How to Run Facebook Ads: A Step-by-Step Guide and Strategic Tips (For All Industries)

Facebook is one of the most powerful platforms for digital advertising, with over 2.9 billion active users. It provides high conversion rates, especially for small and medium-sized businesses, through targeted advertising strategies. In this guide, we cover step-by-step processes for anyone looking to advertise on Facebook, industry-specific tips, and critical details regarding target audience selection.

1. Advertising Process: Step-by-Step Explanation

1.1. Create a Facebook Business Manager Account

Log in from business.facebook.com.
Create a business page if you don't have one.
Facebook Pixel and Meta Business Suite integration should be done.

1.2. Create a Campaign

Ads Manager > Click the "+ Create Campaign" button

Objective Options:

Brand Awareness
Reach
Traffic
Engagement
Lead Generation
Sales (Conversion)

1.3. Create an Ad Set

Target audience (demographics, location, interests)
Platform selection (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network)
Budget and schedule are determined
Placement: Automatic (recommended) or Manual

️ 1.4. Choose Ad Format

Single image
Carousel (multiple scrollable content)
Video
Collection (recommended for e-commerce)
Instant Experience (mobile full-screen experience)

1.5. Add Link & CTA (Call-to-Action)

Page to be linked (website, product page, form, etc.)
CTA: Buy Now, Apply Now, Learn More, etc.

1.6. Publish and Track

Facebook ad approval process takes an average of 15 minutes – 1 hour
Performance measurement is done from Meta Business Suite or Ads Manager for live ads

2. Target Audience Selection and Segmentation

Demographic Targeting:

Age, gender, location, language, marital status, education level

❤️ Interest-Based Targeting:

Parents, entrepreneurs, shopping enthusiasts, technology enthusiasts, etc.

Behavior-Based Targeting:

Mobile device usage, travel frequency, online shopping behavior

♻️ Custom Audiences:

Website visitors (with Pixel)
Instagram followers
Email lists

Lookalike Audiences:

Potential audience similar to your existing customers

3. Industry-Specific Facebook Ad Strategies

Industry	Best Suited Objective	Format Recommendation	Extra Tips
E-Commerce	Abandoned cart users	Collection + Video	Dynamic product ads + Pixel tracking
Education	Students, parents	Lead Form + Carousel	Webinar CTA + create custom audience
Beauty & Spa	Women 18–45	Image + Video	Booking link + survey form
Real Estate	25–55, location-based	Video + Instant Exp.	Conversion with WhatsApp integration
B2B Software	Employers, CEOs, marketing	Lead Ad + Video	Transfer data from LinkedIn to Facebook

4. Performance Tracking and Optimization

Important Metrics:

Impressions, click-through rate (CTR)
Cost per click (CPC)
Cost per acquisition (CPA)
Conversion rate (CVR)

A/B Testing:

Test with different images, headlines, and targeting

Ad Scheduling:

Use the time range when your target audience is active

Retargeting:

Show ads to people who visited your website but didn't convert

5. Things to Consider in Facebook Ads

Do not violate advertising policies (it will be an obstacle in the approval process)
Images with a high text ratio perform poorly
Image resolution should be high (minimum 1080x1080 recommended)
CTA buttons must be used
The advertising budget should be proportional to the campaign objective

Resources and Tools

Conclusion: Facebook ads provide strong returns for your business with the right targeting and content strategy. Thanks to ad formats and targeting tools, each sector can develop its own unique solutions. Test, analysis, and optimization processes should not be forgotten for successful campaigns.