Running ads: Buying views or attracting customers?

Why are many campaigns spending heavily on running ads without seeing effective results, while conversions remain low? This stems from breaks in key campaign elements. What core bottlenecks are businesses overlooking?

1. What is running ads? What do businesses gain from advertising?

Running ads not only helps businesses introduce products to a wider audience, but also supports data collection, lead generation, and conversion driving. Depending on specific goals, businesses can leverage advertising for various outcomes.

1.1. What is running ads?

Running ads (Paid Advertising) is the process of paying platforms (such as Google, Facebook, TikTok, Shopee...) to feature products, services, or messages in priority positions, reaching the target audience quickly.

Unlike organic channels, paid channels give businesses active coverage and full campaign control, attracting immediate attention.

1.2. Role of running ads for businesses

As a growth engine in both the short and long term, helping businesses proactively reach the market and optimize revenue:

- Brand awareness: Expands reach to more potential customers.

- Market testing: Quickly tests customer interest in new products or services.

- Lead generation: Places products directly in front of motivated users to generate conversions.

- Conversion drive: Boosts traffic, encourages cart additions, and speeds up purchasing decisions.

2. Top 5 popular platforms for running ads

Based on user base, targeting capability, and conversion rate, here are the 5 most popular and effective platforms today:

Where should businesses run their ads?

2.1. Meta Ads - Expanding reach, nurturing leads:

Ideal for expanding reach, increasing engagement, and nurturing leads across buyer journey stages through Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger using images, videos, messages, or landing page links.

Strengths: Ability to reach diverse user groups and deploy multiple ad formats within the same ecosystem.

Best suited when: Businesses need to build awareness, attract leads, or maintain engagement before driving conversions.

2.2. TikTok Ads - Exploding conversions with short videos

Leverages short-form video content tailored to viewer preferences to capture attention and stimulate buying demand quickly through flexible algorithm distribution and smooth integration with TikTok Shop.

Content characteristics: Prioritizes authentic, visual, entertaining, and trending videos.

Target audience: Dynamic young user segment (Gen Z, Millennials).

Suitable categories: Fashion, beauty/cosmetics, F&B, smart home appliances, and retail products with strong visual appeal.

2.3. Google Ads - Capturing high-intent searchers

Reaches active intent without creating demand from scratch, appearing when customers search for specific products or services.

Popular formats: Search ads, display ads, and other formats depending on campaign goals.

Advantage: Reaches users right when they are researching or looking to buy, shortening the path to purchase.

2.4. E-commerce Platform Ads - Reaching buyers at the point of purchase

Reaches users right inside the shopping environment on e-commerce marketplaces to boost direct store traffic and order volume.

Sellers still need to focus on price, visuals, reviews, and product content to convert effectively.

Best suited: Sellers looking to increase product visibility and drive direct sales on marketplaces.

2.5. Zalo Ads - Reaching domestic customers

Targets domestic Vietnamese users effectively with a large local user base. Combines ad outreach with direct customer service and consultation to maintain relationships post-click.

Best suited: Businesses operating in Vietnam, especially for products and services requiring direct consultation or customer care.

3. Step-by-step process for effective ad campaigns

To run ads that generate orders effectively and avoid wasting budget, businesses need to follow this 4-step standard process:

How should businesses run ads?

- Step 1: Define goals and target audience personas

Establishes clear metrics (KPIs) and builds accurate buyer personas to understand age, interests, and core pain points, enabling optimal display timing and precise targeting.

- Step 2: Prepare content and destination pages

Ensures clear product value and clear calls-to-action on user-friendly landing pages. Installs tracking tags (Meta Pixel, GA4, TikTok Pixel, Tag Manager) to record behavioral data for optimization.

- Step 3: Setup and A/B test

Configures targeting, ad formats, timing, and budget. Runs A/B testing on creative assets while closely tracking key metrics (CPC, CTR, CPA, ROAS).

- Step 4: Monitor and optimize

Reallocates budget to top-performing segments, scales Lookalike Audiences, and stops underperforming ad sets with high costs.

Read more: What are Amazon Ads? How to create and optimize effective campaigns.

4. Why are ads converting poorly despite heavy spending?

What are the reasons why your ads aren't working effectively?

Many businesses face an ironic situation: continuously running ads with high views and strong engagement, yet actual orders are near zero. This money-burning issue stems from a breakdown between grabbing attention and persuading customers to buy:

- Targeting errors: Reaching high view counts without targeting actual demand or choosing the wrong platform.

- Weak copy & offers: Lacking clear value propositions, benefits, or compelling reasons to click and buy.

- Unoptimized destinations: Websites, landing pages, or product pages lacking sufficient information, smooth navigation, or trust signals.

- Premature changes: Modifying content, targeting, or budgets before algorithms gather sufficient data, leading to inaccurate performance evaluations.

- Vanity metric focus: Prioritizing views and clicks over overall conversion rate and revenue.

Read more: Ads Manager: The Key to Explosive Sales Growth in 2026

5. Frequently asked questions

Which platform to start with?

Choose platforms where target customers actively browse or search (Facebook/TikTok for awareness, Google for search intent, E-commerce marketplaces for direct shopping).

Minimum budget required?

No fixed amount. Costs depend on the platform, industry, goals, and competition level. Start with a testing budget, evaluate metrics, and adjust. 

In-house or Agency?

In-house works best if you understand the platform, target customers, and optimization techniques. For beginners or teams lacking expertise, hiring an agency reduces trial-and-error time and ensures structured execution.

6. Conclusion

Effective ad campaigns do not depend on how much you spend, but on how you transform your budget into tangible results. For new or inexperienced businesses, partnering with an agency can help shorten testing time and minimize budget waste.

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