Running Facebook ads sounds easy—until you spend $3,000 and get just three sales.
If you’ve been there, you’re not alone. The promise of clicks, conversions, and instant growth is tempting. But the reality? It’s often confusing, frustrating, and expensive.
I learned this the hard way. I tried running ads for my baking mat business, and let’s just say my kitchen still doesn’t have new cabinets because of it.
But that experience taught me a lot—mostly what not to do.
In this post, I’ll walk you through seven common mistakes small business owners make with Facebook ads, so you don’t waste your money like I did.
Let’s dig into what’s actually going wrong—and how to fix it.
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7 Painful Mistakes When Running Facebook Ads for Small Businesses
Running Facebook ads for your small business can sometimes feel like tossing money into a black hole. One minute you’re excited about targeting your perfect audience. The next, you’re staring at zero conversions and wondering what went wrong.
Here are the 7 most common mistakes small business owners make with Facebook ads—plus how to fix them.
1. Starting With No Clear Goal
If you’re just “trying Facebook ads to see what happens,” that’s mistake #1.
You need to define what success looks like—before you spend a naira.
- Do you want leads?
- Do you want traffic?
- Do you want purchases?
Each goal requires a different campaign type, creative, and optimization method. Facebook won’t know what to optimize for if you don’t know what you’re aiming for.
Fix it:
Pick one clear objective. For most small businesses, “Sales” or “Leads” makes the most sense. Stick to it and let Facebook’s algorithm do its job.
2. Targeting Too Broad or Too Narrow
I get it—you want everyone to see your ad. But if you target “All Ages, All Locations, All Interests,” Facebook has no clue who to show your ad to.
On the flip side, I once set my ad to target “Women aged 25-30 in Lagos who like baking and Shopify”… and got maybe 14 impressions in 5 days.
Fix it:
Start with a solid interest-based audience that’s not too narrow. Or use lookalike audiences from your existing customers. Then test and tweak from there.
3. Ignoring the Creative (Your Ad Looks Like Spam)
Here’s a harsh truth: People scroll fast. If your ad doesn’t grab attention in 2 seconds, they’re gone.
A blurry product photo and a “50% off!!!” caption won’t cut it.
I used to boost random product shots thinking that was enough. It wasn’t.
Fix it:
- Use clean, high-quality visuals.
- Keep your text short and clear.
- Make the value obvious in the first line.
If you’re not a designer, use Canva templates. If you’re not a copywriter, pretend you’re texting a friend about the product. Keep it human.
4. Skipping the Pixel Setup
Not setting up your Facebook Pixel is like running a shop without knowing who walked in.
The Pixel tracks actions people take on your site. Without it, you’re flying blind—and can’t retarget visitors or track conversions.
When I first launched ads, I had no Pixel. I couldn’t even tell which ad led to which sale.
Fix it:
Install the Facebook Pixel on your site (it’s free). Connect it through Events Manager. It takes 10 minutes, tops—and makes a massive difference long-term.
5. Not Testing Anything (Or Testing Too Much)
You shouldn’t throw five ads into the wild and hope one works. But you also shouldn’t launch 30 variants and confuse the algorithm.
There’s a sweet spot: structured testing.
Fix it:
Test one thing at a time.
- Same audience, different images
- Same image, different headlines
- Different call-to-actions (Buy Now vs. Learn More)
Run them in separate ad sets. See what wins. Then scale the winner and kill the rest.
That’s how I finally got my ad cost down from $14 per sale to $3.50.
6. Sending People to the Wrong Page
You’ve crafted the perfect ad. People click. And then… they land on a homepage that has nothing to do with the offer.
You just paid for that click—and lost it.
Fix it:
Always send people to a dedicated landing page. One that:
- Matches your ad headline
- Clearly shows the product or offer
- Has one goal: sign up, buy, or take action
Don’t make them work to figure out what to do next. If it’s a promo for baking mats, send them straight to the product page—not your blog.
7. Quitting Too Early
The Facebook algorithm needs time. Your audience needs time. You need time.
Most small business owners stop running ads after a week because they don’t see results. I’ve done it too. But I learned that patience pays off.
Fix it:
Let your ads run for at least 5–7 days with enough budget to gather data.
Don’t judge performance too early. Focus on patterns over time—not just day-by-day spikes. Make small tweaks instead of overhauling everything at once.
Think of it like seasoning a new pan—it gets better with use.
So, What Should You Do Instead?
If you’re new to Facebook ads or you’ve been burned before, here’s what I’d suggest:
Start small.
Don’t blow your entire marketing budget in week one. Run test ads with N5,000–N10,000.
Focus on one offer.
Don’t try to sell five different things at once. Pick your best product or service.
Track everything.
Use Pixel. Watch your metrics: CTR, CPC, ROAS, and most importantly—actual sales.
Be patient.
Facebook ads for small businesses take trial and error. Even big brands run 50 tests before scaling a winner.
Bonus Tips That Helped Me
- Always include subtitles or text overlays on videos—most people scroll on mute.
- Run retargeting ads to people who viewed your website or added to cart.
- Use testimonials or user-generated content if you can—it adds trust.
- Don’t ignore mobile users. Make sure your site loads fast on phones.
Final Thoughts
Facebook ads aren’t magic. They’re tools.
And like any tool, they work best when you know how to use them—and avoid the mistakes that most people make at the start.
I’ve made those mistakes. Spent the money. Felt the regret.
But I’ve also seen what happens when you do it right—steady sales, new customers, and ads that actually work while you sleep.
If this post saved you from even one bad ad, I’m glad I shared it.
Drop a comment below and let me know—what’s one mistake you’ve made (or almost made) with Facebook ads?
Let’s learn from each other.
You can learn more about how to avoid common mistakes made by other entrepreneurs here.
