How to Launch Your Ads on Meta.
We make your ad files. We don’t manage ad campaigns. This guide shows a shop owner how to launch the files we deliver on Facebook and Instagram with a basic setup. Meta updates Ads Manager often, so a button or menu name may be slightly different from what you see here.
To save this guide as a PDF, use your browser’s Print command (Ctrl+P on Windows, ⌘P on Mac) and choose “Save as PDF.”
Before you start
- A Facebook Page for your shop (your ads run under this name), plus your Instagram account if you want ads to show there.
- A Meta business portfolio and ad account with a payment method (business.facebook.com).
- Your final files from us: each video in 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9, and your 8 image ads.
- If you’ll send people to your website: the Meta Pixel installed there (see step 5).
- Your current offer (the one in your ads) live on your website or ready for your team to quote on the phone.
1. Upload your files
You can upload while you build the ad (in the ad’s media section, choose to add media, then upload), or upload everything to your ad account’s media library first so it’s ready to pick from.
| File | Where it fits best on Meta |
|---|---|
| 9:16 (vertical) | Stories and Reels on Facebook and Instagram (full-screen placements). |
| 1:1 (square) | Facebook and Instagram Feeds, Marketplace and most other in-feed placements. |
| 16:9 (widescreen) | In-stream video and wide placements. Also the version to use on YouTube and Google. |
| Image ads | Feed and Story placements, or as extra ads to rotate alongside your videos. |
When you build a video ad, upload the 1:1 version, then use the option to customize media by placement and swap in the 9:16 version for Stories and Reels. That way each placement gets the file made for it.
Add your primary text (one or two short sentences about your offer), a headline (for example, “Ceramic Coating in [Your City]”) and a call-to-action button such as Get Quote, Book Now, Call Now or Learn More.
2. Set up a basic campaign
Pick your objective
- Leads (best fit for most detail shops): you want calls, quote requests or messages.
- Sales: only if customers can buy or book and pay on your website, and your Pixel tracks purchases.
Step by step (Leads)
- In Ads Manager, click Create, choose Leads, and give the campaign a clear name (for example, “PPF Leads – Nov 2026”).
- Budget: set a daily budget you can keep running for at least two weeks. Meta needs time and results to learn who responds.
- Conversion location (in the ad set): choose where leads happen: Instant forms (a short form inside Facebook/Instagram), Messenger / Instagram / WhatsApp messages, Calls, or Website. See step 3.
- Audience: set your location to the area you actually serve (a radius around your shop, or your city and nearby zip codes). Keep the rest broad and let Meta’s audience tools find people.
- Placements: leave Advantage+ (automatic) placements on. Your three file sizes cover them.
- Ad: choose your shop’s Facebook Page and Instagram account as the identity, pick Single image or video, add your file(s), text and call-to-action, and set the destination.
- Review everything, then Publish. Meta reviews ads before they run, usually within a day.
If you choose Sales instead, the setup is the same, except your Pixel must be recording purchases and the destination is your website’s booking or checkout page.
3. Choose where the ad sends people
- Instant form: no website needed. Ask for name, phone and vehicle, and add a question such as “Which service are you interested in?” Choose the higher-intent form type if you’re getting low-quality leads. Leads appear in Meta’s Leads Center.
- Website: send people to the page that matches the ad: your ceramic coating page for a ceramic ad, not just your homepage. The offer in the ad should be on that page, it should load fast on a phone, and the phone number should be tap-to-call.
- Calls or messages: good if your team answers quickly during business hours. Set the ad schedule or messaging replies so leads aren’t left waiting.
Add tracking tags to website links so you can see ad traffic in your analytics, for example: utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=ppf-nov26
Only promote services you actually provide, and honor the prices and offers you put in your ads.
4. Rotate your creative
- Put 3–5 ads in each ad set (for example, different videos for the same service) and let Meta deliver more to the ones that perform best.
- Check Frequency (how many times the average person saw your ads) and Cost per result weekly. When frequency keeps climbing and cost per lead rises, add a video that hasn’t run yet. Small local audiences tire of the same ad faster.
- Add new ads rather than heavily editing live ones. Big edits can restart Meta’s learning.
- Pause weak ads instead of deleting them, so you keep their results for comparison.
- Rotate across services and seasons: lead with ceramic or PPF when that offer is strongest, and refresh the offer when it changes.
5. Track leads and purchases
- Instant form leads: find them in Meta Business Suite’s Leads Center, or connect them to your CRM or email so new leads reach your team right away. Call them back quickly.
- Website leads and sales: install the Meta Pixel (in Events Manager, connect a website data source). If your website platform has a Meta integration, use it. Track the actions that matter: Lead (form submitted), Contact (call or message), Schedule (booking) and Purchase.
- Phone calls: ask every caller how they heard about you, or use a separate call-tracking number for ads.
- Weekly scorecard: write down ad spend, leads, cost per lead, booked jobs and revenue from those jobs. Cost per booked job and revenue per dollar spent tell you more than clicks or views.
- Helpful Ads Manager columns: Results, Cost per result, Amount spent, Frequency, Link click-through rate.
Questions about your files?
We don’t run or manage ad campaigns, but we’re happy to answer questions about your files. Text us a question at (480) 578-4073, call, or email info@detailshopmedia.com.
Ad results depend on your market, budget, offer and how quickly you follow up. We don’t guarantee any number of leads or sales. Follow Meta’s advertising policies and your local advertising rules.