Facebook Ads 101 for Filipino Businesses (Start Smart with ₱200/day)

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Why this matters (lalo na sa Pinas)

Filipinos spend hours daily on Facebook and Instagram. Your customers are already scrolling your job is to show up with the right message, at the right time, for the right price. This week’s series will take you from zero to running confident, data-driven ads. Today is your quick-start foundation.

Step 1: Align your business goal to an ad objective

Choose one clear outcome per campaign:

  • Sales / Leads: Use Sales or Leads objective.
  • Inquiries (Messenger/WhatsApp): Use Engagement → Messages.
  • Brand Awareness / Reach: Use Awareness or Reach (use sparingly; measure with lift later).
  • Traffic with intent: Use Traffic but optimize for Landing Page Views, not just link clicks.

Rule of thumb: If revenue is the goal, pick Sales or Leads—they’re optimized for people likely to convert, not just click.

Step 2: Prep your assets (15–30 minutes)

  1. Meta Business Suite / Business Manager set up with your Page and Ad Account.
  2. Payment method (credit/debit, GCash/PayMaya where available).
  3. Conversions tracking
    • Install Meta Pixel on your website (via Shopify/WooCommerce/WordPress plugin).
    • Set up Conversions API (CAPI) if possible for stronger data.
    • Define 1–3 Standard Events (e.g., Lead, Purchase, AddToCart).
  4. Domain verification (if you own a site) and Aggregated Event Measurement prioritization.

No website? You can start with Lead Ads, Messenger, or WhatsApp to collect inquiries.

Step 3: Budgeting for beginners (₱200–₱600/day)

Start small, learn fast:

  • Test budget: ₱200–₱600/day per campaign for 3–5 days.
  • Structure: 1 campaign → 1–2 ad sets → 2–4 ads each.
  • Budget placement: Use Advantage Campaign Budget (ACB) if you want Meta to shift spend to winners; otherwise set budgets at the ad set level for more control.
  • Expect volatility: Early learning is noisy. Look at trends after 3–5 days, not hour-to-hour.

Step 4: Targeting that actually works in PH

  • Location: Start with Philippines or your city/region (e.g., Metro Manila, Cebu City, Davao City).
  • Age/Gender: Keep broad unless your product is niche.
  • Interest targeting: Use 1–3 relevant interests (huwag sobrang dami).
  • Advantage+ (broad): Often beats narrow targeting once pixel data grows.
  • Custom Audiences:
    • Page/IG engagers (30–365 days)
    • Website visitors or purchasers
    • Customer list (email/phone; comply with privacy laws)
  • Lookalike Audiences: Start with 1% from purchasers/leads; test 2–3% next.

Pro tip: Always exclude recent purchasers/leads when prospecting to avoid wasted spend.

Step 5: Creatives that pull attention (and pesos)

People don’t buy what they don’t notice. Aim for thumb-stopping but clear.

Formats to test:

  • Short video (6–15s) showing the product in action, before→after (avoid policy violations), or quick demo.
  • Image with bold benefit headline and brand logo.
  • Carousel to showcase variants or steps.
  • Reels/Stories for vertical, full-screen impact.

Copy template (Taglish):

  • Hook: “Tigil-hanap! The [result] you need—without [pain].”
  • Benefit bullets: 2–3 specific wins.
  • Proof: Short testimonial or stat (no exaggerated claims).
  • CTA: “Tap ‘Send Message’ to claim the ₱XX intro offer today.”

Example for a home bakery (Metro Manila):

  • Primary text: “Cravings solved in 30 minutes! Fresh, gooey cookies delivered sa ‘yo—walang minimum. First-time buyers get ₱50 off today.”
  • Headline: “Freshly Baked, Fast Delivery”
  • CTA: “Send Message” or “Order Now”

Step 6: Simple testing plan (3–5 days)

  • Keep one variable different per ad (image OR headline OR opening line).
  • Launch 2–4 creatives per ad set.
  • After 3–5 days, turn off obvious losers (high cost per result, low CTR, weak engagement).
  • Promote winners with +20–30% budget increments (avoid sudden x2 jumps).

Step 7: Read the numbers (don’t drown in them)

Track these core metrics:

  • CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions): How expensive your audience is.
  • CTR (Link): Are people biting? Aim to improve week-over-week.
  • CPC (Link): Cost to get someone to your site/DM.
  • CPA / CPL: The metric that matters—cost per sale or lead.
  • CVR (website): % of clicks that convert; if low, fix landing page, offer, or speed.
  • ROAS (if tracking revenue): Revenue ÷ ad spend.

Decision guardrails:

  • If CTR (Link) < 0.6%, refresh creative.
  • If CPC rising but CTR okay, try broader targeting or new placement.
  • If Add to Cart high but Purchase low, improve checkout (trust badges, COD info, delivery ETA).

(Benchmarks vary by niche; use your own baseline and aim for continuous improvement.)

Quick-start campaign blueprint (copy-paste naming)

  • Campaign: PH_PROSPECTING_Sales_Cookies_2025-09
  • Ad Set A (Broad): PH_MM_18-45_Broad_ACB_PlacementsAuto
  • Ad Set B (Interests): PH_MM_18-45_Bakers+Foodies
  • Ads:
    • VID15s_ProductDemo_V1
    • IMG_BenefitHeadline_V1
    • CAR_Multipack_V1

Initial budget: ₱300/day (ACB on).

Placements: Start Advantage+ placements (Auto) unless you have strong data saying otherwise.

Compliance & common pitfalls

  • Avoid before/after comparisons that imply unrealistic results.
  • Don’t use sensational health/financial claims.
  • Keep text overlay readable; no misleading buttons or fake UI.
  • Respect privacy when uploading customer lists.

The 15‑Minute Daily Ritual

  1. Check Spend, CPA/CPL, CTR (Link).
  2. Pause the worst 20–30% of ads.
  3. Duplicate your top ad and test a new hook or first 3 seconds of video.
  4. Add one fresh creative daily (compounds learning).
  5. Log results in a simple sheet (Date, Spend, Results, Notes).

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