The Basics of Social Media Advertising for New Marketers

Stop Throwing Spaghetti at the Wall

Look, if your “strategy” is just posting whatever pops into your head and hoping it sticks, that’s not marketing. It's a waste of time. Actually, it's worse than a waste of time. It's a great way to get discouraged and think this whole thing is pointless. Here's the thing: social media ads are a targeted tool, not a megaphone for your random thoughts. Before you spend a dime, you need to pick your battlefield. Trying to sell high-end B2B software on TikTok? Probably a bad call. Selling custom skateboards? Maybe don't lead with LinkedIn. Don't try to be everywhere at once. Pick one, maybe two platforms where your actual future customers hang out. Master that. Then think about expanding.

Campaigns: Your Ads Don't Work On Stage

You can make the most gorgeous ad in the world. But if no one sees it, what’s the point? That’s where the Ad Platform’s campaign structure comes in. Think of it like this: The Campaign is your high-level goal. “I want more sales.” or “I need people to know my brand.” Then you build Ad Sets . This is where you define WHO sees your ad. You choose the location, interests, age, all that juicy targeting stuff. Finally, you have the actual Ad , the creative itself: the image, video, and text people interact with. This structure forces you to be intentional. It’s not about making a pretty picture and blasting it to everyone. It’s about defining a goal, identifying a person, and then speaking directly to them.

Your Audience Isn't "Everyone"

This is the number one mistake. "My target audience is... people with money!" Yeah, cool. Good luck with that. You need to get weirdly specific. What does your perfect customer do on a Tuesday night? What blogs do they read? What other brands do they secretly love? Use the platform's targeting tools, but start broad with "interest-based" targeting (like "DIY home renovation") and let the algorithm learn. Even better, upload a list of your existing customer emails to create a "Lookalike Audience." This tells Facebook (or whoever), "Find me more people who act just like these folks." It’s spooky how well it works. Stop yelling into the void. Start whispering into the right ear.

A/B Testing (It's Not Rocket Science)

Here's a secret all the pros know: they don't know what will work. Seriously. They make educated guesses. Then they TEST. Throw $20 at two different versions of an ad. Change ONE thing. The image. The headline. The call-to-action button. See which one gets more clicks or lower cost per result. The platform will tell you the winner. Kill the loser. Rinse. Repeat. This isn't a "set it and forget it" game. It's gardening. You’re constantly pruning what doesn't work to help the good stuff grow. A/B testing removes the guesswork. Your opinion doesn't matter. The data does. Listen to it.

Creative That Doesn't Look Like an Ad

People use social media to connect with friends and be entertained. Your ad is an unwelcome interruption. Your job is to make that interruption feel as natural as possible. Ditch the generic stock photos of people in headset smiles. Right now. Instead, use real photos or videos of *your* product, *your* team, *your* customers. Shoot it on your phone. Make it vertical. Add bold text overlays because most people watch with the sound off. Your ad needs to stop the scroll in half a second. Be useful, inspiring, or hilarious. But for the love of all that is good, be real. People can smell a corporate robot from a mile away.

The Budget Mindset You Need to Survive

You will lose money at the beginning. Say it with me. You are paying to learn what works for YOUR business. That's not a failure, that's tuition. Start with a tiny, "I won't miss this" daily budget. $5 or $10 a day. The goal for your first few campaigns isn't profit. It's information. What's my cheapest cost per click? Which ad makes people actually stop scrolling? Once you find something that works—a decent click-through rate, a manageable cost per result—then, and only then, do you think about increasing the budget. Don't throw $1000 at a guess. Use $100 to find an answer, then put the other $900 behind that answer. Your wallet will thank you.