u/_catwilson

Okay I'm redoing this as I think my last one got taken down.

But I'm a marketer and sadly I see a lot of businesses that don't understand branding and ads. So here are some pointers I've seen that do so much damage.

1. Try and be way too involved. Sorry if this hits too close of home LOL. But I've had soo many clients that are way too emotionally attached to their business that I can't even work. This does way more damage than good and ends in a lot of situations where they back away if ANY rejection comes up. So breathe and trust in the process ~~

2. Broad ass target audience. "18-88 year old women who like art" is not specific enough! Talk to a wide audience and you'll be noise, but targeting a small group will make them feel heard.

3. Outdated and janky websites! SOO many businesses spend on the ads but don't realise people click, THEN get turned off 🤦🏻‍♀️ U need to look good online in 2026

4. {small business specific} Use videos if you can. Even a simple phone video of you talking about what you do outperforms a polished graphic most of the time. People buy from people, especially if they know the story

5. Not having a clear offer. "book now" is not an offer. "get your first class free" is an offer. "free skin consultation this week" is an offer. people need a reason to act right now, not just a button to press.

If you guys got questions let me know! Here to help :)

Vent below lol 👇

not a big agency. just someone who works closely with small business owners on their ads and keeps seeing the same mistakes over and over.

thought i'd share what i've learned because most of the advice online is either WAY too vague, written for people with $10k/month budgets, or hidden behind a course.

*title is meant to say waste, oops

the mistakes i see constantly

- sending traffic to a bad website. this is the big one. you can have a perfect ad and lose the sale the second they land on a slow, confusing or off-brand page. the ad gets the click. the site closes the deal. if your site isn't doing its job, no amount of ad spend fixes that.

- targeting too broadly. "women 18-65 in australia interested in health" is not a target audience. the more specific you are about who you're talking to, the cheaper your clicks get and the better they convert. I had a client the other week tell me that 'everyone' is their target audience for their hydration drink product.

- giving up too early. meta needs data to work. most people turn off an ad after three days because it "isn't working." you haven't given the algorithm enough to learn from yet. give it at least 7 days and 50 results before you judge it.

- testing the wrong things. changing your budget and your creative and your audience all at once means you have no idea what moved the needle. test one thing at a time.

- not having a clear offer. "book now" is not an offer. "get your first class free" is an offer. "free skin consultation this week" is an offer. people need a reason to act right now, not just a button to press.

what actually works for small businesses

- start with retargeting before u do cold traffic. people who already visited your site or engaged with your instagram are ten times more likely to convert. run a retargeting campaign first, get some wins, then scale to cold audiences.

- use video if you can. even a simple phone video of you talking about what you do outperforms a polished graphic most of the time. people buy from people.

- match the ad to the landing page. if your ad says "free pilates class" the page they land on should say the same. sounds obvious. most people don't do it.

- let the algorithm do its job. broad targeting with a strong creative often outperforms heavily restricted audiences now. meta is good at finding buyers if you give it a clear signal of what a conversion looks like.

the honest truth

meta ads work really well for local service businesses when the fundamentals are right. bad creative, a weak offer or a poor landing page will drain your budget fast. but when those three things are solid, it's one of the most cost-effective ways to get in front of new clients.

happy to answer questions if anyone is running ads and stuck on something specific. not here to sell anything, just happy to help where I can :))

not a big agency. just someone who works closely with small business owners on their ads and keeps seeing the same mistakes over and over.

thought i'd share what i've learned because most of the advice online is either WAY too vague, written for people with $10k/month budgets, or hidden behind a course.

The mistakes i see constantly

- Sending traffic to a bad website, this is the big one. You can have a perfect ad and lose the sale the second they land on a slow, confusing or off-brand page. the ad gets the click. the site closes the deal. if your site isn't doing its job, no amount of ad spend fixes that.

- targeting too broadly. "women 18-65 in australia interested in health" is not a target audience. the more specific you are about who you're talking to, the cheaper your clicks get and the better they convert. I had a client the other week tell me that 'everyone' is their target audience for their hydration drink product.

- giving up too early. meta needs data to work. most people turn off an ad after three days because it "isn't working." you haven't given the algorithm enough to learn from yet. give it at least 7 days and 50 results before you judge it.

- testing the wrong things. changing your budget and your creative and your audience all at once means you have no idea what moved the needle. test one thing at a time.

- not having a clear offer. "book now" is not an offer. "get your first class free" is an offer. "free skin consultation this week" is an offer. people need a reason to act right now, not just a button to press.

What actually works for small businesses

- start with retargeting before u do cold traffic. people who already visited your site or engaged with your instagram are ten times more likely to convert. run a retargeting campaign first, get some wins, then scale to cold audiences.

- use video if you can. even a simple phone video of you talking about what you do outperforms a polished graphic most of the time. people buy from people.

- match the ad to the landing page. if your ad says "free pilates class" the page they land on should say the same. sounds obvious. most people don't do it.

- let the algorithm do its job. broad targeting with a strong creative often outperforms heavily restricted audiences now. meta is good at finding buyers if you give it a clear signal of what a conversion looks like.

Meta ads work really well for local service businesses when the fundamentals are right. bad creative, a weak offer or a poor landing page will drain your budget fast. but when those three things are solid, it's one of the most cost-effective ways to get in front of new clients.

happy to answer questions if anyone is running ads and stuck on something specific. not here to sell anything, just happy to help where i can.

not a big agency. just someone who works closely with small business owners on their ads and keeps seeing the same mistakes over and over.

thought i'd share what i've learned because most of the advice online is either WAY too vague, written for people with $10k/month budgets, or hidden behind a course.

the mistakes i see constantly

- sending traffic to a bad website. this is the big one. you can have a perfect ad and lose the sale the second they land on a slow, confusing or off-brand page. the ad gets the click. the site closes the deal. if your site isn't doing its job, no amount of ad spend fixes that.

- targeting too broadly. "women 18-65 in australia interested in health" is not a target audience. the more specific you are about who you're talking to, the cheaper your clicks get and the better they convert. I had a client the other week tell me that 'everyone' is their target audience for their hydration drink product.

- giving up too early. meta needs data to work. most people turn off an ad after three days because it "isn't working." you haven't given the algorithm enough to learn from yet. give it at least 7 days and 50 results before you judge it.

- testing the wrong things. changing your budget and your creative and your audience all at once means you have no idea what moved the needle. test one thing at a time.

- not having a clear offer. "book now" is not an offer. "get your first class free" is an offer. "free skin consultation this week" is an offer. people need a reason to act right now, not just a button to press.

what actually works for small businesses

- start with retargeting before you do cold traffic. people who already visited your site or engaged with your instagram are ten times more likely to convert. run a retargeting campaign first, get some wins, then scale to cold audiences.

- use video if you can. even a simple phone video of you talking about what you do outperforms a polished graphic most of the time. people buy from people.

- match the ad to the landing page. if your ad says "free pilates class" the page they land on should say the same. sounds obvious. most people don't do it.

- let the algorithm do its job. broad targeting with a strong creative often outperforms heavily restricted audiences now. meta is good at finding buyers if you give it a clear signal of what a conversion looks like.

the honest truth

meta ads work really well for local service businesses when the fundamentals are right. bad creative, a weak offer or a poor landing page will drain your budget fast. but when those three things are solid, it's one of the most cost-effective ways to get in front of new clients.

happy to answer questions if anyone is running ads and stuck on something specific. not here to sell anything, just happy to help where i can.

Not a big agency. just someone who works closely with small business owners on their ads and keeps seeing the same mistakes over and over.

thought i'd share what i've learned because most of the advice online is either WAY too vague, written for people with $10k/month budgets, or hidden behind a course.

*title is meant to say waste, oops

The mistakes i see constantly

- Sending traffic to a bad website. This is the big one. You can have a perfect ad and lose the sale the second they land on a slow, confusing or off-brand page. the ad gets the click. the site closes the deal. if your site isn't doing its job, no amount of ad spend fixes that.

- Targeting too broadly. "women 18-65 in australia interested in health" is not a target audience. the more specific you are about who you're talking to, the cheaper your clicks get and the better they convert. I had a client the other week tell me that 'everyone' is their target audience for their hydration drink product.

- Giving up too early. Meta needs data to work. most people turn off an ad after three days because it "isn't working." you haven't given the algorithm enough to learn from yet. Give it at least 7 days and 50 results before you judge it.

- Testing the wrong things. Changing your budget and your creative and your audience all at once means you have no idea what moved the needle. Test one thing at a time.

- Not having a clear offer. "book now" is not an offer. "get your first class free" is an offer. "free skin consultation this week" is an offer. People need a reason to act right now, not just a button to press.

What actually works for small businesses

- Start with retargeting before you do cold traffic. People who already visited your site or engaged with your instagram are ten times more likely to convert. run a retargeting campaign first, get some wins, then scale to cold audiences.

- Use video if you can. even a simple phone video of you talking about what you do outperforms a polished graphic most of the time. People buy from people.

- Match the ad to the landing page. If your ad says "free pilates class" the page they land on should say the same. sounds obvious. most people don't do it.

- Let the algorithm do its job. broad targeting with a strong creative often outperforms heavily restricted audiences now. meta is good at finding buyers if you give it a clear signal of what a conversion looks like.

Meta ads work really well for local service businesses when the fundamentals are right. bad creative, a weak offer or a poor landing page will drain your budget fast. but when those three things are solid, it's one of the most cost-effective ways to get in front of new clients.

Happy to answer questions if anyone is running ads and stuck on something specific. not here to sell anything, just happy to help where I can :))

Hiya ladies!

I am a 22 year old in Melbourne who is running a web design agency, looking to grow my portfolio.

Who is starting out with their business or would like web design/ branding assistance?

Let's connect!

-cat

Hello everyone!

I'm a Melbourne based web designer and I am looking to grow my web design portfolio.

Who is starting out with their business or would like web design/ branding assistance?

- cat

How it works:

1. I build your page.
2. You review the design.
3. If it’s exactly what you need, you pay a flat fee to get the files/transfer.
4. If it's not a fit, you walk away with zero obligations.

If you've been putting off your website because of the upfront cost or fear of it not looking right, let’s chat. Comment below and let's connect!

Trying to gauge if business owners actually value the strategy side or just the visuals.

Super curious to see what you guys think!