Social media advertising is a rapid way to scale up your business. It can create brand awareness, sell, and find the perfect customer faster than any traditional marketing tactic ever could. But it can also be one of the fastest ways to lose an awful lot of money if you don’t know how the platforms they’re on really operate.

Many businesses advertise on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, but only a small percentage

consistently get results. The reason? They make the same common mistakes that result in high ad costs and low conversions.

So today I want to share with you, if not all, but at least 5 of the top social media advertising mistakes most businesses make, more importantly, how to avoid them so that you can have profitable and effective ad campaigns.

Mistake 1: Targeting “Everyone” Instead of the Right Audience

Choosing too broad a target is one of the worst mistakes you can make in advertising. A lot of businesses think that getting more people means getting more results, but that’s not always the case.

When your ads are for everyone, you’re wasting money on people who don’t want to buy your product.

• Don’t want to buy
• Don’t fit the profile of your ideal customer
• This means that impressions and money are

How to Fix It:

• Don’t just target people based on their interests; target them based on their behavior and
• Use custom audiences, like people who visit your website or interact with you on social
• Use good data to make lookalike audiences
• Filters for location and age that are very specific

The more specific you are with your targeting, the more effective and cost-effective your campaigns will be.

Mistake 2: Using Weak, Boring, or Low-Quality Visual Creatives

A lot of people scroll quickly. People will ignore your ad if it doesn’t catch their attention right away. A lot of businesses fail here.

Some common mistakes people make when being creative are:

• Images that aren’t very good
• Stock photos that are not specific
• Videos that are long or move slowly
• Pictures that don’t show value right away
• Ads that look like content instead of ads

The creative part of your ad is the most important part. It decides if someone stops scrolling.

How to Fix It:

• Use pictures that are clean and of good
• Make short videos that get right to the
• Put bold text in the video’s
• Show the problem and the answer in
• Use content that sounds and feels

A strong creative can cut your advertising costs by a lot.

Mistake 3: Running Only One Ad Instead of Testing

Putting up one ad and hoping for the best is not a plan; it’s just guessing. Advertisers who test different versions on social media get more rewards.

You never find out which one without testing:

• What the audience likes best
• Image or video works better
• More clicks come from the headline
• A call to action leads to more

How to Fix It:

• Try out 3 to 6 different versions of each ad
• Change one thing at a time, like the headline, image, or call to
• Allow ads to run long enough to gather data
• Turn off people who aren’t doing well and scale up those who

A/B testing can help you get better results by 30% to 70% and save money.

Mistake 4: Sending Traffic to a Poor Landing Page

If your landing page is slow, hard to understand, or looks bad, even the best ad won’t work. One of the biggest things that hurts ad performance without anyone knowing it is this.

A lot of the time, the page that customers land on after clicking on your ad is the problem.

How to Fix It:

• Check that the page loads in less than three
• Use one clear call to action
• Make the layout simple and easy to use on mobile
• Add social proof, like reviews, testimonials, and trust
• Get rid of links that aren’t needed and make it hard for users to

People see your ads, but your landing page needs to turn that attention into sales

Mistake 5: Weak, Confusing, or Missing Calls-to-Action

People won’t do anything unless you tell them to. A CTA that isn’t clear or specific will always lower conversions.

Some common mistakes with CTAs are:

• Not having a call to action
• Using CTAs that are soft and unclear, like “Click “
• Using more than one CTA that confuse users

How to Fix It:

• Use clear, action-oriented calls to action (CTAs) like “Buy “
• Get the Offer
• Make an appointment for a free consultation
• Get the guide
• Sign Up Now

A strong CTA tells people what to do and gets them to act right away.

Final Thoughts: Fix These Mistakes and Your Ads Will Transform

You don’t need a lot of money to advertise on social media; you just need the right plan. Your business can:

• Cut down on the cost of your ads
• Get people more involved
• Boost conversions
• Get in touch with the right customers
• Grow your business more quickly

We help businesses make social media campaigns that work well by using smart targeting, interesting creatives, optimizing landing pages, and testing all the time.

We can help you come up with a plan that will make your ads work better.