Facebook Ads for Halifax Businesses: Your No-Fluff Guide
You ever feel like you're just lighting money on fire with advertising?
One week it’s $50, next week it’s $300, and you’re still wondering if anyone even saw it. We hear this all the time from small business owners in Halifax, Moncton, Charlottetown—heck, even Yarmouth. And we get it.
You're not running a marketing agency.
You're running a bakery, a fitness studio, a home services company, maybe a café with killer oat milk lattes and a leaky roof.
So here’s the real-deal breakdown on how Facebook Ads can actually work for you. No vague marketing speak. No $5,000-a-month retainers. Just smart strategy, done locally, for results you can feel in your bottom line.
Let’s Talk About Why Facebook Still Matters
Yeah, TikTok’s hot. Instagram’s flashy. But if you're trying to get in front of locals—the people driving past the billboard on the Bedford Highway (that you likely spent too much on), seeing your sandwich board, maybe even already following you—Facebook is still your best bet.
Over 70% of Canadians still use it regularly.
Your customers are there, especially the ones with wallets open.
And you can laser-target by location, interest, behavior—even whether someone recently moved to your area.
You know what I recommend small businesses do? Don't just boost a post. There isn't anything really bad with boosting... but you can stretch your budget further if you're willing to dig a bit deeper (I'll save that for another post!). Okay, so you can zoom right in to focus on your exact business location - as small as a 1 mile radius, if that's where is makes sense (that's 1.6-ish km for us). Then you can add extra filters. Say you're a coffee shop serving the downtown crowd. You can focus on just downtown and layer in interests like “coffee shops.” Then, post a short video of your team dancing behind the espresso bar (yep, cheesy but authentic), put $10/day behind it and watch your morning foot traffic spike.
Targeting: Where the Real Magic Happens
If you’ve been burned before, chances are the targeting sucked. No shame. Facebook Ads has more knobs and levers than a space shuttle cockpit.
But here’s what works:
Radius targeting: Set a map pin and reach only the people within, say, 1.6-50+km of your location.
Behavioral targeting: Want to reach new homeowners? People who just got engaged? Dog lovers? Easy.
Custom audiences: Upload your email list and hit those people—and people just like them.
Retargeting: Show ads to people who checked out your website in the lat 90 days (this is gold).
No matter what you've been told, your local business doesn't need 100,000 impressions or clicks. You likely need to get your ads seen by way less eyeballs - just the right ones.
Creating Ads That Don’t Suck
Let’s be blunt. Most Facebook ads look like they were made in Canva - or worse in PowerPoint - by someone who hates marketing.
The good ones? They feel like they're a post from a friend just showing up on your feed. They make you look twice.
Try this:
Visuals that are real: Not stock. Show your messy workspace. Show your team. In this age of AI, we're all craving what's real.
Copy that speaks like a human: Not “Unparalleled excellence in HVAC services” but “No heat? We’ll fix that fast. No BS.”
A hook: Ask a question. Call out a pain point. Make them chuckle.
Also, video wins. Doesn’t have to be polished. Really - it will work better if it isn't polished. Show your product in action. Take people behind the scenes. Use captions—most people watch on mute.
Your ad should feel like something you’d text a friend. And if you wouldn’t stop scrolling for it, rewrite it.
Budgeting for Humans, Not Unicorns
You don’t need a big budget. You need a smart one. Start small. Test. Tweak and Test again.
You can start with $10/day. With that budget, you can run two versions of the same ad—one with a photo of, say, your cinnamon buns fresh out of the oven, and another a clean, graphic “New!” banner. Then, shift your budget to the one that's working best.
Tips:
Start at $5–$20/day.
Don’t try to do everything in one ad. Be specific.
Give it at least 3–5 days to learn before tweaking. I am for at least 5000 impressions.
Let the data tell you what to do next. If you're not doing that, you’re just guessing and your wallet deserves better.
Reading the Numbers Without Drowning in Them
Facebook’s dashboard is a beast. But you really only need a few metrics at first:
Link CTR (Click-Through Rate): Are people clicking? We want 1% or higher
CPC (Cost Per Click): Are you paying too much? This depends on your niche, but for most small business this could be $0.50 - $5
Conversions: Are people calling, booking, or buying?
You don’t need to be a data scientist. Just keep your eye on what moves the needle and don’t be afraid to tweak.
Mistakes You Can Skip (Because Others Made Them First)
We’ve seen it all. The good, the bad, the "how did this even get approved?" So here are the classic fails:
Boosting a random post and hoping for magic
Writing ad copy like you’re presenting at a board meeting
Targeting “everyone” instead of “your best customers”
Quitting too early (it’s a marathon. You're unlikely to knock it out of the ballpark with your first ad)
It’s not that Facebook Ads don’t work. It’s that bad Facebook Ads don’t work.
Should You DIY or Work with a Social Media Marketing Agency?
Look, you can do it yourself. But you’ve got a business to run. And honestly? Getting this stuff right takes time, testing, and tools most people don’t have time to master.
That’s where we come in.
At My Ads Team, we do things differently:
No jargon. No fluff. Just results.
We treat your budget like our own.
And we actually like working with small businesses (go figure).
Whether you’re trying to drive foot traffic, fill up your booking calendar, or get more online orders, we can help you use Facebook Ads like a pro—even if you’ve been burned before.
And, because not every business can realistically hire someone to manage their ads long term, we're happy to just make sure you are off to the right start - check out our Ads Set Up & Go
So... Is This Worth It for You?
If you're:
Running a local service or retail business anywhere in Atlantic Canada
Trying to grow sustainably without gambling your budget
Looking for real humans to help (not robots)
Then yes—Facebook Ads might just be the growth lever you’ve been looking for.
Visit https://myadsteam.com/facebook-ads to for your next best step.
FAQs
How much should I spend to start?
$5–$20/day is enough to test and see what works. Don’t go all in on Day 1. Let the data guide you.
Do I need a website?
Not necessarily. You can drive leads to your Facebook page, Messenger, or even straight to a phone call.
What if I tried this before and it flopped?
Then you’re like most people. You're human. The trick is learning why—bad creative, weak targeting, wrong offer? Try again, but smarter.
Is it better than Google Ads?
Depends. Facebook is better for awareness and targeting interests. Google wins when people are actively searching. Facebook works with small budgets - large too -while Google is best reserved for bigger budgets when you have a high-ticket offer.
How fast can I see results?
Sometimes in days. Sometimes in weeks. It depends on your niche, ad quality, and targeting. But you’ll get feedback quickly.
Can you help me run it?
Yes, and we’d love to. We can even just set it up so you know you're doing it right. Book a call at My Ads Team and let’s chat.
