A first ad campaign for a local business does not need to be big or clever. It needs to be clear. Most first campaigns go wrong for simple reasons: too many goals, a page that does not match the ad, and no way to tell what the ad brought.
This checklist covers a first Meta (Facebook and Instagram) or Google campaign for a business with a shop, a studio or a room in one area of Luxembourg.
Before you start: Meta or Google?
The two work differently. Pick one for the first campaign.
- Google shows your ad to people who are searching right now: "dentist near me", "brunch Bonnevoie". They already have a need. This often suits services where people search when a need comes up.
- Meta shows your ad to people scrolling on Facebook and Instagram, based on where they are and what they like. They were not looking for you. This suits restaurants, salons, gyms and shops, where a good picture creates the wish.
If you are unsure, start with the one where your customers already are. Do not run both before the first one works.
1. One goal
Choose one result and build everything around it. Not three.
- Bookings: people book a table, a class, a treatment or an appointment.
- Calls: people phone you.
- Visits: people come to the shop or the room.
Write the goal in one sentence, for example "Get new customers to book a first appointment." If you cannot say it in one sentence, the campaign will not be clear either.
2. One offer
Ads work better with a clear reason to act. This can be small:
- a first-visit offer;
- a seasonal menu;
- a new class or treatment;
- a limited-time slot.
Do not invent a discount just to have one. A clear, honest description of what you do is often enough.
3. An audience around the shop
For a local business, distance matters more than anything else.
- Set a radius around your address. Start with the area your current customers actually come from.
- Think about how people get to you: on foot, by car, by bus or tram. A cafe in the city centre and a gym with a car park draw from different distances.
- Remember the borders. Many customers in Luxembourg live in a neighbouring country and work or shop here. If they are part of your business, include them on purpose, not by accident.
- Choose the languages. Write the ad in the language your customer reads, and consider a second version in another one.
- Keep the audience simple at first. Location, and a broad age range if it makes sense. Narrow it later, when you have data.
4. A picture and text that are real
The ad is a short message in front of a stranger.
- Use a real photo of your place, your work or your team. See the shot list for a shoot.
- Say who you are, where you are and what to do, in a few words.
- Put the key point in the first line. Many people only read that.
- Check the image shows well on a phone, in vertical and in a square or landscape crop.
- Do not promise what you cannot deliver.
5. A landing page that matches the ad
When someone clicks, they should land on a page that continues what the ad started.
- Same offer, same words, same picture style.
- One clear action: a booking button, a phone number to tap, a short form.
- It loads fast on a phone, and the button is visible without scrolling.
- Address, opening hours and a map are easy to find.
- It works in the language of the ad.
If the ad speaks about a first-visit offer and the page shows the whole menu, people leave. If the ad is in French and the page is in English, people leave. A page for the ad does not have to be a new website. A simple, focused page is enough.
6. Track enquiries, not likes
An ad is not successful because it got likes. It is successful if it brought enquiries. Before you press start, decide what you will count, and make sure it can be counted:
- calls from the ad;
- booking requests or form messages;
- chat messages on WhatsApp or Messenger;
- visits that came from the ad, asked at the door or at booking: "How did you find us?"
Tag your links so you can see which ad a visitor came from, and note each enquiry in one place. This guide goes into more detail: count enquiries, not likes.
Also, answer fast. A campaign that brings enquiries to a phone nobody picks up wastes the money. See how to stop losing enquiries.
7. A test period
A first campaign is a test, not a verdict.
- Plan a test period of at least two weeks. Shorter than that, you do not see enough.
- Set a budget you are comfortable losing, and keep it steady during the test. Do not raise or cut it in the first days.
- Do not judge after two days. Early numbers jump around.
- Run one version of the ad, or two at most. Many versions split the data and teach you nothing.
- Change one thing at a time, and write down what you changed and when.
8. What to look at after two weeks
After the test period, sit down with the numbers and answer these questions.
- How many enquiries did the ad bring? Calls, bookings, messages.
- What did each enquiry cost? Total spend divided by enquiries.
- Were they the right enquiries? Right area, right service, serious people.
- Which ad, picture or text did best? Keep that, drop the weakest.
- Where did people drop out? Many clicks but few enquiries usually means the page is the problem, not the ad.
- For Google: which search words brought people in, and which brought the wrong ones?
- For Meta: which places and which groups responded best?
- How many became customers? Ask your team. This is the number that matters.
Then decide one of three things: keep going as is, change one element and test again, or stop and rethink the offer. All three are fine.
The checklist on one page
- One platform to start: Google or Meta.
- One goal: bookings, calls or visits.
- One offer, said clearly.
- A radius around your shop, and the right language.
- A real photo and a short text.
- A landing page that matches the ad, quick on a phone.
- Tracking for calls, bookings and messages.
- A steady budget and at least two weeks.
- A review after two weeks, one change at a time.
COEVO sets up and runs your campaigns as part of ads, with the tracking in place from the first day. To start, contact us.