Do Facebook ads work for small businesses?

Yes, when set up correctly. Meta ads are particularly effective for local service businesses, trades, clinics, coaches and consumer-facing businesses. The key is proper targeting, compelling creative and a landing page or follow-up system that converts the clicks you are paying for.

How long before paid ads start working for a small business?

Most campaigns need four to six weeks of testing and optimisation before they hit their stride. The first month is about learning what works. Month two and three is typically when costs come down and quality improves. Expect a minimum 90-day commitment to see fair results.

What is the difference between boosting a post and running a proper ad campaign?

Boosting a post increases its reach to a broad audience. A proper campaign involves detailed audience targeting, campaign objective selection, multiple ad variations being tested, conversion tracking, retargeting and ongoing optimisation. Boosted posts are suitable for pure brand awareness. They are not a lead generation strategy.

Should I do SEO or paid ads first?

If you need leads quickly and have the budget, paid ads can work faster. But ads stop the moment you stop spending. SEO takes longer to build but compounds over time and the organic leads it generates cost nothing per click. Ideally both work together. If budget is limited, get your CRM and follow-up system right first, then choose the channel that fits your timeline.

How much should a small business spend on paid ads?

A useful starting point for most small businesses is a minimum of £500 to £1,000 per month in ad spend to generate enough data to optimise properly. The more important question is what a new customer is worth to your business. On-Pulse always works backwards from your customer value and target cost per lead before recommending a budget.

What makes a good ad for a small business?

The most effective small business ads speak directly to one specific person with one specific problem, lead with what the customer gets rather than what the business does, and have one clear call to action. Simple, specific and customer-first consistently outperforms clever.

Do I need a landing page for my ads or can I send traffic to my homepage?

You need a dedicated landing page. Sending paid traffic to your homepage is one of the most common and costly mistakes in digital advertising. A landing page designed for one audience with one goal typically converts at two to five times the rate of a homepage for the same ad spend.

How do I know if my paid ads are actually working?

The only metrics that matter are cost per lead, lead quality and revenue generated. On-Pulse connects your ad campaigns directly to your CRM so you can see exactly which ads are producing enquiries, what those enquiries are worth and what your actual return on ad spend is.

Paid ads that bring in leads. Not just likes.

We manage your paid advertising on Meta, Google and LinkedIn. Targeting the right people with the right message and building campaigns that generate real enquiries and revenue, not vanity metrics.

Running ads and not seeing results?

You have probably tried boosting a post. Maybe you ran a Facebook campaign for a few weeks. You spent money, got some clicks and struggled to connect those clicks to actual customers.

The problem with paid ads is rarely the platform. It is the setup. Boosted posts are not proper ad campaigns. Sending ad traffic to a homepage that is not designed to convert is money down the drain. Running ads without a follow-up system means leads come in and go cold within hours.

Paid advertising works when it is built properly, targeted precisely and connected to a system that captures and converts the leads it generates.

Campaigns we run for small businesses.

Meta Ads on Facebook and Instagram

The most powerful platform for reaching your target audience based on demographics, interests and behaviour. Ideal for brand awareness, lead generation, retargeting and direct offers. We build, test and optimise continuously, not set it and forget it.

What we handle: audience research and targeting strategy, campaign and ad set structure, ad creative including copy and design, landing page recommendations, A/B testing, pixel setup and conversion tracking, weekly optimisation and monthly reporting.

Google Ads

Google puts you in front of people actively searching for what you offer. High intent, measurable and highly effective when the targeting and landing pages are right.

What we handle: search campaign setup and keyword targeting, negative keyword strategy so you do not waste budget, ad copy and extensions, conversion tracking setup, regular bid and budget optimisation.

LinkedIn Ads

The most effective paid channel for professional services, consultants and businesses targeting other businesses. Expensive per click but you are reaching decision-makers directly.

What we handle: sponsored content and InMail campaigns, audience targeting by job title, industry and company size, lead generation form campaigns.

We do not just manage ads. We manage the whole conversion journey.

Most agencies stop at the click. We make sure the whole system is set up to convert. Landing pages designed to capture leads, CRM integration so no enquiry is lost and automated follow-up that keeps the conversation going.

Running ads without a follow-up system is like filling a leaky bucket. We fix the bucket first.

See how ads connect to the full growth system

Is now the right time for paid ads?

Paid ads work best when you have a clear offer your target audience wants, a landing page or website that converts, a CRM and follow-up system so no leads go cold and a realistic budget to sustain at least 60 to 90 days of testing.

Not sure if you are ready? Book a free consultation and we will be straight with you about whether ads are the right next step or whether something else should come first.

Paid ads that bring in leads. Not just likes.

Running ads and not seeing results?

Campaigns we run for small businesses.

Meta Ads on Facebook and Instagram

Google Ads

LinkedIn Ads

We do not just manage ads. We manage the whole conversion journey.

Is now the right time for paid ads?

You decide what you're willing to spend, we will advise you on minimum and maximum budgets. Our fee to run your paid ads is 15% of your total spend.

Common questions.

Ready to run ads that actually convert?

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