Facebook and Instagram ads can bring in real customers, even on a small budget. But we often meet business owners who say "I tried ads and they did not work." When we look closer, the money usually went wrong in one of a few predictable ways.

Boosting random posts

The Boost button is easy, but it mostly buys likes. If you want messages, calls or sales, set up a proper campaign in Ads Manager and choose the goal you actually care about, like messages on WhatsApp or website leads.

Targeting everyone

Showing your ad to the whole of Ghana or the whole of the UK spreads a small budget too thin. If you run a salon in Spintex, target people within a few kilometres of Spintex. If you sell to UK businesses, narrow it down by location and job type. A smaller, sharper audience gets better results.

Weak creative

People scroll fast. Your image or video has about two seconds to stop them. Show the product or result clearly, keep text on the image short, and say exactly what you want them to do next. Real photos of your work usually beat stock images.

Stopping too early

Ads need a few days to settle before you judge them. Changing everything after one day, or switching off after one quiet afternoon, means the system never gets a chance to learn who responds. Give a campaign about a week before making big changes.

No plan for the replies

This one hurts the most. The ad works, people message, and nobody replies for six hours. By then they have bought from someone else. Before you spend a cedi or a pound on ads, make sure someone is ready to answer quickly and that your WhatsApp, website and Google listing all look good.

Let us run your ads

MSJ Advertising plans, designs and manages sponsored ads on Facebook, Instagram and Google for businesses in Ghana and the UK. We set clear goals, design ads that stand out, watch your budget closely and report back on what you got for your money. Talk to us before your next campaign.