The saying “a workman is only as good as his tools” doesn’t quite fit in B2B marketing. In fact, the opposite is true - a tool is only as effective as the way it’s used. 🛠️

Ads are just a vehicle for your message - one tool among many to reach and engage potential customers, much like organic social, email newsletters, or events.

Take events – how many times have you set up a snazzy 5 grand booth at a conference, only to find yourself standing in an empty hall wondering, why did we do this? But when you invest in the right community, events can work wonders for your business. The same goes for how you set up and distribute your ads.

I’ve spoken to plenty of founders and marketers who wonder if ads are a quick fix for lead gen. Even the best campaigns take time to gain traction – unless you already have clear signals that your positioning is landing well on your organic channels.

With a little strategy, you can build scalable campaigns, even with a tighter budget. But here are some non-negotiables that I like to audit before running any new campaign – which all boil down to going back to the basics.

The ‘should we start runnings ads?’ checklist 🤔

☑ Is my message clear and already resonating?

Look at the leading indicators – are people engaging with your messaging organically in sales calls, on socials, or your website? If it’s landing, great. If not, focus on refining it before putting budget behind it.

Make sure your message is clear, consistent, and resonates with your audience. If your positioning is off, your ads will be too. The main thing is to find interesting ways to say one thing clearly, over and over again.

That said, if you're willing to treat your ad spend as an investment to test and refine your messaging with a wider audience, go for it. Just know what you're signing up for.

☑ Have I truly put my persona docs to work?

Those persona documents you spent hours on aren’t just for show.

Are your ad campaigns aligned as closely as possible to them? Ad platforms come with set job titles and industries, and unless you have a clear account list, you need to work hard to match your targeting—or risk wasting budget on the wrong audience.

Use your persona docs to create campaigns that genuinely connect with your ideal customer profile (ICP) by aligning everything to their journey. From visuals to copy to the CTA, every element should reflect their experience and needs.

It might seem obvious, but in the rush to go live, busy teams often skip this step.

☑ Are we all on the same page – why are we running these ads?

Not every ad needs to push for a sale. The best campaigns meet your audience where they are – whether they’re just discovering your brand or ready to buy. That’s why the first step is getting aligned internally on why you’re running ads in the first place.

If leadership is expecting instant leads while marketing is focused on building brand trust, you’ll end up pulling the plug before the campaign even has a chance to work.

Be clear on what you’re trying to achieve and in what timeframe. If you’ve never marketed beyond direct selling, set realistic expectations – your audience needs time to trust you. That means serving them the right content at the right stage of their journey. And if you go straight in with bottom-of-funnel “Book a demo now” ads to people who don’t yet know or trust you, chances are they’ll just see you as spam.

A mix of ad types can help – from top-of-funnel single image ads to in-the-inbox retargeting. Don’t be afraid to test different formats like video or conversation ads, because people need to engage with your message in different ways before it really sinks in.

A great example outside the world of B2B; the big OOH billboard of Linda from The Traitors that’s been making the rounds on socials. Some people think it’s a waste because it won’t bring in new viewers – it’s a bit of an in-joke. But that ad probably wasn’t designed for acquisition; it was about deepening loyalty with existing fans. Same goes for your ads – always be clear on the goal.

 ☑ Are you prepared to monitor, adjust and repeat?

I ask this because staying on top of your campaigns (whether on Reddit, Meta or LinkedIn) can take a lot of manpower and hours.

A lot of people will set their ads and then not check on them for weeks – please don’t do this! That’s an easy way to literally throw money away. 🗑️

Check on it on the day-to-day. If you’re not prepared to do this, I would genuinely invest in another channel.

What happens when you get it right?

In a few months, you’ll:
– Stop wasting money on ads that don’t land.
– Stop randomly turning off campaigns and blaming the channel.
– See campaigns that actually connect with your audience.
– Gain a clearer picture of what’s working and what’s not.

I talk a bit more about this in the video above.

Until next week,

Tania

PS. Drop me a message, and I'll send you the case study below, along with more details on how I can help you with aligning your core message with your ads strategy 👇