Run profitable ads, without the jargon

Not all ads are equal depending on your goal. There are two main approaches:

• Intent-based advertising (Google Ads on the search network) captures existing demand: the person is looking for your product. Ideal for quick sales.
• Discovery-based advertising (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest) appears to people who weren’t looking for you, based on their profile. Ideal for raising awareness, creating desire, and building brand recognition.

A business needing customers right away will often start with Google; a brand building its image will focus on social media. The two complement each other: social media creates demand that search ads then capture.

Four metrics are enough to manage a campaign:

• CPC (cost per click): what you pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
• CPM (cost per thousand impressions): the price of visibility, useful for brand awareness.
• CPA (cost per acquisition): what a lead or sale actually costs you.
• ROAS (return on ad spend): revenue generated divided by budget. Above 1, the campaign earns more than it costs.

CPC and CPM vary widely by sector and platform: our benchmarks page gives you reference points, and our calculator translates them into concrete results.

There’s no mandatory minimum budget, but below €150 to €300 per month, the data is too limited for the platform to learn and optimise. It’s better to focus your resources than spread them too thin.

A few principles:

• One offer, one area, one audience at a time: clarity beats scattering your efforts.
• Keep 10 to 20% aside to test new ideas (visuals, audiences) without risking your main budget.
• Think in terms of acceptable cost per customer: if a customer brings in €200, paying €30 to acquire them is excellent.

Our calculator helps you simulate, before spending, how many clicks, leads, and sales your budget can generate.

The best message sent to the wrong people won’t convert. Targeting is often what makes the difference between a profitable campaign and wasted budget.

• Geography: limit yourself to your actual catchment area (city, radius in kilometres).
• Intent (Google): choose precise keywords and exclude irrelevant searches (negative keywords).
• Profile (social): interests, age, and especially lookalike audiences based on your best customers.
• Remarketing: retarget visitors to your website—they’re your warmest prospects.

Start broad but measured, then narrow down to what works.

A campaign is managed, not launched “blindly.” After a few days of learning, analyse and adjust.

• Compare the cost per lead achieved with your goal: cut what’s too expensive, boost what works.
• Test two versions of an ad (A/B) and let the numbers decide.
• Check that the landing page delivers on its promise: a great ad on a poor page won’t convert.
• Set up conversion tracking: without measurement, you can’t know what’s profitable.

Optimisation is a cycle: measure, adjust, repeat. That’s how profitability is achieved.

Most visitors don’t take action on their first visit. Remarketing (or retargeting) lets you show your ad again to those who already know you: they’re your “hottest” prospects.

• Retarget visitors to your site, people who added a product to their cart, or your subscribers.
• Adapt the message: a reminder, an offer, a reassuring customer review—not the same ad as for a stranger.
• Set a frequency cap to avoid annoying them, and exclude those who’ve already purchased.

Remarketing often delivers the best return of all your campaigns, as it targets people already interested.

Your ad has one second to convince. The message matters as much as the targeting.

• Focus on the benefit, not on you: “Fixed today” rather than “We repair.”
• Add proof (rating, number of customers, guarantee) and a clear call to action.
• Test two versions (A/B): let the numbers pick the best one.
• Ensure consistency: the ad and the landing page must deliver the same promise.

A good ad on a bad page won’t convert: take care of both together.