your creatives.
🚀 Want help setting up a high-converting Facebook ad strategy? Let’s chat! I can help you create profitable, lead-generating ads that bring in clients on autopilot. ✨ Let’s chat. Reach out via email: hello@desertdigitaladgroup.com.
Carlene helps entrepreneurs get more traffic, engagement and leads by creating the best return on ad spend campaigns. She creates campaigns with whatever marketing budget her clients can work with for their business growth & expansion. Now is the perfect time to use strategic ads for growth, leads and achieve the income you deserve.
Starting with Facebook ads can feel overwhelming, especially for business owners who aren’t familiar with the platform. Here are the top three pain points most entrepreneurs face when getting started: 1.Not Knowing Where to Start – Many business owners feel lost when it comes to setting up Facebook ads. They don’t know which campaign objectives to choose, how to target the right audience, or what budget to set. This confusion leads to analysis paralysis, where they either procrastinate or spend money on ads without a clear strategy.
Fix: Start simple. Focus on one goal at a time, like growing your email list or promoting a freebie. Use Facebook’s guided campaign setup and test different audiences to see what works.
2.Fear of Wasting Money – Many entrepreneurs worry about spending money on ads without seeing results. If they’ve tried boosting posts before and didn’t get sales, they assume ads don’t work. This fear holds them back from investing in more strategic campaigns.
Fix: Think of ads as an investment. Start with a small budget ($5–$10 per day) and test different ad variations. Learn how to read key metrics like CTR (Click-Through Rate) and cost per lead so you can adjust and improve your campaigns.
3 Tech Overwhelm & Complexity – The Facebook Ads Manager dashboard can be intimidating, with options like pixels, custom audiences, and retargeting. Many business owners feel like they need a tech background to understand how everything works.
Fix: Stick to the basics first. Set up a simple lead generation campaign using Facebook’s native lead form or drive traffic to a landing page. Gradually learn more advanced features as you get comfortable.
Would you like help creating a step-by-step guide for beginners so they can confidently set up their first ad and not have to worry about any of these things? I’ve got my The Facebook Ads Shortcut: 1-on-1 Training to Save You Time & Money.
It’s a dedicated One-on-one Facebook Ads training for entrepreneurs with a customized, hands-on approach to mastering paid advertising. Unlike generic courses or DIY trial and error, a private training session ensures that the strategies are tailored to your specific business goals, audience, and budget. LEARN MORE.
A major benefit is personalized strategy development. Instead of wasting time on methods that don’t work for your industry, you get expert guidance on the exact ad types, targeting, and messaging that will drive results. This means less money wasted on ineffective ads and faster success in reaching your ideal clients.
Another key advantage is real-time feedback and troubleshooting. Running Facebook ads can be overwhelming, especially with changing algorithms and complex settings. A one-on-one session allows you to ask questions, get immediate solutions, and avoid common mistakes that can drain your ad budget.
Additionally, confidence and clarity increase dramatically. Many entrepreneurs hesitate to run ads due to fear of losing money or not understanding the platform. With expert training, you gain the skills to set up, analyze, and optimize your campaigns with ease, giving you control over your lead generation and sales.
This investment not only saves time but also empowers you to scale your business faster and more efficiently. LEARN MORE.
Carlene helps entrepreneurs get more traffic, engagement and leads by creating the best return on ad spend campaigns. She creates campaigns with whatever marketing budget her clients can work with for their business growth & expansion. Now is the perfect time to use strategic ads for growth, leads and achieve the income you deserve.
Are you thinking that you need more prospects? Listen up…..
Facebook Ads can be a game-changer for achieving sales goals. Start by clearly defining your objectives, like increasing leads, driving website traffic, or boosting conversions. Use audience targeting to reach the right people based on interests, demographics, and behaviors. Craft compelling ad copy and visuals that align with your brand and call-to-action. Test different ad types, like carousels or video, and monitor performance. Regularly optimize campaigns to lower costs and maximize ROI for better results.
Setting up Facebook ads for generating leads requires careful planning and execution to attract quality prospects. Follow this step-by-step process for the best results:
Define Your Lead Goals Clearly outline what a “lead” means for your business (e.g., email sign-ups, form completions, demo requests). Set measurable goals such as the number of leads, cost per lead (CPL), and timeframe.
Set Up Your Facebook Ads Account Ensure your Facebook Business Manager is set up. Verify your domain using Facebook Events Manager to comply with privacy regulations. Create and install the Meta Pixel on your website to track conversions and optimize your campaigns.
Choose the Right Campaign Objective Select the Lead Generation campaign objective. Facebook provides two main options: Instant Forms: Forms embedded within Facebook for quick submissions. Conversions: Directs users to a landing page or website form.
Define Your Target Audience Use Facebook’s audience features: Core Audience: Target by demographics, interests, or behaviors. Custom Audience: Retarget people who have engaged with your business (e.g., website visitors or email subscribers). Lookalike Audience: Reach new users similar to your best-performing customers.
Create Engaging Ads Visuals: Use eye-catching images or videos. Include people, minimal text, and branding elements. Copy: Write clear, persuasive headlines and descriptions. Highlight benefits and offer value. Call-to-Action (CTA): Use CTAs like “Sign Up,” “Learn More,” or “Get Offer” to guide users.
Design and Optimize Your Lead Form Use a short and simple form for Instant Forms or on your landing page. Ask only essential questions (e.g., name, email, phone number). Add a privacy policy link and brief value proposition. Use a strong confirmation page or follow-up email to confirm leads and share next steps.
Budget and Bidding Start with a daily budget (e.g., $10–$30) to gather data. Choose Lowest Cost bidding to maximize lead volume. You can always scale up from there. Use Cost Cap pricing if you have strict CPL (Cost Per Lead) goals.
Launch, Monitor, and Test Launch the campaign and track performance metrics: CTR (Click-Through Rate): Measures ad appeal. CPL (Cost Per Lead): Tracks efficiency. Lead Quality: Evaluate if leads align with your sales goals. Run A/B tests on ad visuals, copy, and targeting to find what works best.
Retarget and Nurture Leads Create a retargeting campaign for people who clicked but didn’t convert. Use email campaigns or follow-ups to nurture leads into customers.
Optimize and Scale Pause underperforming ads and reallocate budgets to top-performing ones. Adjust targeting, creatives, or bidding strategies based on data.
Scale gradually by increasing the budget or expanding audience reach. By following this process, you can attract quality leads while keeping your campaigns cost-effective and aligned with your sales goals.
Reach out to me to discuss your next Facebook and Instagram Campaign and how we can work together to achieve your business goals: email: hello@desertdigitaladgroup.com.
Carlene helps entrepreneurs get more traffic, engagement and leads by creating the best return on ad spend campaigns. She creates campaigns with whatever marketing budget her clients can work with for their business growth & expansion. Now is the perfect time to use strategic ads for growth, leads and achieve the income you deserve.
As an entrepreneur in the online coaching or course creation space, generating a steady flow of quality leads is crucial for the success and growth of your business. Without a consistent pipeline of potential customers, it can be incredibly challenging to convert sales and scale your impact.
Fortunately, there are several effective strategies you can implement to attract the right kind of leads – people who are genuinely interested in and aligned with your offering. In this post, I’ll share three proven techniques that have helped many online coaches and course creators build thriving, sustainable businesses.
Tip 1: Leverage Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations One of the most powerful ways to generate leads is by tapping into the audiences of complementary businesses or industry influencers through strategic partnerships and collaborations. This could take many forms, such as:
Guest posting on relevant blogs or podcasts
Appearing as an expert guest on others’ webinars or livestreams
Hosting a joint venture workshop or masterclass
Participating in virtual summits or challenges
Exchanging promotional content on social media
The key is to identify potential partners whose audiences overlap with your ideal customers. This could be other coaches, course creators, bloggers, YouTubers, or anyone else who serves a similar target market. When done right, these collaborations allow you to access new pools of qualified prospects who are already primed and eager to learn from someone in your industry. It’s a win-win, as you get to expand your reach while providing value to your partner’s audience.
To make the most of these opportunities, focus on building genuine relationships first. Get to know the people you want to work with, understand their businesses and audiences, and look for authentic ways you can help each other out. Avoid the temptation to hard sell; instead, be genuinely useful and contribute to their success. Additionally, be selective about the partnerships you pursue. Quality is more important than quantity – it’s better to have a small number of highly relevant, high-quality collaborations than to spread yourself thin across too many channels.
Tip 2: Create a Lead Generation Funnel with Gated Content Another effective strategy for attracting qualified leads is to build out a content marketing funnel, which allows you to capture contact information in exchange for valuable, gated digital content. This could include:
In-depth guides or whitepapers
Exclusive webinars or workshops
Assessment tools or quizzes
Free email courses or challenges
The key is to create content that is highly relevant and useful for your target audience, addressing their specific pain points, questions, or goals. This establishes you as an authoritative expert while simultaneously generating warm leads who have explicitly shown interest in your offerings.
To implement this strategy, start by mapping out the customer journey and identifying the most logical entry points and conversion opportunities. What are the key questions, concerns, or aspirations your ideal clients have at different stages? How can you create content that guides them towards your products or services? Once you have a content plan in place, build out a lead capture funnel using tools like email marketing platforms, landing page builders, or all-in-one sales funnels. Ensure that your opt-in forms, calls-to-action, and digital content assets are visually appealing, user-friendly, and optimized for conversions. It’s also important to nurture these leads through ongoing email marketing, social media engagement, or other touchpoints. Don’t just collect their information and then go silent – continue providing value, building trust, and guiding them towards your paid offerings.
Tip 3: Leverage Social Media Advertising In addition to organic content and partnership strategies, savvy online coaches and course creators can also utilize paid social media advertising to reach and convert new leads. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even TikTok can be powerful lead generation tools when leveraged strategically.
The key is to get laser-focused on your target audience and create highly-relevant ad creative and messaging. Take the time to thoroughly research your ideal customer’s demographics, interests, behaviors, challenges, and goals. Use this intel to build out detailed buyer personas and custom audience segments.
From there, you can craft compelling ad copy, eye-catching visuals, and clear calls-to-action that speak directly to the pain points and desires of your target market. Consider promoting your gated content offers, webinar registrations, or other lead magnets to drive opt-ins and build your email list.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ad formats, placements, and targeting criteria to see what resonates best. Social media algorithms are constantly evolving, so it’s important to remain agile and data-driven in your approach. Closely monitor your campaign performance and adjust your strategy accordingly.
It’s also worth exploring retargeting ads to re-engage users who have already interacted with your brand or content. This can be an incredibly effective way to nurture leads and guide them towards a sale.
While social media advertising does require an upfront investment, it can be a game-changing lead generation channel when executed thoughtfully. Just be sure to track your key metrics, continuously optimize your approach, and tie your ad spend directly back to tangible business outcomes.
I can help you with getting more leads for your business. Please join me for my new Masterclass on Dec. 3rd to discover:
Generating a consistent flow of high-quality leads is essential for the long-term success of any online coaching or course creation business. By leveraging strategic partnerships, creating lead-capture content funnels, and utilizing social media advertising, you can build a powerful, multi-faceted lead generation engine that supports your growth objectives. Remember, lead generation is an ongoing process that requires patience, experimentation, and a data-driven mindset. Stay focused on your ideal customer, provide tremendous value, and continuously refine your approach. With the right strategies in place, you can fill your pipeline with qualified prospects and position your business for sustained success.
Carlene helps entrepreneurs get more traffic, engagement and leads by creating the best return on ad spend campaigns. She creates campaigns with whatever marketing budget her clients can work with for their business growth & expansion. Now is the perfect time to use strategic ads for growth, leads and achieve the income you deserve.
Don’t Ever Boost Posts on Facebook or Instagram – Do This Instead
Many businesses, especially solopreneurs, believe boosting a post on Facebook or Instagram is a quick and easy way to gain visibility. While boosting might offer short-term engagement, it lacks the precision and efficiency of other advertising methods. Instead of relying on this broad, inefficient strategy, there are more advanced techniques that provide better control, insights, and results. Here’s what you should be doing instead to maximize your ad spend and achieve better outcomes:
Create Custom Audiences Boosting posts throws your content at everyone, but not all of them are relevant to your business. A more strategic approach is to create custom audiences based on highly relevant data. By building audiences using your email list, website visitors, and lookalike audiences, you target people who have already expressed interest in your brand or resemble your ideal customer. For instance, someone who has visited your website or added something to their cart is much more likely to convert than a random user scrolling by. Custom audiences help you reach those warmer leads, leading to better results and more efficient use of your budget.
Use Facebook Ads Manager Many business owners shy away from Facebook Ads Manager because it looks complex. However, it’s actually more straightforward than it seems. Once you get past the initial overwhelm, you’ll realize that the platform mainly has three sections to focus on: the Campaign, Ad Set, and Ads levels. These sections allow you to set your objectives, define your audience, and choose your creatives, giving you far more control than simply boosting posts. In Ads Manager, you can optimize your campaigns based on your specific goals, be it driving traffic, generating leads, or making conversions. When you compare the detailed targeting and optimization features of Ads Manager with the limited reach of boosted posts, it’s clear which tool offers more value.
A/B Split Test Like Crazy Don’t rely on a single ad to carry the weight of your campaign. Successful marketers know the power of A/B testing, which involves creating multiple versions of your ads with different elements like copy, images, and calls-to-action (CTAs). This allows Facebook’s algorithm to do the heavy lifting by showing you which version performs better. By testing different variations, you get real data on what resonates most with your audience. Small changes in wording or design can make a huge difference, and the insights you gain will help you fine-tune future campaigns.
Retarget Like a Boss Retargeting is where the magic happens. Retargeting campaigns target people who have already interacted with your content, visited your website, or are on your email list but haven’t yet made a purchase. These people are much closer to buying because they’re already familiar with your brand. Setting up retargeting ads is like giving them a gentle nudge toward the checkout line. By reminding them of your products or services, you’re significantly increasing the likelihood of conversion, as these users are already interested in what you offer.
Focus on Objectives Boosting a post typically results in increased likes, comments, and shares, but these aren’t always the actions that drive business growth. Instead, when creating campaigns in Ads Manager, focus on specific objectives like conversions, lead generation, or video views. Facebook’s algorithm is smart enough to find the right people for your desired action. By selecting the correct objective for your campaign, you’re essentially telling the algorithm what you want, and it will optimize your ad delivery to help you achieve that goal. Whether you’re looking for email sign-ups, purchases, or engagement, having a clear objective will drive more meaningful results.
Boosting posts may seem like an easy win, and convenient but it’s often a waste of your budget. To truly maximize your Facebook and Instagram advertising efforts, it’s essential to use more advanced strategies like creating custom audiences, utilizing Ads Manager, A/B testing, retargeting, and focusing on specific campaign objectives. These techniques will help you reach the right audience with the right message, ultimately driving better results for your business. By taking the time to master these tools, you’ll see a higher return on your ad spend and build stronger relationships with your customers.
Get you own copy of my Facebook Ads For Sales Method today…>>>> INSTANT DOWNLOAD.
Carlene helps entrepreneurs get more traffic, engagement and leads by creating the best return on ad spend campaigns. She creates campaigns with whatever marketing budget her clients can work with for their business growth & expansion. Now is the perfect time to use strategic ads for growth, leads and achieve the income you deserve.
