How to Use Facebook and Instagram Ads to Grow an Audience That Buys From You

Ever feel like you’re attracting the wrong audience or worse, no audience at all even with ads?

You’re posting consistently. You’re showing up, sharing your business, putting time and energy into your content. But all you’re getting in return is a couple of likes and… crickets. Maybe you’ve even tried running ads by boosting posts, but they didn’t bring in the kind of people who were ready to buy or it just felt like there wasn’t a real strategy behind it.

You’re not alone. So many entrepreneurs start out this way burning time and money on content and ads that don’t connect. But here’s the good news: You can grow an audience that buys from you, and you don’t need a huge following or a massive ad budget to do it.

In this blog, I’m going to break down how to use Facebook and Instagram ads strategically—so you can finally grow a loyal, engaged audience who’s not just watching… but buying.

Why You Don’t Need a Huge Following — You Need the Right People

Let’s start by busting one of the biggest myths in online marketing: the idea that more followers = more success.

That’s not always true. Yes, growing your following can help with visibility, and it’s great for building brand credibility. But at the end of the day, it’s not just about the numbers it’s about who is following you.

Some followers might just want to stay in the loop, scroll through your content occasionally, or be inspired by what you share. But your ideal client? They’re actively searching for what you offer. They have a need, and they’re ready to solve it.

That’s the difference between a follower and a warm lead.

When your audience is filled with aligned, interested people, people who genuinely need what you provide—you don’t need thousands of followers. You just need the right ones.

Why Paid Ads Can Help You Get There Faster

Organic marketing (like posting on Instagram or making TikToks) can work. But it’s slow. And when you’re trying to grow your business while juggling a 9-5 or wearing all the hats in your business, time is your most valuable resource.

This is where paid ads come in.

With Facebook and Instagram ads, you can:

• Target your exact ideal client based on interests, behaviors, and demographics.

• Test different types of messaging and visuals to see what gets the most engagement.

• Gain clear data on what’s working and what’s not—so you can stop guessing.

• Build brand awareness while you sleep, instead of being glued to your phone.

The best part? You can start small and scale once you know what’s working.

The 3-Step Paid Ad Strategy to Grow a Buying Audience

So how do you actually use ads to grow a buying audience? Here’s a three-step strategy that works—especially if you’re just getting started:

1. Start with Awareness: Warm Them Up

You can't jump straight into selling. People need to know, like, and trust you first, especially if they’ve never heard of your brand before.

This is where awareness ads come in. Start with a campaign focused on engagement or video views. These ads are shown to a “cold audience”—people who are likely a great fit, but don’t know who you are yet.

Focus on content that:

• Educates (teach something useful),

• Inspires (share a story or behind-the-scenes),

• Entertains (something relatable or lighthearted).

And most importantly, speak directly to their pain or desire. What problem are they trying to solve? What dream are they chasing? Your content should show them you understand, and that you have a solution.

Top-of-funnel ads like these build familiarity and help people start trusting your brand, without any pressure to buy (yet).

2. Build Connection: Retarget Interested Viewers

Once someone watches your video or engages with your content, they’re no longer a stranger—they’re warm. Now it’s time to deepen that connection.

Inside Meta Ads Manager, you can create custom audiences of people who:

• Watched a certain percentage of your video

• Visited your Instagram or Facebook page

• Engaged with a post or ad

This is your chance to retarget them with more value: maybe a free guide, a limited-time offer, or powerful testimonials. This layer is key for building trust and showing social proof.

This step turns passive viewers into warm leads—people who now see you as someone credible, helpful, and worth following.

3. Make the Offer: Convert With Confidence

Now that you’ve built awareness and connection, you can confidently make your offer.

At this stage, run a lead generation or conversion campaign. These ads might promote your service, course, product, or a freebie that collects email addresses.

Make sure your ad includes:

• A clear call to action (what you want them to do)

• Testimonials or social proof

• A transformation-focused message (what changes when they work with you or buy from you)

These campaigns are usually more expensive, but when you’ve already warmed up your audience, they’re much more likely to convert—and at a better cost.

Remember: the goal here is not just clicks. It’s building an audience of real people who see your value and are ready to take action.

Common Mistakes That Stop Your Ads from Attracting Buyers

Let’s talk about what not to do. I see these mistakes all the time, especially with beginners:

• Boosting random posts with no strategy
  Boosting can work in some cases, but without a clear campaign objective, you're just throwing money at a post hoping it works. Real growth requires a real strategy.

• Skipping the tracking and retargeting
  If you’re not tracking who engages or visits your site, you’re missing opportunities to reconnect with warm leads—and you're spending more to find new people over and over again.

• Trying to sell to cold audiences too early
  Don’t jump straight into sales with people who don’t know you. You’ll get better results by warming them up first.

• Focusing on vanity metrics
  Likes and follows are great, but they don’t pay the bills. I’ve worked with business owners who had a small following but made thousands each month—because their audience was aligned and ready to buy.

Tools You Need: Use Ads Manager, Not the Boost Button

If you want full control over your ads, skip the boost button.

Meta Ads Manager is where the magic happens. Here’s why it matters:

• You get to choose the right campaign objective (engagement, traffic, conversions, etc.)

• You can define your audience more precisely

• You get access to full performance data, so you can adjust based on results

Learning how to use Ads Manager can feel intimidating at first, but it’s the tool that gives you power over your strategy—and your budget.

Inside my academy, I show you exactly how to use it step by step so you can stop guessing and start scaling.

Final Thoughts: You Don’t Need to Be “Good at Ads”—You Just Need a Plan

The truth is, you don’t need to be a marketing expert to run effective Facebook or Instagram ads. You just need a clear system, the right guidance, and a little patience.

You don’t need to spend thousands. You don’t need a huge audience. And you definitely don’t need to post daily or hope for a viral moment.

You just need a strategy that works—one that builds trust, nurtures your audience, and leads to consistent conversions.

If you're ready to simplify your growth and finally build an audience that buys from you…

Join the Waitlist for Marketing Without Burnout Academy

Inside the Academy, I walk you step-by-step through how to set up your first Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns the right way. You’ll learn how to attract the right audience, build trust, and generate leads—without feeling overwhelmed or chained to your phone.

Ready to stop spinning your wheels?