No More Spray and Pray Ads: Make your Social Media Ad Spend Count

In 2025, the year of our Lord Baysus Christ, we all know we have to pay to play on social media. As organic engagement, reach, and reactions are at their lowest levels ever, it seems like attention on social media is now a commodity for sale. And in a way it is, but we have some proven ideas you can use to pay less and reach more people … if you target your audience correctly. 

Spend Less More Often 

Sure, you've got to pay, but small ad buys can be effective too. Try spending $50 on a one-week campaign twice a month, rather than $500 on a month-long ad. 

Willingness to spend isn't the be-all and end-all for social media companies, but this approach will demonstrate your investment, while also letting you learn what ads are most effective based on your results.

If you're a niche business or operate a brick-and-mortar, single-location business this is an especially effective approach when you start targeting. 

Stick To The Message 

Ads should have a single message - in person or online! Specifically, a sale, an event, or some action you want your ads viewers to take. Your ad may be just for awareness of your business, in which case you should be touting your business or product's biggest benefits. However, if you use a single, direct call to action (like signing up for a newsletter or even following your social media account) you're going to have better results. 

Define Your Audience 

Use every targeting tool available to you. In Meta, you can choose a location within miles, and you can add age and preferred gender. You can target interests - even for a boosted post. On Twitter/X or LinkedIn you can define industry demographics as well as age and gender. 

Consider the person you want to share your message with and define them as clearly as possible with the tools you have in app. 

Add Your Competitors And Tangential Interests

Selling toasters? Sure you want to target people who like toast. But, make sure you are including people who are interested in SMEG, an aspirational product name that's considered an interest.

Furthermore, add tea drinkers or enthusiasts - yes those are both interests in Meta ads! Because what's better with toast than a cup of tea?

Another interest to add would be cooking, because even if your toaster is the only appliance your audience can effectively use in the kitchen, we all have wider interests than just that product we're looking at purchasing. 

Ask for Help 

Have staff? Ask them to interact with your ad if they see it. Ask your customers where they heard about you or whether they saw your ads. 

People are usually happy to help and no one knows your customers like you do. 

Check the Results 

If you don't look at the numbers, you won't know what worked. No matter how much or little time, money, or resources you put into any ad channel, the numbers are pretty reliable for digital marketing - something you can't get from more traditional ads. So make use of them! 

For example, if you targeted women between 30-40 within a 40 mile radius, but your ads were mostly seen by much older women, you can test whether another platform or tool would reach your customer more effectively.*

*That's another benefit of spending less, more frequently: You're not risking too much!

Know More, Do Better 

The more you know about advertising and the impact it can have, you'll be able to make smarter decisions and spend smarter! Not interested in the nitty gritty? Get in touch with experts in online advertising. We're always happy to support your design dreams, create a list of keywords, or help you narrow down your audience based on our decades of experience!