By Tanya Neufeld, ad strategist, former Facebook employee and founder of The Strategiste

Most small businesses, creatives, and online entrepreneurs resist paid marketing for as long as humanly possible.

This will not serve you in the long run.

I have worked in digital marketing and Facebook ads for 5 years, and spent half that time working at Facebook with the largest eCommerce advertisers in Europe. I now spend my days working with entrepreneurs to use this powerful tool to transform their businesses - and their lives.

So before you discard this channel - because yes, it requires investment, testing, and some tech setup - I want you to know the potential it has for you.

These are the 3 ways Facebook (and Instagram) ads can transform your business, especially if you are an online business, coach, consultant or creative entrepreneur.

1. Create immediate validation & momentum at your fingertips.

With a few clicks of a button and two-three hundred dollars, a graphic designer or consultant can create an ad to reach all the small business owners in Florida and invite them to download a free guide or submit an inquiry form.

When you set your ads loose to the big, bad world out there, you get to watch and learn how different people react to your product or service.

Every opt-in, click and video view is a sign that you have created something of value. 

I cannot overestimate how powerful this is for the small business or solopreneur. We work long hours, we do all the things in our business - and often lose sight of the big picture.

A constant stream of people choosing to learn more about your business inevitably creates momentum, boosting your confidence and ability to sell.

2. Free up time for you to do things you love.

When you have Facebook and Instagram ads running in the background, you automate a huge chunk of your client acquisition - the very thing that keeps your business running.

Ads do the work for you, so you can spend the time you used to spend chasing leads, looking for referrals, working on creative projects you love or even pursuing passions outside your business.

Thanks to a business built on a foundation of ads, I was recently able to spend a month in India studying yoga, working 4-5 hours per day. With ads doing my lead generation and re-engaging my current audience, I could focus that time on delighting my current clients and looking ahead at 2020.

What would you do with 2-3 more hours a day?

3. Think about your business more intelligently

One of the biggest transformations my clients make after launching ads is how they think about their business. 

Paid marketing introduces new metrics. My clients start thinking about how much they’re willing to pay for a new potential customer.

They ask themselves:

How long does it take until someone becomes a customer? How many interactions are required? What can be automated, what can’t? How do different clients differ in this process? What has worked so far? What hasn’t? And: are our current priorities in line with this?

This operational analysis, initiated by ads, leads us down a road of thinking big-picture about all our business activities, which is, of course, crucial to scaling intelligently.

Conclusion:

You see, launching Facebook and Instagram ads for your small business isn’t about brand awareness, more followers or likes.

It’s about taking control of your marketing, creating systems that free up your time, give you confidence, data, and direction on how to do things better.

If you’re curious to know what the next step is for you and your business, take our quiz for online entrepreneurs to find out what your Facebook ad strategy should be.

Questions? Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @thestrategiste and follow along for my podcast, growth tips, and occasional yoga pics.

Article by: Tanya Neufeld, ad strategist, former Facebook employee and founder of The Strategiste