Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out! I had a read through your message and honestly, your frustration with marketing agencies is something I hear a lot. The market is absolutely flooded with people who talk a good game but when it comes to actually delivering results from Facebook Ads, they fall short. It's a real problem, and you're right to be cautious. Finding someone with genuine, hands-on expertise is tough.
I thought it might be helpful if I laid out some of my thoughts on what actually makes a Facebook (or Meta, as we should call it now) ads strategy work, and what you should be looking for. This is the stuff that seperates an agency that gets results from one that just burns through your budget. I'll try to be as direct as possible, no fluff.
I'd say you need to look beyond the promises...
First off, the biggest red flag is an agency that makes grand promises without anything to back them up. Anyone can promise you a 10x return or a flood of new customers. Tbh in paid advertising, you can't really promise anything specific. It's impossible to predict exactly how ads will perform because there are just too many variables – the audience, the creative, the competition, even the time of year. An expert knows this. They won't promise you the world; they'll promise you a robust, data-driven process designed to find what works and then scale it.
So, what should you look for instead of promises? Evidence. Take a really good look at their case studies. And I don't mean just a fancy logo on their website. Ask for detailed walkthroughs. Do they have real experience in a niche similar to yours? For instance, I remember working with a women's apparel brand where we achieved a 691% return on Meta Ads, to a B2B software client where we acquired leads for decision makers at a $22 cost per lead using LinkedIn Ads. These are very different challenges. An agency that has driven real, measurable results can talk specifics. They can explain why it worked. If their case studies are vague or they can't answer detailed questions about them, be wary.
Another thing is the initial conversation. When you get on a call with them, are they asking you smart questions or just trying to sell you a package? A good agency will want to understand your business, your customers, your margins, and your goals inside and out before they even suggest a strategy. We often do a free initial consultation where we review a potential client's existing ad account and strategy. It's incredibly valuable because it gives them a direct taste of the expertise they'd be getting. It builds trust. And trust is paramount. I remember one potential client who was very hesitant, having been burned before. After we showed them a detailed case study of how we drove 4,622 registrations at a $2.38 cost per registration for a B2B software client using Meta Ads and walked them through the exact structure we'd use for them, their attitude completly changed. That trust is what allows for a good working relationship, and ultimately, better results.
We'll need to look at your core strategy first...
Here’s something many agencies miss: they jump straight into making ads without looking at the bigger picture. The most beautifully crafted Facebook ad will fail if the underlying strategy is wrong. This is probably the number one reason campaigns don't deliver.
The first thing to sort is who you're actually selling to. Who is your ideal customer? Is it a business (B2B) or a consumer (B2C)? This single question changes everything. Selling a £25 t-shirt is a world away from selling a £5,000 software subscription. For B2C, you can often run an ad and get a sale directly. For B2B, that almost never happens. The sales cycle is longer, more people are involved in the decision, and trust needs to be built over time.
This leads to your sales funnel. What do you actually want someone to do when they see your ad?
-> For a low-cost e-commerce product, the goal is simple: click the ad, go to the product page, and buy.
-> For a high-ticket service or B2B product, a funnel might look more like this: click the ad, download a helpful guide (lead magnet), get a series of follow-up emails, then book a demo or a consultation call. Trying to sell a complex B2B product directly from a Facebook ad is like asking someone to marry you on the first date. It just won't work.
You have to think about the customer's journey. We usually break it down into three simple stages:
1. Top of Funnel (ToFu): These people have never heard of you. The goal here isn't to sell, it's to make them aware that you exist and that you can solve a problem they have.
2. Middle of Funnel (MoFu): These people know who you are. They've visited your website or watched a video. Now you need to build trust and show them why you're the best option.
3. Bottom of Funnel (BoFu): These people are close to buying. They've added a product to their cart or looked at your pricing page. They just need a final nudge to get them over the line.
A good agency will build separate campaigns for each of these stages. The messaging, the offer, and the ad creative will be different for each. If an agency just talks about "running a Facebook campaign" without this kind of strategic breakdown, they lack the required expertise.
You probably should obsess over your targeting...
This is the absolute heart of Meta Ads. You can have the best product and the best ad in the world, but if you show it to the wrong people, you've wasted your money. This is where I see the most mistakes being made, even by so-called "specialists". They test audiences that are too broad or have no real connection to the ideal customer.
There's a clear hierarchy to testing audiences, and it generally follows the funnel we just talked about. The closer an audience is to having already taken a valuable action (like buying), the better it will perform.
Here's how I would prioritise audiences for a typical account:
| Funnel Stage | Audience Type | Specific Examples & Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ToFu (Cold Audiences) | Detailed Targeting & Lookalikes | Start here for new accounts.
-> Interests/Behaviours: Be hyper-specific. Don't target 'business' if you're selling to e-commerce owners. Target 'Shopify', 'WooCommerce', or 'E-commerce business page admins'. You need interests that your ideal customer has, but the general public doesn't. -> Lookalike Audiences: This is powerful, but you need data first. You can create an audience that 'looks like' your best customers. Start with a Lookalike of your purchasers, then work backwards (initiated checkout, added to cart, etc.). You need at least 100 people in the source audience for it to work well. |
| MoFu (Warm Audiences) | Website & Engagement Retargeting | These people are interested but not ready to buy.
-> All Website Visitors (last 30-90 days): A classic. Show them testimonials or case studies. -> Video Viewers: People who watched 50% or more of your video ad are clearly interested. Show them the next step. -> Social Media Engagers: Anyone who liked, commented or shared a post. Keep your brand top of mind. |
| BoFu (Hot Audiences) | High-Intent Retargeting | This is your lowest-hanging fruit.
-> Added to Cart (but not purchased): The most important one for e-commerce. Remind them what they left behind, maybe offer a small discount. -> Initiated Checkout: They were so close. Often a simple reminder ad is all it takes. -> Viewed specific product pages: Show them an ad for that exact product again (using a catalogue/dynamic ad). |
An expert agency will have a structure like this. They will systematically test audiences within each stage, turning off the losers and scaling up the winners. If your previous agencies were just lumping everyone into one campaign or picking random interests, it's no surprise they failed. This methodical approach is non-negotiable for acheiving success.
You'll need creative that actually stops the scroll...
Once your strategy and targeting are solid, it's time to think about the ads themselves. You could have the perfect audience, but if your ad is boring or unclear, they'll just scroll right past it. This is where you need to split test constantly.
You can diagnose problems by looking at the metrics.
-> Low Click-Through Rate (CTR)? This usually means your ad creative (the image/video) or the headline isn't grabbing attention. The ad isn't compelling enough for people to even bother clicking. Your copy and imagery likely need a complete overhaul.
-> High CTR but low conversions? This means the ad is working, it's getting interested people to click. But something is going wrong after the click. The problem is likely on your landing page, your offer, or your pricing. Maybe the ad promised something the landing page doesn't deliver.
A good agency will test different creative formats to see what resonates. Image ads are quick to digest. Video ads can tell a more compelling story and pre-qualify viewers. Carousel ads are great for showing off multiple products or features. There's no single 'best' format; it has to be tested.
One thing we've seen have huge success for several SaaS clients is UGC-style video – user-generated content. These are videos that look like they were made by a real customer, not a slick marketing team. They feel more authentic and trustworthy, and can often outperform big-budget professional videos. It just goes to show that what you think will work isn't always what actually works. You have to test everything.
And please, don't underestimate the power of good copywriting. So many businesses write ad copy that just describes their product's features. Nobody cares about features. People care about what your product does for them. It's about benefits, not features. A proffesional copywriter can make a monumental difference to your results. It's an investment that pays for itself many times over.
I'd say you can't ignore your website...
This is a big one. So many agencies will run ads, and when they don't perform, they'll just say "the ads aren't working". More often than not, the ads are doing their job just fine – they're sending traffic to the website. The website is the thing that's failing to convert that traffic.
I've looked at countless client websites before we start working with them, and the problems are usually obvious.
-> The site is slow and cluttered. People are impatient. If your page takes more than a few seconds to load, they're gone.
-> There's no clear Call-to-Action (CTA). What do you want the visitor to do? 'Buy Now', 'Sign Up for a Trial', 'Book a Call'. It needs to be big, bold, and obvious.
-> It doesn't look trustworthy. Especially for a new brand, you need to build trust instantly. This means having customer reviews, testimonials, trust badges (like secure payment logos), a clear returns policy, and an easy way to contact you. A website that looks amateurish will scare away potential customers.
The offer itself is also part of this. I remember looking at a B2B software company's site. They were in a super competitive space – accounting software. They were trying to sell their system directly, with no free trial. Their competitors were offering 30 or 60-day free trials. Who is going to pay for an accounting system, a huge commitment for any business, without even trying it? Their offer was fundamentally flawed. No amount of amazing Facebook ads could have fixed that. We advised them to introduce a free trial, and that was the first step to turning their performance around.
The entire journey, from the moment someone sees your ad to the moment they become a customer, has to be smooth, persuasive, and frictionless. A good agency looks at the whole picture, not just the ad creative.
We'll need to look at what's realistic for costs...
A common question is "what should my cost per conversion be?". The answer is always: it depends. It's dependant on your industry, your objective, and crucially, which countries you are targeting. Anyone who gives you a single number without asking these questions doesn't know what they're talking about.
However, based on our experience running hundreds of campaigns, we can give some realistic ballpark figures. For something like a lead, an email signup, or a simple registration, here's what you might expect:
| Objective & Region | Typical CPC Range | Typical Conversion Rate | Estimated Cost Per Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signups (Developed Countries - UK, US, etc.) | £0.50 - £1.50 | 10% - 30% | ~£1.60 - £15.00 |
| Signups (Developing Countries) | £0.10 - £0.50 | 10% - 30% | ~£0.33 - £5.00 |
| Sales (Developed Countries) | £0.50 - £1.50 | 2% - 5% | ~£10.00 - £75.00 |
| Sales (Developing Countries) | £0.10 - £0.50 | 2% - 5% | ~£2.00 - £25.00 |
As you can see, the ranges are huge. For sales, you'd be looking at Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) more than cost per sale. But this gives you an idea. If you're seeing costs within these ranges, it's fairly normal. The goal of a good agency is to push you towards the lower end of that range through all the optimisation tactics we've discussed. I remember one client, a Medical Job Matching SaaS, where we reduced their Cost Per User Acquisition from £100 to £7 using Meta and Google Ads. It is definately possible, but it takes methodical work.
This is the main advice I have for you:
I know this is a lot of information to take in. To make it more actionable, I've summarised my main reccomendations into a table. This is the kind of strategic framework a reputable, expert-led agency should be implementing for you.
| Area of Focus | Actionable Recommendation | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Agency Vetting | Insist on seeing detailed, relevant case studies. Ask deep questions on an initial call. Look for expertise, not just salesmanship. | This filters out the 90% of agencies that lack real expertise and can't back up their claims. It's your first line of defense. |
| Core Strategy | Define your ideal customer and map out the full sales funnel (ToFu, MoFu, BoFu). Don't try to sell a complex product with a simple ad. | Ensures you're sending the right message to the right person at the right time. Prevents wasting money by asking for the sale too early. |
| Audience Targeting | Adopt a prioritised testing structure. Start with specific interests, then build out Lookalikes and detailed retargeting for each funnel stage. | This is the single biggest lever for campaign performance. Getting this right means your ad budget is spent efficiently on people most likely to convert. |
| Creative & Copy | Systematically split-test different ad formats (image, video, carousel) and benefit-driven copy. Analyse metrics like CTR to diagnose issues. | Stops you from being 'ad blind'. Constantly finding new winning creatives is how you scale campaigns and avoid performance dips over time. |
| Landing Page & Offer | Critically review the post-click experience. Optimise page speed, clarity of the CTA, trust signals, and the compelling nature of your offer. | A poor website will kill a great ad campaign. Improving your conversion rate by even a small amount has a massive impact on your overall profitability. |
You probably should consider getting expert help...
As you can see, running Facebook ads effectively is far more than just clicking 'Boost Post'. It's a complex, full-time job that involves deep strategic thinking, constant testing, data analysis, and optimisation across the entire customer journey. It's about understanding psychology, technology, and business goals all at once.
This is where a true professional consultancy can make a huge difference. It's not just about saving you the time and headache of doing it yourself. It's about applying years of experience and a deep understanding of the advertising landscape to get you results faster and more efficiently than you could on your own, avoiding the costly mistakes that your previous agencies likely made.
I hope this detailed breakdown has been helpful and given you a clearer idea of what to look for. If you'd like to discuss your specific situation in more detail, we'd be happy to offer you a free, no-obligation initial consultation. We could have a proper look at your ad account and your business, and give you a straightforward assessment of what we believe is achievable.
Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in.
