Running social media ads can be one of the most effective ways to grow your business, but only when the foundations are right. Many businesses waste significant budget by jumping into paid advertising before they are genuinely ready. This checklist will help you assess where you stand and what to address first.
Meta® advertising (Facebook® , Instagram® and Threads® ads) gives businesses access to highly targeted audiences at a relatively low cost compared to traditional media. But the algorithm rewards well-prepared advertisers. The six questions below are the same ones I work through with every client before we launch a single campaign.
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1. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE BY ADVERTISING ON FACEBOOK® AND INSTAGRAM®?
Clarity on your goal is the single most important starting point. Without it, there is no way to choose the right campaign objective, measure success, or optimise your spend.
For e-commerce businesses this is often direct sales. For service based businesses, the primary goal is usually lead generation. But Meta® offers a full funnel of objectives you can use individually or in combination:
• Awareness
• Traffic
• Engagement
• Leads
• App Promotion
• Sales
If you are new to paid ads, starting with a single, clear objective makes it far easier to learn what works before scaling up.
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2. ARE YOU ALREADY ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS ORGANICALLY?
If you are driving sales, sign-ups, or enquiries through organic social media or search, that is an excellent sign. Paid ads will amplify what is already working.
If not, it is worth understanding why before spending on ads. Walk through the exact journey a potential customer takes. From first seeing your content to completing a purchase or enquiry. Common blockers include:
• Pop-up overlays that interrupt the checkout process
• A slow loading website (aim for under 3 seconds on mobile)
• An unclear value proposition or confusing navigation
• No visible social proof like testimonials, reviews, case studies
• A contact form or booking system that is broken or hard to find
Paying to send traffic to a leaky funnel simply accelerates your losses. Ads do not fix underlying conversion problems, they expose them at scale.
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3. DO YOU HAVE A META® PIXEL (OR CONVERSIONS API) INSTALLED ON YOUR WEBSITE?
The Meta® Pixel is a small snippet of code that sits on your website and tracks visitor behaviour, page views, add-to-carts, purchases, and more. This data is the engine behind effective retargeting and lookalike audiences.
Not having a Pixel is not an absolute blocker, but the earlier you install one, the better. Meta® needs a reasonable volume of events (typically 50+ conversions per week) before its algorithm can optimise delivery effectively.
Conversions API (CAPI) is equally important for server-side tracking, particularly given iOS privacy changes and increasing ad blocker usage. Installing both significantly improves data accuracy.
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4. DO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR WEBSITE AND CAN CHANGES BE MADE?
Depending on your campaign objectives, you may need to create or update landing pages, add tracking codes, install the Pixel, or adjust your checkout flow. If getting a developer to make a small change takes two weeks, that slows down your ability to test and optimise.
Before launching, confirm you can:
• Add or edit pages without needing a developer every time
• Install or update tracking scripts (Meta® Pixel, GTM, CAPI)
• Create dedicated landing pages for specific campaigns
• Access Google Analytics® or equivalent to measure post click behaviour
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5. DO YOU HAVE A BANK OF CREATIVE ASSETS READY TO USE?
Creative is the single most influential variable in ad performance. Meta's® own data consistently shows that the ad creative, the image or video, accounts for the majority of a campaign's success or failure.
Before launching, you ideally need:
• Static images: 1080×1080px (square) and 1200×628px (landscape) at minimum
• Video content: short-form video (15–30 seconds) performs particularly well on Reels and Stories placements
• Brand assets: your logo, brand colours, and fonts so ads are instantly recognisable
• Social proof: customer photos, videos testimonials, or before/after imagery
If you are starting from scratch, even a short iPhone video explaining your product or service will outperform a stock image. Authenticity performs well on social platforms.
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6. DO YOU HAVE A REALISTIC AD BUDGET IN PLACE?
Meta® advertising is a paid channel, there are no shortcuts around the need for a meaningful budget. Too small a budget means the algorithm does not have enough data to learn and optimise in a timely manner, which can lead to poor results and premature conclusions.
As a general guide for the UK market:
• Minimum starting budget: £10 per day / £300 per month (ad spend only)
• Recommended for meaningful data: £20–£50 per day depending on your industry and objectives
• Management fees: factor these in separately on top of your ad spend, they will increase as your ad spend does.
If these budgets feels uncomfortable right now, that is fine. It is better to wait until you are ready to invest properly than to run an underfunded campaign and write off paid ads entirely based on limited results.
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YOUR QUICK-START SUMMARY
✓ Clear campaign objective aligned to your business goal
✓ Conversion pathway audited and working
✓ Meta® Pixel (and ideally CAPI) installed on your website
✓ Website access to make changes promptly
✓ Creative assets ready — images, video, brand guidelines
✓ Realistic budget committed (minimum £10/day ad spend)
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WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE NOT QUITE READY YET?
Ticking most but not all of these boxes is completely normal, especially for businesses running paid advertising for the first time. The most common gaps I see are lack of creative assets and the Pixel not yet added to the website. Both of which can be addressed in a relatively short space of time.
If you don't have the budget or have an unresolved conversion issue on your website, it is worth pausing until those are resolved. Launching ads in those circumstances risks you wasting money and potentially putting you off paid advertising altogether, which would be a shame.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS FROM META® ADS?
This is one of the most common questions I get asked, and the answer depends on your objective and budget.
Here is a realistic timeline:
• Learning phase (days 1–7): Meta's algorithm is gathering data. We do not make major changes during this period.
• Early optimisation (weeks 2–4): We will start to see which audiences, creatives, and copy are performing. This is when initial adjustments are made.
• Consistent performance (month 2 onwards): With sufficient budget and data, campaigns begin to deliver predictable, scalable results.
Patience is a genuine competitive advantage in paid advertising. Many businesses give up during the learning phase before the algorithm has had enough data to perform.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: How much budget do I need to start running Facebook® ads?
A: A minimum of £10 per day is a sensible starting point for the UK market. This gives Meta's® algorithm enough data to begin optimising. For faster learning and more meaningful results, £20–£50 per day is recommended. Always budget your ad spend separately from any management fees.
Q: Do I need a Meta® Pixel before running ads?
A: You do not need a Pixel on your website or landing page to launch ads, but having one installed well in advance is strongly recommended. Without it you are limited to the types of campaigns you can run. The Pixel captures audience data over time, making your targeting, retargeting, and lookalike audiences significantly more effective. Pair it with Conversions API (CAPI) for the most accurate tracking.
Q: Should my business be getting organic results before running paid ads?
A: Not necessarily, as some use ads as a way of testing the market. Paid ads will amplify whatever is already in place, both good and bad. If your website has conversion issues, slow load speed, or a broken checkout, ads will drive traffic to those problems at a cost. Audit and fix organic weaknesses first where possible.
Q: What are the Meta® Ads campaign objectives?
A: Meta® currently offers six campaign objectives: Awareness, Traffic, Engagement, Leads, App Promotion, and Sales. The right objective depends on where your target audience sits in the buying journey.
Q: What creative assets do I need for Facebook® and Instagram® ads?
A: At a minimum: static images, short-form video (15–30 seconds), plus your brand colours, fonts, and logo. Video ads typically outperform static images, particularly on Instagram Reels and Stories placements.
Q: Can I run ads on Instagram® without a Facebook® page?
A: You need a Meta® Business Manager account to run ads on either platform. Creating a Facebook® Page is a prerequisite before you can access Meta® Ads Manager.
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READY TO GET STARTED WITH META® ADS?
If you have worked through this checklist and you are nodding along, let's talk. I help businesses and service providers run effective, results driven campaigns on Facebook® and Instagram®.
Get in touch: https://mariepartonmarketing.com/get-in-touch/
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About the author: Marie Parton is a Meta® Ads specialist helping businesses and service providers build and manage effective advertising campaigns on Facebook® and Instagram®.
https://mariepartonmarketing.com/about-marie/