How to Run Facebook Ads in the Simplest & Easiest Way Possible? [2025 Guide]

You know the best part about paid social media advertising? You can do it yourself, with just a very small learning curve.

So, if you’ve ever wondered, Can I run Facebook Ads by myself? the answer is yes! With basic knowledge of Facebook Ads Manager, you can easily create and manage ads on Facebook and Instagram. In fact, the platform is designed to be user-friendly, even for beginners. That means you don’t need a massive marketing budget or years of experience to see real results.

However, for complete beginners, the idea of how to run Facebook ads might seem a bit complicated at first glance. With so many options to choose from — objectives, targeting, budgets, and more — it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But don’t worry! Running Facebook ads doesn’t have to be difficult, and I’m here to break it down for you.

In this blog, I will walk you through a step-by-step guide explaining exactly how to run Facebook ads from start to finish. Whether you’re looking to drive traffic, increase brand awareness, or boost sales, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to create your first successful ad campaign. Let’s dive in!

Step 1: Getting Started with Facebook Ads

At this stage, starting with Facebook Ads might seem like a big task at first, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, you’ll feel like a pro.

In this section, we’ll walk through the basics of setting up your Facebook Ads account so you can start running ads.

Setting Up a Facebook Business Manager Account

Before you create an ad, you need to set up your Facebook Business Manager. Business Manager is basically the hub where you’ll manage your ads, pages, and even collaborate with people who help you with your business on Facebook.

Here’s how to set up Facebook Business Manager Account:

1. Go to business.facebook.com
2. Click on ‘Create Account’ and enter the required details
3. Verify Your Account via email

That’s it. This 3-step procedure was the first hurdle of you not knowing how to run Facebook Ads.

Now, with a Business Manager, you’re all set to manage multiple ads or invite team members to help. It’s going to be like your command center.

Setting Up Your Facebook Ads Manager

Okay, now that you’ve got Business Manager set up, let’s head over to the Facebook Ads Manager. This is where you’ll actually create, manage, and track your ads.

Here’s what you need to do to get started:

1. Open Facebook Ads Manager: You can find it easily by looking for “Ads” in the left pane of your Facebook Business Manager dashboard.
2. Create Your Ad Account: Facebook will ask you to set up an ad account. Choose your country, currency, and time zone—those are the basics.
3. Link Your Business Page: You can’t run ads without connecting a Facebook Page. If you don’t have one already, create one! If you do, simply link it here.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll see your Ads Manager dashboard. It’s filled with all sorts of useful tools, but for now, don’t stress over everything. Just know that this is where you’ll manage your ads moving forward.

Connecting Your Facebook Page and Instagram Account (Optional)

Now, one thing to keep in mind is that Facebook and Instagram are connected when it comes to ads. If you plan on running ads on Instagram (which, let’s face it, you probably will since it’s a huge platform), you’ll need to link your Instagram account.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Go to Business Settings: Inside your Business Manager, look for the “Business Settings” option.
2. Click on ‘Instagram Accounts’: You’ll find this under the “Accounts” section.
3. Add Your Instagram Account: Follow the prompts to log in to Instagram and link it to your Facebook Page.

It’s as simple as that! Once connected, you’ll be able to run ads on both Facebook and Instagram from the same place. It’s pretty powerful because you can reach a larger audience across both platforms with just one campaign.

Now, before you start thinking about what kind of ads to run, here’s the key takeaway: Your Facebook Business Manager and Ads Manager are your two main tools. Everything you do on Facebook Ads, from creating your campaigns to managing your budget, will happen through these tools. And yes, you can access them all from one central dashboard.

Getting these set up right is the first step to success. Once you’re through these basic setups, you’ll be ready to dive into the fun stuff—creating and running your ads!

In the next section, we’ll talk about the basics of Facebook Ads—what they are, what you need to know, and how you can start setting up your first campaign. But for now, take a moment to get everything set up and don’t rush through it.

Step 2: Creating Your First Facebook Ad

I am hoping you’ve spent some time exploring the Ads Manager by now. If you don’t understand everything, don’t worry. With time, you’ll understand the why and how behind every feature. For now, heres’ the process to follow to create your first Facebook ad.

#1 – Choosing the Campaign Objective

When you start creating an ad, Facebook will first ask you to choose a campaign objective. It sounds like a big decision, but it’s really about understanding your goal.

What do you want your ad to do? Do you want to drive traffic to your website? Get more people to like your page? Or maybe you want to generate leads?

Here are the main objectives Facebook offers, and when to choose them:

• Awareness: If your goal is to get more people to know about your business or product, go for a Brand Awareness or Reach objective.
• Consideration: If you want people to think about your business, engage with your posts, or even visit your website, choose something like Traffic, Engagement, or Video Views.
• Conversion: If you want people to take a specific action (like buying something on your website or signing up for a newsletter), go for Conversions or Lead Generation.

For beginners, I recommend starting with Traffic (if you want people to visit your website) or Engagement (if you want people to like, comment, or share your post). Don’t worry too much about getting this perfect right away—pick the one that fits your goal, and you’ll learn as you go.

#2 – Defining Your Audience

Next up, let’s talk about your audience. One of the biggest advantages of Facebook Ads is the ability to target your ads specifically to the right people. But who exactly do you want to reach?

When you’re setting up your ad, you’ll have the option to define your audience based on things like:

• Location: Where are your ideal customers? Maybe they’re in a specific city, state, or country. Or perhaps they’re near your physical store.
• Age & Gender: You can narrow your audience down to a specific age range or gender.
• Interests: Facebook lets you target people based on what they like or follow—like sports, fashion, fitness, cooking, etc.
• Behavior: You can even target people based on their online behaviors. Maybe they’ve recently bought something online, or they’ve interacted with certain types of content.

The best part? Facebook makes this process pretty easy. You can even use their Save Audience feature, which lets you save your custom audience so you can use it again in future ads.

Pro Tip: When you’re just starting out, don’t get too caught up in narrowing your audience too much. Start broad, test different options, and over time, you’ll discover what works best.

#3 – Setting Your Budget and Schedule

Now, it’s time to talk about how much you want to spend and when you want your ad to run.

• Budget: Facebook allows you to choose between a daily budget (how much you want to spend each day) or a lifetime budget (how much you want to spend in total for the duration of the ad). If you’re just starting, I recommend setting a daily budget to keep things flexible. You can start small (even as little as $5 per day) and increase it as you see how your ads perform. No need to go all in at the start—Facebook ads work best when you test, adjust, and scale gradually.
• Schedule: You’ll also choose when you want your ad to run. You can set your ad to start immediately, or schedule it for a specific time and date. If you want your ad to run only during certain hours (maybe when your audience is most active), Facebook lets you control that too.

#4 – Designing Your Ad Creative

Okay, now comes the fun part—creating your actual ad! This is where you get to show off your product, service, or brand. Your ad’s creative is what grabs attention and gets people to take action. Here’s what you need to know to create a great ad:

1. Choosing the Right Ad Format: Facebook offers a few different ad types, and it’s important to pick the one that matches your content best:
   • Single Image: A simple, clean ad with one image. Great for products or services you want to highlight.
   • Carousel: Multiple images or videos in one ad, which users can swipe through. Perfect for showcasing different products or features.
   • Video: A short video to capture attention. Video ads are powerful because they let you tell a story or show your product in action.
   • Slideshow: A lightweight alternative to video. You can create a slideshow from your images, and it’s great if you want something dynamic but don’t have a video ready.
   • Collection: This ad type allows you to showcase several products in a visually appealing format. Perfect for e-commerce brands.
2. Crafting Your Message (Ad Copy): The text you write in your ad is just as important as the visuals. Keep it simple, direct, and focused on what you want your audience to do.
   • Start with a Hook: Grab attention in the first few seconds with a compelling statement.
   • Highlight the Benefit: Explain why your audience should care. What’s in it for them? How will your product or service solve a problem?
   • Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Tell people what to do next—whether it’s “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Sign Up.” Make sure your CTA stands out.
3. Choosing Images or Videos: You don’t need a big fancy production, but you do need high-quality visuals. If you’re using images, keep them bright and clear. If you’re using video, make sure it’s short (15–30 seconds) and easy to understand, even without sound.

Pro Tip: Test different visuals and copy. Sometimes, small changes in wording or image can make a big difference in performance.

#5 – Submitting Your Ad for Review

When you’re ready to go live, simply click the “Publish” button. Facebook will then review your ad to make sure it meets their guidelines (don’t worry, this usually only takes a few minutes). If everything looks good, your ad will be approved and start running.

That’s it! You’ve just created your first Facebook ad. I know it might seem like a lot of steps, but once you’ve done it once or twice, it’ll feel like second nature. And remember, there’s always room to tweak and improve as you learn more about what works best for your business.

In the next section, we’ll talk about how to monitor your ad performance and make adjustments to get the best results. But for now, you’ve already grasped the basic concept of how to run Facebook Ads!

Step 3: Managing Your Facebook Ads

First things first: you need to know how to track the success of your ads. This is where Facebook Ads Manager becomes your best friend. In the Ads Manager, you’ll see a bunch of different metrics. But which ones should you focus on? Let’s break down the most important ones.

1. Impressions: This tells you how many times your ad has been shown. It’s important because it gives you an idea of how far your ad is reaching.
2. Reach: Reach is similar to impressions, but it’s all about how many unique people saw your ad. If your ad showed up multiple times to the same person, it still only counts as one reach.
3. Click-Through Rate (CTR): CTR tells you how many people clicked on your ad compared to how many people saw it. A higher CTR means your ad is compelling enough to get people to take action. If your CTR is low, you might want to rethink your ad copy or image.
4. Cost Per Click (CPC): This shows how much you’re paying each time someone clicks on your ad. You want to keep this as low as possible, but keep in mind that a higher CPC can sometimes be okay if your ad is driving valuable results (like purchases or sign-ups).
5. Conversion Rate: If your goal is to get people to take a specific action (like buying something or signing up), then the conversion rate is super important. This tells you how many people took that action after clicking on your ad.
6. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): ROAS tells you how much revenue you made for every dollar you spent on ads. This is one of the best ways to measure the true success of your campaigns. If you’re spending more on ads than you’re making, it’s time to adjust.

👉 For more info, refer to this guide for more detail about Facebook Ads Metrics!

Now that you know what to track, it’s time to learn how to make adjustments to improve performance. Facebook Ads are all about testing and tweaking.

It’s rare that you’ll create the perfect ad right away, so don’t get discouraged if things don’t go perfectly at first. Here’s how to adjust your campaigns for better results:

1. Optimize Your Targeting: If you’re not getting the right people clicking on your ad, it’s time to refine your targeting. Maybe your audience is too broad, or maybe you’re not reaching the right interests or behaviors. You can tweak your audience based on age, location, interests, and even specific actions like website visits or engagement with your page.
   • Use Lookalike Audiences: If you have existing customers or website visitors, you can create a Lookalike Audience, which will find people who are similar to those who have already interacted with your business. This can be a game-changer when it comes to improving your ad’s performance.
2. Adjust Your Budget and Bidding: If your ad is doing well but you want to reach more people, try increasing your budget. If your ad isn’t performing as expected, try lowering the budget or adjusting your bidding strategy. Facebook gives you flexibility here, so experiment with different budget levels to see what works best.
3. Test Different Ad Creatives: Your images, videos, and copy are crucial. If your ad isn’t getting the results you want, try creating a new version with a different image, headline, or call-to-action (CTA). Sometimes, small changes can make a huge difference in performance.
   • A/B Testing: If you’re unsure which version of your ad will perform better, try A/B testing. This involves running two versions of the same ad (with one change, like a different image or headline) to see which one gets better results. You can test one element at a time to learn what works best.
4. Use Retargeting: One powerful way to boost your ads’ performance is through retargeting. This means showing ads to people who have already interacted with your business. Maybe they visited your website but didn’t make a purchase, or they engaged with one of your Facebook posts. Retargeting is a great way to bring people back and encourage them to take action.
   • Create Custom Audiences for Retargeting: Facebook allows you to create Custom Audiences based on specific actions people have taken—whether they’ve visited your site, watched a video, or interacted with your Facebook page. By targeting these people, you increase the likelihood that they’ll convert.

How to Scale Your Facebook Ads?

Once you’ve found an ad that’s performing well, you might want to scale it to reach a larger audience. But scaling isn’t just about increasing the budget—it’s about doing it strategically.

1. Increase the Budget Gradually: If you suddenly increase your budget by a huge amount, Facebook’s algorithm might get confused, and your results could suffer. Instead, increase your budget by 10-20% every few days, so the algorithm has time to adjust.
2. Expand Your Audience: You can also scale by expanding your audience. Try broadening your targeting or creating a Lookalike Audience to reach more people who are similar to your existing customers.
3. Duplicate and Expand Successful Ads: If you have an ad that’s working really well, try duplicating it and running the new version with a different audience or slightly adjusted settings. This allows you to reach more people while keeping the successful elements of the original ad intact.

Monitoring Ad Performance Post-Launch

Now that you know how to make adjustments and scale your ads, it’s crucial to keep an eye on things regularly. Don’t just launch your ads and forget about them. Come back to your Ads Manager frequently to check how your ads are doing and to make necessary adjustments.

(Or you can simply refer to Vaizle’s AI chatbot to find all related insights for your ongoing Facebook Ads campaign. It is basically like talking to a human, who’s aware of all crucial Facebook Ad Account information. Try Now)

You’ll want to monitor things like:

• Frequency: How many times has your ad been shown to the same person? If the frequency gets too high, people may start ignoring your ad. If that happens, it might be time to refresh your ad creative or target a new audience.
• Ad Placement: Facebook gives you the option to run ads across various placements (Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, etc.). Keep an eye on where your ads are performing best and consider shifting your budget toward those placements.
• Engagement & Comments: Check for comments on your ads and engage with people who comment or ask questions. Responding to questions or positive feedback helps build trust and engagement with your audience.

And that’s it – You’ve now successfully run a Facebook ad, tracked its key metrics, and monitored overall performance post-launch. Obviously, there’s a lot more to do, but optimizing campaigns and crunching numbers come at a later stage!

Final Tips for Long-Term Success

Here are a few tips from my end to help you get started with running Facebook Ads easily.

1. Start Small, Scale Gradually: Don’t worry about spending big right away. Start with a small budget, test your ads, and scale them as you find what works.
2. Keep Learning and Experimenting: Facebook Ads are a dynamic and ever-changing platform. The more you experiment with different targeting options, creatives, and objectives, the more you’ll learn about what works for your business.
3. Stay Consistent: Running successful ads is all about consistency. Keep running and optimizing your ads to stay visible and engaged with your audience.
4. Track and Measure Everything: Use the metrics and data in Ads Manager to monitor your campaigns. You can’t improve what you don’t measure, so keep an eye on your performance and adjust as needed.

Try Vaizle’s AI Facebook Ads Analyst

Running Facebook ads isn’t the tough part. The actual analytical work begins when you have to look at those active campaigns and figure out what’s working, what’s not, and what action to take next.

That’s where Vaizle will help you out. Vaizle’s latest AI chatbot is your virtual Facebook Ads analyst and can answer any questions regarding your ad campaigns.

For example: You can ask “What’s the ROAS trend for this {ad} for the past 30 days” or “Which ads are underperforming” and get instant insights, without having to go through your dashboard.

Conclusion

There you have it! You’ve now understood how to run Facebook ads, and you’re ready to dive into your first campaign. Remember, running Facebook ads isn’t about being perfect from the start—it’s about experimenting, learning, and improving as you go.

So go ahead and launch your first ad, monitor its performance, and make tweaks along the way. Before you know it, you’ll be running ads like a pro, reaching your audience, and seeing real results for your business!

Good luck, and don’t hesitate to come back and revisit this guide as you continue your Facebook Ads journey. You’ve got this!