Wasted $600 on Facebook ads that got zero sales last month

I run a small agency in Cleveland and decided to try Facebook ads for a client who sells custom furniture. I spent $600 over two weeks targeting homeowners in our area with what I thought was a solid ad. Turned out my audience was way too broad and the creative was just plain boring. The client was not happy, and I had to refund half the money to keep the account. I learned I need to test with smaller $50 budgets first before going all in. Has anyone else had a similar flop with paid social ads? What did you change to fix it?

3 comments

3 Comments

grays131mo ago

Totally feel you on this one. I did something similar when I first started testing Facebook ads for a local coffee shop I was helping out. Threw $400 at a broad audience campaign with a generic photo of a latte and got maybe two link clicks, zero sales. It stung pretty bad, especially because the owner was expecting something good. What changed things for me was really narrowing the audience down to people within a 5 mile radius who actually engage with local food pages, and testing three different ad images with just $20 each first. Your idea about starting with $50 tests is solid, I think that's the way to go before you commit real money.

the_jana1mo ago

Really dialing in location and testing smaller amounts first turned my campaigns around too. What kind of creatives gave you the best results once you narrowed things down?

margareto261mo ago

User generated ads and before and after shots did way more than polished stock photos ever did for me.