Algorithms, Targeting, and Getting Out in Front
If you want to multiply your marketing results, paid digital advertising is like adding rocket fuel to your business.
Instead of waiting for organic marketing to slowly attract leads, you can scale your reach quickly by placing ads on platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, getting your brand in front of the right people at the right time.
But… it’s easy to waste money if you don’t set things up correctly.
What You’ll Learn
In this module, you’ll learn exactly how to choose the right platform(s), create compelling ads, set a manageable budget, and track your progress—so you can see real ROI in less time.
We’ll show you how to integrate paid ads seamlessly into your overall funnel, including your lead magnets and contact database.
Let’s go find your newest fans…
Paid Digital Advertising encompasses any time you buy ad placements on online platforms to reach a targeted audience.
Some of the biggest platforms in the world are at your fingertips—think Google and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) to start. They’ve built their business empires by perfecting their advertising technologies, and it’s easier than ever for companies like yours to utilize their expertise to get your name in front of the most promising leads.
And while there are entire companies and niche industries dedicated to the craft, we’ll help you understand the lay of the land so you can stop guessing and start growing.
To get going, here’s a few terms you need to become familiar with.
Key Terms to Know
CPC (Cost Per Click): What you pay each time someone clicks your ad.
CPM (Cost Per Mille): What you pay per 1,000 ad impressions (views).
CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): The amount you pay to get one lead or sale.
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): Your revenue divided by ad spend. A ROAS of 4:1 means you earn $4 for every $1 you spend.
Retargeting: Showing ads to people who have already interacted with your brand (visited your website, watched your video, etc.).
Here are some immediate examples to get your imagination started:
Large Brand Example: Nike runs product-focused ads on Instagram, using high-impact visuals and short videos. They’re not just showcasing sneakers; they’re building an emotional connection and capturing retargeting data for future campaigns.
Local Service Example: A small plumbing company uses Google Search Ads so when homeowners type “emergency plumber near me,” they appear at the top of results. They might spend $20 a day but get immediate phone calls from ready-to-book customers.
Below is a practical roadmap to start cold outreach using the three main channels—Email, Calling, and Social Outreach—along with tips to optimize each step.
Are you looking to sell directly, generate leads, or promote a lead magnet?
Get crystal clear on your main goal so you can choose the best platform and targeting strategy. Consider the experience an end-user might have when they encounter your ad and click your link.
Having a single goal per ad campaign will help you track goals and evaluate what works (and what doesn’t).
Google Ads: Ideal for capturing high-intent leads. People actively search for solutions, so if your offer is time-sensitive (e.g., local services, urgent needs, or immediate interest), start here.
Facebook/Instagram Ads: Excellent for broad awareness, retargeting, and lead magnets. Great if you have a visually appealing offer or if you know your audience’s demographics and interests.
LinkedIn Ads: If you’re B2B or in professional services, LinkedIn offers advanced targeting by job title, company size, and industry.
YouTube/TikTok Ads: Video ads work well for storytelling, product demos, or brand-building with a younger demographic.
Use each platform’s targeting tools to narrow by geography, interests, behaviors, or job roles. The more specific you get, the more relevant your message can be—and the better your ad performance.
“Creative” here is a technical term, and it refers to either the copy or the visuals. Making sure each side complements the other will create a cohesive, impactful ad experience.
Focus on benefits, not features. Address the biggest pain point for your specific audience.
For example, instead of using, “Our credit card has the best features for travelers”, be more aspirational: “Access your money from anywhere in the world. Get the only credit card you know will always work—wherever you find yourself.”
But wait, there’s more to consider here…
Something most people don’t know when first getting into digital ad buying is how copy works on these platforms.
Rather than creating a single headline and body that work together, you’ll have to create multiple attention-grabbing messages for a single campaign. Why?
Platforms like Google and Meta are constantly using their advertising algorithms to test and refine your messaging and audience targeting. Because of that, your ad will feature multiple combinations of your various messages to make sure the most effective language hits with the right people.
To give you an idea, when setting up a basic Google Search ad, you will need to create up to 15 different headlines and 4 potential descriptions, all of which could be featured alongside each other. Meta will use up to 5 headlines, but show the text in different places for each of their ad layouts.
Use attention-grabbing imagery or a short, punchy video. Aim to hook viewers in the first few seconds.
There are tons of Instagram Reels and TikTok channels dedicated to sharing the best examples of great visual creative. We highly recommend searching around and finding inspiration!
A few high-converting formats to search for include Us vs. Them (comparison), POV (Point of View of the user/customer), Social Proof (testimonial), Product Showcase, and “Man on the street.”
See what you find compelling and test what reaches your audience most effectively. Happy searching!
Pro Tip
Did you know you can see all of your competitor’s ads for free? Or view ads in similar industries that are high-performing? Both Meta Ads Library and Google Ads Transparency Center allow you to search for specific companies or view types of ads that are running on various platforms.
Use it as inspiration for new ideas, confirmation for your hunches, or simply getting started with proven concepts.
Don’t send clicks to your homepage—create a single-purpose landing page for each campaign. This will help you in the next step.
Keep in consideration…
One Offer / One CTA (call-to-action): Whether it’s downloading a lead magnet or buying a product, make it simple and clear. Scrollers are distracted enough. You don’t want to miss a lead because you gave them too much information too quickly.
Mobile-Friendly: A large chunk of clicks will come from mobile devices. For example, research analysts estimate over 90% of Instagram ad interactions are mobile. On Facebook, studies indicate that mobile ads experience a roughly 20-30% higher CPC than desktop ads, largely due to increased engagement and the platform’s mobile-first strategy.
Install a Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics, or LinkedIn Insight Tag to monitor traffic and conversions. This data will let you optimize your campaigns and retarget visitors who don’t convert right away.
Having those campaign-specific landing pages mentioned above will allow you to track ad engagement more effectively.
Start small: $5–$20/day on your first campaign until you see consistent results. This prevents large losses while still giving you enough data to make meaningful decisions.
You can check in daily (or multiple times a week) to see how things are going, but expect more robust results within 2-4 weeks. Platform algorithms need time to learn, especially when a new ad account.
Look at your CPC, CTR (Click-Through Rate), and CPA. Pause ads that aren’t working, and try new headlines, images, or audience segments.
CTR (Click-Through Rate): Measures ad relevance. Higher CTR often means better targeting or creative.
CPC (Cost Per Click): How much you’re paying for each click. Lower is typically better (though not always, if high-cost clicks lead to valuable conversions).
CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): The ultimate measure—how much you spend per lead or sale.
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): If you spend $100 on ads and generate $400 in revenue, your ROAS is 4:1. A strong average baseline to aim for (on social) would be 3:1.
Tracking these within your advertising platform—or via Personify’s built-in analytics—helps you see what’s working at a glance.
Personify Users
Within Personify, you can create custom dashboards just for tracking your ad performance. In one place, you can track your Google Ads, Meta Ads, lead magnet downloads, and your website conversions.
Example of Tracking Website Visitors based on Ads, built in to the Personify Dashboard
Airbnb invests heavily in both Google Search Ads (for “vacation rentals” or “places to stay”) and social media ads with user-generated content. But that’s just step one.
The real power is when they retarget users who browsed certain locations or property types, offering them promotions or curated recommendations.
Here’s how a local gym could set up their digital ads marketing funnel.
Hometown Fitness targets people within a 10-mile radius on Facebook and Instagram. Their ad creative highlights a free 7-day pass, leading to a simple sign-up page. They capture email addresses using Personify, then send automated follow-up invites for a gym tour. A few hundred dollars a month in ad spend drives consistent local foot traffic.
Pick one platform (we recommend beginning with Google or Facebook) so that you can begin to get a sense of messaging and strategy will gain the most traction.
Set a modest daily budget ($5–$20).
Create a single ad set (one targeting group) and a simple landing page with one clear CTA.
Track everything: Use Personify’s funnel tracking or the ad platform’s built-in analytics.
Once you see success, expand to LinkedIn, YouTube, or other surprisingly high-converting platforms (within certain industry categories) like Snapchat, Pinterest, or Microsoft Bing. (While Bing’s market share is significantly lower than Google, it is the default search engine on all Windows computers, including the search built-in to the taskbar. Plus, Bing has ad tools to seamless copy all of your pre-existing ads from Google, saving you time.)
Have you ever seen an ad, clicked on it, and then immediately gotten distracted or pulled away from your phone?
Retargeting ads show ads to everyone who visits your site or engages with your content but didn’t convert.
These are also powerful follow-up experiences after someone does interact with your lead magnet, reinforcing the value of what you do.
Test different images, videos, and messaging to see what resonates best. Don’t worry if you need to shift your approach! All of the data available to you can help you make more informed decisions as you do it.
Allocate more funds to campaigns with a proven positive ROAS.
Use a marekting automation platform (Ding Ding! Personify enters the chat…) to trigger multi-channel follow-ups (email, SMS, calls) once a lead enters your funnel.
The name of the game with cold outreach is consistency. Can it be a lot of work? Sure. But no one ever said hard work is a bad thing… especially with the proper tools in place to streamline and automate as much as possible, leading to a much higher ROI.
When you’re ready to scale, using an all-in-one marketing tool like Personify can simplify and automate a lot of this work for you.
There are several ad platforms we’ve talked about in this module. In summary, here are the primary tools to get started:
Dedicated Landing Page Builders like Unbounce or ClickFunnels can be great, but we most often recommend you use your existing website and build custom pages. This will drive more traffic to your website, which is good for SEO.
For visual creative, you can hire a designer or use a simple platform like Canva or Adobe Express.
For video, most high-performing ads can easily be shot on your phone. Choosing a location with good lighting and adding a simple wireless mic for better sound is all you need to get started.
Create drip email, SMS, or voicemail campaigns for people who fill out your landing page.
Increase lead scores for ad-generated leads to prioritize follow-up.
Monitor ad-driven contacts and conversions in one place.
Example Marketing Automation Workflow using Personify
Common Mistakes (And Quick Fixes)
Lack of Clear Objective: Know what you want before you spend a cent: leads, sales, or sign-ups.
Sending Traffic to a Generic Homepage: Always use a focused, dedicated landing page for a single offer.
Too Many Platforms at Once: Start small. Master one platform, then expand.
Forgetting to Retarget: Warm audiences (those who have visited your site) convert at higher rates.
Ignoring Mobile: If your landing page doesn’t load quickly or look great on a phone, you’ll lose leads.
FAQs
Q: How much should I spend when just starting out?
A: Between $5–$20/day on one platform is enough to learn without risking major losses. Scale up after you see a positive ROAS.
Q: When will I see results?
A: Some see leads or sales immediately, but give the platform’s algorithm 3-4 weeks to optimize. Evaluate after that period, refine, then continue to improve.
Q: Should I hire an agency?
A: If your budget is large and your time is limited, hiring an expert can speed results. But for small budgets, it’s absolutely possible to DIY using tutorials and trial-and-error.
Q: What if my ads aren’t converting?
A: Check your targeting, tweak your landing page, and test new creative. Often, small changes—like a different headline—can significantly boost conversions.
Prompt 1
You are a digital marketing expert specializing in market research. I’m looking to run paid ads for a [describe product/service] targeting [briefly describe your target audience].
Task: Provide a detailed breakdown of this market, including demographic insights, common pain points, unique selling propositions, and recent trends that might influence advertising strategy. Summarize the top three competitor tactics and suggest how I can differentiate my ads.
Format:
Why It Works:
Instructs ChatGPT to give you a structured market analysis so you can refine your ads.
Ensures ChatGPT focuses on competitor tactics and positioning.
Prompt 2
You are an experienced marketer. Help me create three detailed buyer personas for my [describe product/service], aimed at people who need [mention the specific benefits or uses].
Task: For each buyer persona, include:
Goal: I want a realistic, data-backed snapshot of who I’m advertising to, so I can develop more targeted campaigns.
Why It Works:
Prompt 3
You are an advertising copywriting specialist. I’m running a paid campaign for [describe product/service].
Task: Give me 10 unique, attention-grabbing “ad angles” or hooks that speak directly to the pain points of [specific target audience]. Each angle should be no more than 1–2 sentences and highlight a specific benefit or emotional trigger.
Why It Works:
Instructs ChatGPT to focus on brief, punchy hooks you can test as ad headlines or lead sentences.
Prompt 4
You are a Google Ads expert. Write 3 variations of Google Search ad copy for my [product/service], focusing on [primary benefit or solution].
Requirements:
The ad should highlight [unique selling proposition or special offer]. End with a strong call-to-action.
Why It Works:
Incorporates character count limits for Google Ads.
Forces ChatGPT to be concise and follow best practices for search ads.
Prompt 5
You are a social media advertising strategist. Create one short and one long version of Facebook/Instagram ad copy for [product/service], targeting [demographic group].
Task:
Why It Works:
Prompt 6
You are a retargeting campaign specialist. I have a list of website visitors who showed interest in [describe product/service] but didn’t convert.
Task:
Why It Works:
Specifies a retargeting “sequence,” prompting ChatGPT to suggest how to nurture leads over time.
Useful for building multi-touch campaigns in Personify or other platforms.
Prompt 7
You are a conversion rate optimization (CRO) specialist. I need to improve the performance of my [Google/Facebook/LinkedIn] ad campaign for [product/service].
Task:
Why It Works:
ChatGPT can propose specific testing ideas you can implement immediately.
Encourages data-driven decision-making.
Prompt 8
You are a direct-response copywriter. Help me create an effective landing page for a paid ad campaign promoting [product/service].
Structure:
Additional: Provide tips on page layout and design elements that boost conversion.
Why It Works:
Guides ChatGPT to provide full landing page content plus layout advice.
Prompt 9
You are an email marketing automation expert. I just captured leads from a paid ad campaign for [product/service]. Write a 3-part email follow-up sequence to nurture and convert these leads.
Include:
Why It Works:
Ensures ChatGPT will create a cohesive email sequence that fits into your overall funnel.
Prompt 10
You are a marketing analyst. I just completed a 30-day paid ads campaign on [platform]. The goal was to drive leads to [landing page].
Task:
Format:
Why It Works:
Be Specific: Customize placeholders ([describe product/service], [target audience], etc.) with real details. The more context you give ChatGPT, the more accurate and relevant the output.
Iterate: Don’t be afraid to push ChatGPT for revisions: “Rewrite the ad copy in a more playful tone.”
Combine with Personify: Once you have your final copy or strategy, implement it in Personify—whether for automated follow-up sequences, contact segmentation, or analytics tracking.
Test & Validate: Use AI to brainstorm and create first drafts. Then, test them in the real world. Track the metrics, refine, and keep iterating.
These prompts will save you countless hours brainstorming and refining your paid ad strategy. Use them as a starting point, then leverage real-world data to optimize and keep your marketing funnel running at peak performance.
Action Checklist
Get started on your digital ad buying right away! Copy and paste this list to your project management tool or document.
By taking the structured approach above, you’ll avoid the most common mistakes and see a clearer path to real ROI. Paid digital ads aren’t a magic bullet, but when done the right way—and integrated with your overall funnel—they can accelerate your results dramatically. Now, let’s fuel your business growth with paid ads that convert!
Next Steps: When you’re ready, head to the next module to learn how to continue your social networking strategy and SEO building with content marketing.
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