Intro:

If you're running Facebook or Instagram ads and wondering why your cost per lead keeps climbing, you're not alone. Most small businesses make the same critical mistake, and it's costing them thousands of dollars every month.

The good news? Once you understand what's wrong, you can fix it in just 4 days.

The Mistake Costing You Money

Ask any business owner what they include in their ads, and 99% will say: "My product, my service, information about my business."

And that's the problem.

When you're advertising on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, here's the hard truth: nobody cares about your product yet.

They don't care about:

• Your logo

• How many years you've been in business

• Your guarantee

• Your testimonials

At least, not at first.

The only people who care about these details are those already considering buying from you, meaning they're further down the buyer's journey in the consideration stage.

You can watch the full breakdown here:

Understanding the Awareness Stages

To fix your expensive ads, you need to understand where your audience is in their journey. People can be at different stages of awareness when they encounter your business:

Awareness Stage: People first realize they have a problem, but don't know solutions exist yet.

Interest Stage: They know solutions exist and are actively searching for options.

Consideration Stage: They're comparing different solutions and providers, this is where they care about your testimonials and guarantees.

Intent Stage: They've decided on a solution type and are narrowing down to specific providers.

Evaluation Stage: They're making their final decision between you and maybe one or two competitors.

Purchase Stage: They're ready to buy and just need that final push.

Why Product-Focused Ads Fail

Here's the disconnect: when you talk about your products and services in your ads, but your audience is still in the Awareness Stage, you're speaking a different language.

They're not ready to hear about YOU yet. They're trying to understand their PROBLEM.

And when there's this disconnect, several things happen:

1. Your engagement drops - People scroll past your ads without clicking

2. Your costs skyrocket - High cost per click, high CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions), and expensive leads

3. Meta penalizes you - When your audience doesn't engage positively, platforms like Meta read that as a bad user experience. The algorithm charges you more to compensate.

Meta's algorithm optimizes for user retention. If people scroll past your ad in 0.5 seconds, Meta learns your ad is irrelevant and makes you pay more.

What to Talk About Instead

So if you can't talk about your products and services, what should you focus on?

The answer is simple: Talk about them.

Human nature hasn't changed. We all care about ourselves first. You're reading this article right now because you care about your marketing and your business, not because you care about me.

The same principle applies to your marketing.

At the Awareness Stage, you need to talk about your prospects:

1. Their current struggles because of the problem your service solves

2. The cost of staying where they are - what happens if they do nothing?

3. A story of someone who had their exact problem and how they solved it

4. A vivid picture of a day in their life or a recurring situation they face because of the problem you solve

Real Examples: The Difference in Action

Let's look at how this plays out across different industries:

Couples Therapy

Product-Focused (Bad): "We offer evidence-based couples therapy with licensed therapists. 20+ years experience. Book your session today."

Customer-Focused (Good): "Do you feel like you're roommates instead of partners? When every conversation turns into an argument, and you can't remember the last time you felt truly connected? You're not alone, and it doesn't have to stay this way."

Solar for Homeowners

Product-Focused (Bad): "Premium solar panel installation. 25-year warranty. Free quote. Save on energy bills."

Customer-Focused (Good): "Tired of watching your electric bill climb every summer? While your AC runs nonstop, your meter spins faster. What if you could lock in your energy costs for the next 25 years?"

Fitness Training for New Moms

Product-Focused (Bad): "Certified postnatal fitness coach. Custom workout plans. Online and in-person training available."

Customer-Focused (Good): "Your body created a miracle, but now nothing fits and you're exhausted by 2 PM. You want to feel strong again, but between feeding schedules and zero sleep, the gym feels impossible."

Communication for Leaders

Product-Focused (Bad): "Executive communication coaching. Improve your leadership presence. One-on-one sessions with certified coaches."

Customer-Focused (Good): "Your team seems disengaged in meetings. Your messages get misunderstood. You know you're capable, but something gets lost between what you mean and what they hear."

Job Placement for Professionals

Product-Focused (Bad): "We connect qualified professionals with top employers. Resume review and interview prep included. Start your job search today."

Customer-Focused (Good): "You're overqualified, underpaid, and overlooked for promotions. Every Sunday night, that pit in your stomach grows as Monday approaches. You know you're capable of more."

Why This Approach Works

When you shift your focus from your product to your customer's pain points, four powerful things happen:

1. You move people through the funnel faster - You make people aware of your company and what you help with, moving them from awareness to interest and consideration.

2. They signal their interest - People will visit your landing page, like your ad, comment, follow, DM you. Some will even convert immediately because they see you actually understand their pain.

3. Your costs drop significantly - Because they engage more with your ads, your cost per click, CPM, and cost per lead will decrease.

4. The algorithm rewards you - Meta will show your ads MORE to people who showed interest. That's when you use your testimonials, guarantees, and all the features you love about your product, because now they're ready to hear it.

Your 4-Day Action Plan

Ready to fix your expensive ads? Here's exactly what to do:

Day 1: Identify Your Ideal Client Profile

If you don't know who your ideal target client is, you can't identify their pain points correctly. Take time to clearly define who you're trying to reach.

Day 2: List Everything Your Product Solves

Write down every problem, frustration, and pain point your product or service addresses. Be specific.

Day 3: Create New Ad Copy

Use tools like ChatGPT to help create video scripts or image ad copy based on those pain points. Also, update your landing page copy to talk more about your customer and less about your company.

Day 4: Launch and Test

Run your new ads and let them gather data. You need at least 4 days to identify which ads are winners.

After 4 Days: Retarget

Run retargeting ads to people who showed interest (visited your landing page, engaged with your ads) using your testimonials, guarantees, and product features. Now they're ready to hear about what makes you special.

The Bottom Line

Stop making your ads about you. Make them about your customer's problems, struggles, and the life they want to live.

When you do this, you'll see your engagement increase, your costs decrease, and your leads become more qualified, all because you're meeting people where they are in their journey instead of where you want them to be.

Want to see this strategy in action? Watch the full video breakdown above, and start implementing these changes today.

Ready to master Facebook ads from start to finish? If you want step-by-step guidance on creating high-converting ads and landing pages, even with zero experience, check out my complete training program. You'll learn everything you need to take full control of your marketing and make it profitable.