The 3 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Run an Ad
If I had to sum up the biggest mistake I see small businesses make with paid ads, it would be this:
“You’re trying to pour water into a funnel full of holes.”
Ads cannot fix an unprepared brand. They cannot compensate for a confusing website, a disconnected Instagram profile, or a customer journey that is not ready for traffic. Ads amplify what is already there. If your foundation is weak, ads only make the weaknesses louder.
Before you spend a dollar on Meta ads, TikTok ads, Google ads, or anything in between, ask yourself these three strategic questions.
These will save you money, time, stress, and frustration.
Question 1: Would a stranger instantly understand who you are by looking at your Instagram profile?
Your Instagram is often the first stop after someone clicks your ad. Even if the ad sends them to your website, people will still check your Instagram to validate the brand. This is why your profile needs to act like a clean, simple, high converting landing page.
Ask yourself:
Is my bio clear
Do my highlights explain what I do
Does the grid show my product, service, or results
Is there proof (social proof, testimonials, before and afters)
Would someone trust me within 10 seconds
If the answer is no, your ad traffic will leak.
A messy Instagram = low conversion.
A clear Instagram = instant trust.
Your profile needs to do the heavy lifting before ads ever enter the picture.
Question 2: Is my website easy to navigate, fast, and built for conversions?
This is the question most business owners avoid.
Your website is not just a place to hold information. It is the destination your ad traffic is supposed to complete an action. If your website confuses them, overwhelms them, or makes them click more than once or twice to understand what to do, they will leave.
Ask yourself:
Is my homepage clear within three seconds
Is it obvious how to book or buy
Is my mobile site clean
Is the checkout smooth
Does the page load quickly
Do my photos match the ad they came from
Is the copy simple and direct
Your website and your ad need to speak the same language. If your ad says one thing and your website presents something else, people will abandon instantly.
Ads are not magic.
Conversion happens when your website supports the promise your ad made.
Question 3: Do I have an offer worth advertising?
This is the part nobody talks about.
Not every offer is “ad ready.”
Not every service is “ad friendly.”
Not every product will sell through cold traffic.
Ask yourself:
Is this offer clear
Is it easy to understand
Does it solve a real problem
Does it have an obvious value
Is the pricing aligned with who I am targeting
Is the transformation clear
If your offer is confusing, your ad will be expensive.
If your offer is compelling, your ad will convert.
You do not need a new offer.
You need a clear one.
Bonus: Is your audience targeting aligned with reality, not assumptions?
A lot of founders get stuck choosing audiences based on assumptions:
“I think my customers are mostly women.”
“I think they like wellness.”
“I think they’re in their 20s.”
But ads need precision.
Look at:
Your Instagram analytics
Your website data
Your past buyers
Your high converting content
Your ad does not find people out of thin air.
It finds people who look like the people already responding to you.
Bonus: Do you have at least one good piece of creative?
Good ads do not come from complicated assets. They come from clarity:
A strong hook
A clear benefit
A real visual
A simple CTA
You do not need flashy videos or cinematic editing.
You need someone to understand your message in two seconds.
Your creative is the doorway.
Your website is the room.
Your offer is the reason they stay.
They must all align.
So, are you actually ready to run an ad?
Here is the truth most agencies never say out loud:
Ads do not create a brand.
Ads amplify a brand.
If the foundation is not ready, you will pay for clicks without getting conversions. But if your Instagram is clean, your website is clear, and your offer is strong, your ads can scale your business faster than organic ever could.
If you are reading this and thinking, “I think we need to clean up our foundation first,” that is exactly where Sater Creative comes in.
We do not just run ads.
We help you build the ecosystem that makes ads work.
Because ads are not the first step.
They are the moment everything is finally aligned.
