5 Things Meta Ad Agencies Won't Tell You

When it comes to Meta Ads (formerly Facebook Ads), many small business owners think hiring an agency is the only way to achieve success. But that’s not the whole truth. Here are five things Meta ad agencies won’t tell you, and why understanding these can save you time, money, and frustration.

Many businesses lose thousands to ad agencies without seeing a return on investment. Agency fees can range from hundreds to thousands of pounds per month, and that’s before factoring in your ad spend. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for businesses to hire an agency only to realize they’ve been handed generic strategies or mismanaged campaigns.

Instead of outsourcing right away, invest time in learning the basics of Meta Ads yourself. There are countless free and paid resources available, including Meta’s own Blueprint courses, YouTube tutorials, and affordable marketing courses tailored for small businesses.

Understanding how Meta Ads work will also help you identify common red flags when you eventually decide to outsource. You’ll be able to spot unrealistic promises and understand performance metrics so no one can feed you false results.

1. Do I fully understand the basics of Meta Ads?
   If you don’t understand key metrics like ROAS, CPC, and CTR, or how the Meta Ads platform works, you might struggle to evaluate whether an agency is delivering results. Investing time in learning the basics first will empower you to ask the right questions and avoid being misled.

2. Do I have the budget to cover both ad spend and agency fees?
   Agencies typically charge a monthly fee on top of your ad spend, which can quickly add up. Consider whether you have enough budget to sustain this investment over time without jeopardizing other aspects of your business.

3. Have I maximized my organic marketing efforts?
   If your organic content strategy isn’t strong, even the best ads may struggle to convert. Evaluate whether your social media presence, email marketing, and website are optimized before turning to paid ads.

4. Am I looking for expertise or just time-saving?
   If you need an agency to bring advanced expertise, ensure they specialize in your niche or goals. If your main goal is to save time, consider whether outsourcing is worth it or if you can streamline ads yourself with tools like Meta’s Advantage+.

5. Do I know how to measure success?
   Before hiring an agency, define what success looks like for your business. Is it more sales, lower customer acquisition costs, or increased brand awareness? Having clear goals ensures you can hold an agency accountable for delivering results.

These questions will help you make a more informed decision and determine whether outsourcing is the right move for your business.

Agencies often skip over the importance of organic growth because they’re focused on quick wins through paid ads. However, your Meta Ads will perform much better if you’ve already built a strong organic presence.

Touchpoints are crucial—a completely cold audience is much harder to convert than someone who’s already encountered your brand multiple times organically. Before diving into ads, focus on:

• Posting consistent, high-quality content

• Engaging with your audience to build a community

• Showing up as a founder to create authentic connections

This groundwork will make your ads more effective, boost your return on ad spend (ROAS), and prevent wasted money on unqualified leads. Check out my ultimate guide to social media below. 

One of the biggest misconceptions about Meta Ads is trusting ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) as the ultimate measure of success. Meta’s attribution model often overstates results. For example, if someone clicks on an ad but doesn’t buy, then later purchases through a marketing email, Meta may still credit the sale to the ad.

This can lead to inflated ROAS figures that don’t reflect reality. It’s essential to calculate your true ROAS by factoring in all marketing efforts and understanding your bottom line. Use tools like Google Analytics or specific ROAS calculators to get a more accurate picture of ad performance.

Watch this video to learn how to calculate your bottom line ROAS. 

Advantage+ campaigns were once seen as a hit-or-miss tool, but AI advancements have significantly improved their performance. Heading into 2025, Advantage+ is becoming a reliable option for both beginners and experienced advertisers.

Advantage+ automates audience creation and ad placement, simplifying the process for new advertisers. It’s particularly useful for retargeting existing customers and finding lookalike audiences. With minimal effort, you can achieve strong results, making it a great choice if you’re not ready to dive into manual targeting.

Link the meta guide here.

Agencies may not tell you this, but a small budget like £10 a day won’t cut it for most campaigns. Additionally, Meta’s algorithm will often suggest increasing your budget if an ad is performing well. While this might seem like a good idea, increasing your budget resets your ad’s learning phase, and it can take days for performance to stabilize—if it does at all.

Instead of blindly following budget recommendations, monitor your ads daily. Ask yourself, “Do I really need to increase the budget, or is the ad already performing well enough?” Make informed decisions to avoid unnecessary spending and maximize your ad’s success.

Read this blog here;

Meta Ads can be a powerful tool for growing your business, but success doesn’t come from outsourcing alone. By educating yourself, building a strong organic presence, and managing your budget wisely, you can achieve results that last—without the headache of overpriced agency fees.