How to create a facebook ad campaign from scratch sounds technical, but you can get a clear, repeatable process in under an hour.
I’ll walk you through Ads Manager so you can plan, set up, and launch ads that match your business goal. You’ll pick an objective, define an audience, set a budget, and publish without guesswork.
Install the Meta Pixel early. It tracks visits, signups, and sales so you can see real results. Then run small tests and scale winners. I keep this simple so you can protect your budget and save time.
Key Takeaways
- Ads Manager is the hub for campaigns, ad sets, and tracking.
- Set a clear objective before you pick audience or placement.
- Install the Pixel early to measure reach, clicks, and sales.
- Start small. Run tests, then scale the winners.
- Keep content clean on social media and match it to your landing page.
What Facebook ads can do for your business today
With the right audience and budget settings, ads can move people toward your website fast.
Facebook has over 2.9 billion monthly users. That reach matters for small business owners. You can use advertising to find the people who matter most.
You can set clear objectives in Ads Manager. Pick brand awareness, traffic, or conversions. Then watch performance in near real time.
Use daily or lifetime budget controls to keep costs in check. Schedule by date and hour so ads run at the best time for your customers.
- Reach a massive audience quickly while keeping spend controlled.
- Target by location, age, interests, and behaviors so your message lands with a relevant audience.
- Run campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network from one manager.
- Drive website traffic, collect leads, or boost page engagement with the right objective and content.
Start small, check daily, and scale what works. That simple step protects your budget and improves engagement over time.
Set up the essentials in Meta Business Manager
Make a Business Manager account first so your assets, roles, and billing stay organized. Go to business.facebook.com and follow the on‑screen steps. Pick your country, currency, and time zone. These choices affect reporting and billing.
Create and link an ad account and your page. Link your Page so ads show your brand and you can manage messages from one inbox. Add a primary card or PayPal so ads run without delays.
Assign roles for anyone who helps. Use admin, advertiser, or analyst roles. Keep access tight. Separate business and personal profiles for cleaner books and audits.
Create Business Manager and your ad account
Set the ad account details right the first time. Country, currency, and time zone are final for that account.
Link your Page and add payment methods
Add billing, then turn on email alerts. You’ll catch billing issues or disapproved ads fast.
Install the Meta Pixel and verify Events Manager
Install the Pixel before your first campaign so data flows from day one. Open Events Manager. Verify the pixel, fire a test event, and set custom conversions if you track sales or leads.
Keep this step simple. Clean setup saves time and ad spend later.
How to create a facebook ad campaign from scratch
Open Ads Manager and start with the green +Create button to launch your first campaign.
Open Ads Manager and click Create
Click +Create and pick one objective. Choose Traffic if you want website visits or Conversions for sales.
Pick your campaign objective and name it
Use a clear name pattern: brand_goal_page_date. This makes future reporting and results checks fast and simple.
Decide on A/B testing and budget optimization
Turn on a test if you want to compare headlines, images, or audiences. Enable Campaign Budget Optimization so Facebook shifts spend to winning ad sets in real time.
Build an ad set, then design your ad
Set audience, placements, and schedule for the best time you can review results. Start with a small budget on day one. Design one clear message, one offer, and one action.
Review every setting once, then publish. Watch the first data and make changes fast.
Choose the right campaign objective for your goal
Start by naming the exact result you want — more visits, more signups, or real store walk‑ins — then pick an objective that fits.
Why it matters: objectives shape formats, bidding, and delivery in Ads Manager. Pick the wrong one and your ad spend won’t hit the right people.
Awareness: brand awareness and reach
Pick Brand Awareness or Reach when you need more people to see and remember your name. These objectives push for impressions and maximum reach. Use them if your goal is local recognition or broad visibility.
Consideration: traffic, engagement, video views, messages, app installs, lead generation
Choose Traffic when you want website visits or blog reads. Pick Engagement for social proof like comments and shares.
Use Video Views if your story works in motion and you’ll retarget viewers. Select Lead Generation, Messages, or App Installs when you need contacts, chats, or downloads.
Conversion: conversions, catalog sales, store traffic
Select Conversions when you can track purchases or signups and want the manager to optimize for value. Use Catalog Sales for dynamic product ads and Store Traffic for real‑world visits.
Quick rule: match goal to objective. It keeps your ads efficient and your spend focused.
“Pick the objective that matches the action you want people to take — everything else follows.”
Build your target audience with Core, Custom, and Lookalike options
Pick the right mix of Core, Custom, and Lookalike groups so your ads reach people who actually care. I keep this practical and nailed down with examples you can use in Ads Manager.
Saved audiences: simple demographic and interest targeting
Saved audiences use location, age, gender, interests, and behaviors. For example, target 25–40-year-olds in Austin who like hiking and local coffee shops.
Custom audiences: retarget people who already showed interest
Create one from website visitors using the Pixel. Add a list of past buyers or newsletter subscribers. Target people who watched a video or engaged with your page. That way you reach warm leads with an offer they’ll trust.
Lookalike audiences: scale from your best customers
Make a Lookalike from your top customers so Ads Manager finds new people with similar traits. Refresh seed lists as orders come in so the data improves. Watch the size meter and avoid audiences that are too narrow or too broad.
- Save audiences you reuse to save setup time.
- Exclude recent buyers when running new-customer promos.
- Tip: upload clean customer data and check reach estimates before launch.
“Good audience work halves wasted spend and doubles relevance.”
Set budget, bidding, and schedule the smart way
Set your budget before launch so the platform spends where it counts and you avoid surprises. Pick daily or lifetime based on your promo window and risk comfort.
Daily budget vs lifetime budget
Daily budget runs continuously and shows pacing each day. Start small. Try $5–$20 per ad set until you see stable results. The manager accepts low minimums (about $1 per ad set) but you need enough scale for meaningful data.
Lifetime budget spreads spend across chosen dates. Use it for fixed promotions. It keeps spend even and helps with pacing over the whole run.
Automatic vs manual bidding
Pick automatic bids when you’re new. Let the system find the best cost and learn delivery patterns. Switch to manual bidding once performance is steady and you need tighter CPA control.
Start and end dates, dayparting, and pacing tips
Schedule start and end dates so the campaign stops after your offer ends. Turn on dayparting when you know the best time of day for your audience. Run ads only during peak hours to save budget.
- Start small: learn fast without risking much cash.
- Use lifetime for exact promo windows.
- Check performance after one full day of delivery.
- Limit changes: avoid changing budget multiple times per day.
- Keep a test budget to try new audiences without pausing winners.
| Option | When to use | Typical start |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budget | Ongoing efforts and steady learning | $5–$20 per ad set |
| Lifetime budget | Fixed-date promos or events | Set total for run dates |
| Automatic bid | New campaigns and flexible delivery | No bid entry |
| Manual bid | Stable performance and cost control | Set max CPA |
“Start small, watch the first day, then scale what’s working.”
Want more placement and cost tips for Marketplace listings? See our guide on advertise on Marketplace for practical examples.
Select placements that match your objective and creative
Choose placements that help your creative look and perform its best. Think about where your audience spends time and what format shows your offer clearly.
Automatic placements for broad delivery
Automatic placements let the manager find cheap reach across feeds, Stories, Marketplace, in‑stream, Instant Articles, Messenger, and the Audience Network.
Use this when you want broad delivery and don’t have strict brand rules.
Manual placements when format matters
Pick manual placements when your visuals only fit certain spots. Choose feed, Stories, or Reels if your layout needs full‑screen framing.
Mobile‑first sizing and specs
Size images at 1080×1080. Keep video short and add captions so people watch with sound off. Small text can break in right column. Exclude that placement if readability suffers.
- Split test feed‑only vs feed+Stories to see which drives results.
- Watch delivery by placement and shift spend toward lower cost and better conversions.
- Preview on mobile and desktop in Ads Manager before publish.
“Match format to placement. It saves time and protects reach.”
Create ad creative that earns clicks and conversions
A strong creative gives people a clear reason to stop and act. Keep the focus tight. One message. One offer. One action.
Pick a format that fits the offer
Single image for quick promos. Video for demos and stories. Use carousel for product ranges and comparison. Choose collection for mobile shopping and Instant Experience for full‑screen focus.
Write clear, short copy
Keep primary text under 125 characters. Use a headline under 40 characters. Add a one‑line description when you need urgency. Short copy reads fast and converts better.
Choose a CTA that matches your page
Match the CTA with the landing page goal. Use Shop Now for product pages, Learn More for educational pages, and Sign Up for lead captures. Consistency cuts drop‑off and boosts conversions.
Follow specs and creative best practices
- Images: 1080×1080 and minimal overlays.
- Video: under 15 seconds, captions, hook in first 3 seconds.
- Keep text on visuals minimal for mobile legibility.
- Add one short review quote if space allows.
- Use one campaign message per creative. Don’t mix offers.
- Refresh creative every few day once frequency climbs.
“Match creative to the page and make the first three seconds count.”
Run pre-launch checks and pass policy review
Run a quick checklist before you publish so nothing breaks when people see your ads.
Make one final pass in Ads Manager. Confirm the objective matches your goal and the tracking works on the page. Do this before launch so tracking data starts clean.
Final checklist: objective, audience, budget, placements, tracking, and creatives
- Objective: match the result you want and verify conversion windows.
- Audience: check inclusions, exclusions, and size estimates.
- Budget & dates: confirm start/end and pacing so ads don’t run at the wrong time.
- Placements: preview every placement in Ads Manager for crops and legibility.
- Tracking: verify the Pixel fires on key steps and custom conversions record correctly.
- Creative & copy: keep copy clear and avoid claims about personal attributes or sensitive topics.
What to do if your ad is rejected
Reviews usually finish within 24 hours. If an ad is rejected, open the note in Ads Manager and read the reason. Edit the flagged element—copy, image, or landing page—and resubmit the same creative.
Save previous copy and images so you can swap quickly. Don’t rebuild from zero. If you suspect a policy issue, simplify language and remove any mention of sensitive health, finance, or personal attributes.
“Fix, resubmit, and watch early performance. Pause fast if you see broken links or poor delivery.”
Measure results and report performance in Ads Manager
Start by tracking a few core numbers that tell you whether your marketing works.
Focus on these metrics first: reach, impressions, CTR, CPC, conversions, and ROAS. Each one answers a simple question. Reach shows audience size. Impressions show delivery. CTR and CPC show engagement and cost. Conversions and ROAS show real value.
Make reports that reveal clear patterns
Set Columns in Ads Manager to include the core metrics above plus lifetime budget, daily budget, and spend. Save that column view so you open the same report every time.
- Use Breakdown by time to spot day‑over‑day swings.
- Break down by delivery or placement to see which spots drive cheap traffic and which drive website actions.
- Compare campaigns and ad sets to find strong audience and creative combos.
Export data for deeper analysis
Export your table as .xlsx. Open Excel and run a pivot table. Pull campaign, audience, placements, spend, and conversions into rows and values. Then add charts for quick dashboards.
| Action | Purpose | Metric examples | Quick tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set Columns | See performance at a glance | Reach, impressions, CTR, CPC, ROAS | Save the view for weekly checks |
| Use Breakdown | Segment delivery and time | Day, placement, age, device | Spot sudden drops fast |
| Export to Excel | Build dashboards and pivot reports | Campaign, ad set, spend, conversions | Use pivot charts for trends |
| Schedule reports | Automate trend checks | Daily, weekly, monthly snapshots | Send to your inbox and stakeholders |
Practical checks: scan engagement, video views, and cost per view when video is key. Track app events or custom conversions when an app or specific action matters. Always pair metric notes with the images and content used that period. That helps you learn which creative wins over time.
If you need a broader marketing playbook, see our guide on develop a marketing strategy for alignment across campaigns.
“Use data, not guesswork. Small reports often reveal the biggest wins.”
Optimize, A/B test, and scale winning campaigns
Treat each test like an experiment: change one thing, measure the result, then act. Start with headlines and visuals. They move people fastest. Keep changes small so you know what caused any lift in performance.
Test headlines, visuals, audiences, and placements
Run one split at a time. Test headlines, images, or video first. Then try a new audience or placement. Use short runs and clear success metrics. That keeps results clean and repeatable.
Use Campaign Budget Optimization and automated rules
Turn on CBO when you want the system to move budget toward winning ad sets. Add automated rules that pause poor performers and raise spend on ads hitting your ROAS target. Let automation handle small shifts so you can focus on strategy.
Refresh creatives to beat ad fatigue and improve ROAS
Swap creative every 7–10 days when frequency climbs or results slip. Retarget site visitors and app users to recover abandoned carts. Build lookalikes from recent customers to scale without losing quality.
- Raise budgets slowly on winners. Try 10–20% per change.
- Keep notes of every change so you can repeat wins.
- Use short tests and clear KPIs for quick decisions.
“Test, measure, and scale — let the data do the heavy lifting.”
Conclusion
, Finish strong: set the basics, run short tests, and measure what matters.
I’ve kept this practical so you can use facebook advertising without guesswork. Set up Business Manager, link your page, and install the Pixel early. Pick one clear objective and define your target audience before you launch.
Start with a small budget and mobile‑first creative. Check facebook ads daily at the same time. Export weekly into Excel and let simple reports guide one smart change at a time.
Build brand with steady social media presence while your ads gather real results. Stick to this repeatable campaign process and your business will improve month by month.
