Introduction
Running Facebook ads is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your ideal audience, drive sales, and grow your business in 2025. But with so many tools, campaign types, and targeting options, beginners often feel overwhelmed.
This practical guide will walk you through every step—from account setup to ad optimization—so you can run effective Facebook ads that deliver real results.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Run Facebook Ads
1. Set Up Your Business Manager & Ad Account
Before creating ads, you need the right setup.
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Go to business.facebook.com
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Create a Business Manager (if you don’t have one)
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Add your Facebook Page & Instagram Account
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Set up Ad Account & Payment Method
👉 Pro Tip: Always use Business Manager, not just personal ad accounts. It gives you better control, analytics, and security.
2. Define Your Campaign Objective
Inside Ads Manager, you’ll first select your campaign objective.
Main categories:
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Awareness → Reach as many people as possible.
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Consideration → Engagement, traffic, video views, lead generation.
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Conversions → Drive purchases, add-to-carts, or sign-ups.
👉 Pro Tip: If your goal is sales, choose Conversions / Sales as the objective.
3. Choose & Define Your Target Audience
This is where Facebook’s power lies. You can target based on:
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Demographics (age, gender, location, language)
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Interests (fitness, tech, fashion, etc.)
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Behaviors (shopping habits, device usage)
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Custom Audiences (your website visitors, email list, app users)
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Lookalike Audiences (people similar to your best customers)
👉 Pro Tip: Start broad targeting (e.g. age + location + 1 interest), then refine after testing.
4. Set Your Budget & Schedule
Facebook lets you pick:
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Daily Budget → How much you’ll spend per day.
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Lifetime Budget → How much you’ll spend over campaign duration.
👉 Pro Tip: Start small (e.g. $5–$20/day) while testing. Increase budget only after ads show consistent results.
5. Choose Ad Placement
You can show ads across:
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Instagram Feed & Stories
👉 Pro Tip: Use Automatic Placements at first (Meta AI will optimize). Later, analyze performance and run ads on best-performing placements only.
6. Create Your Ad Creative (The Most Important Step)
Your ad must grab attention and persuade.
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Formats: Single image, video, carousel, collection, instant experience.
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Copywriting Tips:
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Hook in first 2 lines.
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Focus on customer pain point.
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Add clear call-to-action (CTA) like “Shop Now” or “Sign Up Today.”
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Visuals: Use high-contrast images or short vertical videos.
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UGC (User-Generated Content): Ads with authentic, “real” content often outperform polished ads.
👉 Pro Tip: Always test at least 3 creatives per campaign (different images/videos + text variations).
7. Publish & Monitor Performance
Once live, monitor inside Ads Manager:
Key metrics to track:
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CTR (Click-Through Rate) → Are people clicking your ad?
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CPC (Cost per Click) → How much are clicks costing you?
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CPA (Cost per Action/Conversion) → How much per sale/lead?
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ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) → Revenue vs. ad cost.
👉 Pro Tip: Don’t judge results within 24 hours. Let campaigns run at least 3–5 days to collect enough data before making changes.
8. Optimize & Scale
Once you find a winning ad:
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Duplicate the ad and increase budget gradually (20–30% per day).
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Refresh creatives every 2–3 weeks to avoid ad fatigue.
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Test different audiences (lookalikes, new interests, retargeting).
Practical Example (E-commerce Store Running Ads)
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Objective: Conversions (Sales)
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Audience: Women, 18–35, interested in fashion, in Lagos
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Budget: $10/day
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Placement: Automatic
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Creative: Short 15-sec video of product demo + “Shop Now” CTA
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Optimization: After 5 days → Best audience is 25–30 yrs, scale budget by 25%
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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❌ Starting with big budgets without testing.
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❌ Targeting too narrow (e.g. 5 different interests stacked).
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❌ Ignoring creative testing (your ad design matters more than targeting).
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❌ Stopping ads too quickly before algorithm learns.
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❌ Not tracking conversions with Pixel/Conversions API.
FAQs: How to Run Facebook Ads
Q1: How much does it cost to run Facebook ads?
You can start with as little as $5/day. Costs vary based on competition, industry, and audience.
Q2: Do I need a website to run Facebook ads?
Not always. You can run ads for Messenger leads, Facebook Shops, or even calls. But having a website helps with tracking + conversions.
Q3: How long should I run a Facebook ad campaign?
Minimum 5–7 days to allow optimization. End dates depend on budget, goals, and performance.
Q4: Should I boost posts or use Ads Manager?
Boosting posts is quick but limited. Ads Manager gives you full control, better targeting, and tracking—always use Ads Manager for serious campaigns.
Conclusion
Running Facebook ads in 2025 is all about clear objectives, creative testing, smart targeting, and patient optimization. Start small, let the algorithm learn, and scale only what works.
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