Best Practices for Facebook and Instagram Ads
If you want to get the most out of your advertising budget, Facebook and Instagram ads can deliver serious results. However, the truth is that not all ads are created equal. Without the right strategy, it’s easy to waste money and miss your audience completely. We will show you the best practices for building Meta ad campaigns that actually deliver a strong return on investment.
The First Step for Facebook and Instagram Ads Is: Know Your Audience
Before running any Facebook and Instagram ads, you need to know exactly who you’re trying to reach. Meta’s platforms offer powerful targeting tools, but if your audience is unclear, those tools won’t be of much help. Start by creating a clear customer persona. What are their pain points? What do they care about? What actions do they take online? When you understand your audience, you can create ads that speak directly to them.
Use Campaign Objectives That Match Your Goals
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is picking the wrong campaign objective. Meta offers many types, such as brand awareness, traffic, engagement, leads, and conversions. Choose the one that aligns with what you want the ad to do. If your goal is to generate sales or leads, use the conversions or lead generation objectives. If you’re just trying to get your brand seen, awareness is the better choice. Picking the right objective helps Meta’s algorithm show your ad to the people most likely to take action.
For a deeper understanding of how to choose the right advertising platform based on your objectives and audience, check out Forbes’ article on 19 Important Considerations When Choosing an Ad Campaign Platform.
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Build Eye-Catching Visuals
Your ad needs to stand out in a fast-scrolling feed. Use high-quality images or short videos that are clear, bright, and focused. For Instagram, make sure your visuals are vertical and optimized for mobile. Avoid cluttered designs and too much text. Instead, use bold visuals that match your brand style. If you’re not sure where to start, look at what top competitors are doing and try to match their quality.
Write Clear and Compelling Ad Copy
Your message should be short, simple, and focused on benefits. Start with a hook that grabs attention in the first sentence. Follow with a brief explanation of the offer and why it matters to the viewer. Then conclude with a strong call to action, such as “Shop Now,” “Sign Up Today,” or “Get Your Free Quote.” Avoid generic lines. Be specific about what you’re offering and how it benefits the customer.
Test Multiple Versions of Your Facebook and Instagram Ads
Don’t just create one ad and hope it works. Run multiple variations with different images, headlines, or calls to action. This helps you find what actually performs best. Use A/B testing tools within the Meta Ads Manager to compare results. Once you find a winning combo, scale that version and pause the rest.
Keep Your Landing Pages Relevant
If someone clicks your ad and lands on a page that doesn’t match the message, they’ll leave. Make sure your landing page reinforces the ad and guides the user toward the next step, whether that’s signing up, making a purchase, or booking a service. Keep it fast, mobile-friendly, and free of distractions.
Set the Right Budget and Timeline for Your Facebook and Instagram Ads
Start small and increase your budget once you know what’s working. You can begin with just $5 to $10 per day. Watch your results closely for at least 3–5 days before making big changes. If your ad needs more time to optimize, be patient. Meta’s algorithm learns over time, so give it a chance to gather enough data before turning ads off or adjusting too soon.
Retarget Visitors Who Didn’t Convert
One of the best features of Meta ads is the ability to retarget people who visited your site but didn’t take action. You can also retarget people who engaged with your content or watched part of a video. These people are already familiar with your brand and more likely to convert. Use this strategy to bring them back with a special offer or reminder.
Want to boost your Meta ad performance? Discover how retargeting ads can bring back users who didn’t convert the first time.
Use Custom Audiences and Lookalikes
Upload your customer email list to create a custom audience. Then use that to build a lookalike audience of people with similar traits. This helps you reach new potential buyers who are more likely to convert because they share behaviors similar to those of your existing customers. It’s a powerful way to scale your reach without sacrificing quality.
Monitor and Adjust Regularly
Once your campaign is live, check in daily. Look at key metrics, including click-through rate, conversion rate, and cost per result. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to pause the ad and adjust. Meta ads are not a “set it and forget it” tool. Ongoing optimization is key to getting the best return on your ad spend.
If you want to improve your ad performance long-term, it helps to have a strong SEO foundation too. Check out our guide on how to build an SEO strategy that ranks in 2025 for more ways to grow your visibility. Look at key metrics like click-through rate, conversion rate, and cost per result. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to pause the ad and adjust. Meta ads are not a “set it and forget it” tool. Ongoing optimization is key to getting the best return on your ad spend.
Stay On Top of Social Trends
Ad trends change fast, especially on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Pay attention to what’s working now. Short videos, user-generated content, and social proof are all hot right now. For more on what’s trending in social, check out our guide on Top 5 Social Media Trends to Watch in 2025.
Use Your Organic and Paid Together
Your paid ads will perform better if your organic social presence is strong. When people see your ad and visit your profile, they should find recent, helpful content. Not sure how to balance paid and organic social media efforts? Our post on Organic vs. Paid Social Media walks you through how to use both to support your overall strategy.
Plan Your Facebook and Instagram Ads with a Content Calendar
High-performing Meta ads are supported by consistent messaging. That’s where a solid content calendar comes in. It keeps your message focused across paid and organic campaigns. If you haven’t built one yet, read our guide on How to Build a Content Calendar That Converts Visitors to Buyers.
Running Facebook and Instagram ads doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The key is knowing your goals, setting up a clear strategy, testing different versions, and watching the results. When done correctly, Meta ads can be one of the most powerful tools in your digital marketing toolkit.
Want to expand your paid strategy beyond Meta? Learn what’s new with Google Ads in 2025 and what still works to drive better ROI.
If you’re just getting started with digital marketing or want to make sure your strategy is built for success, check out our full Guide to Digital Marketing to learn how ads fit into the big picture.
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