Every business owner who runs Facebook ads hits the same question sooner or later: keep doing it yourself, or pay someone to do it? There's no single right answer. It comes down to your time, your budget and how much you want to be in the detail.
Here's an honest look at both, from an agency that also teaches people to do it themselves.
Running your own ads
The upside:
- No monthly management fee. All your money goes into ads.
- You know your customers better than anyone, so your ads can sound like you.
- You learn a skill that pays off for as long as you're in business.
- You can change things the same day without waiting on anyone.
The downside:
- It takes time to learn, and Meta's ads manager isn't simple.
- Mistakes cost money. Wrong campaign type, broken tracking or the wrong audience can burn a budget fast.
- Someone has to make new videos every few weeks, check results and follow up leads.
Doing it yourself works best when you have a few hours a week, you're happy on camera, and you'd rather spend your budget on ads than fees.
Hiring an agency
The upside:
- You get your time back.
- A good agency has seen what works across lots of accounts, so you skip the expensive trial and error.
- Many agencies, including us, make the video content as well, so you're not filming on weekends.
The downside:
- It's a monthly cost on top of ad spend.
- Some agencies lock you into long contracts, keep the ad account in their name, or report on clicks instead of leads.
- You're less close to what's working and why.
An agency makes sense when your time is worth more on the job or in the business, your ad spend is high enough that small improvements add up, or you've tried yourself and it's not working.
What to check before you hire anyone
- Who owns the ad account? It should be in your name. If you leave, it comes with you.
- What's the contract? Month to month is fair. Long lock-ins usually protect the agency, not you.
- What do they report on? Leads and cost per lead, not reach and likes.
- Who makes the creative? Ads stop working without fresh videos. Make sure someone is responsible for them.
- Is there a guarantee? Ask what happens if the leads don't come.
The middle option: coaching
There's a third way that a lot of owners don't know about. Instead of paying an agency every month or teaching yourself from YouTube, you get coached through it once.
That's what our Meta + Content Coaching is. It's $997 once, plus GST. Over 30 days you get 5 live workshops where we build your first campaign with you, set up your ad account and tracking properly, and show you how to film and edit ads on your phone. Your first lead comes within 14 days of your ads going live, or we keep coaching you free until it does. You keep the skills and the ad account.
Our honest take
- Small budget, some time, keen to learn: coaching, then run it yourself.
- Busy, bigger budget, want it handled: done-for-you Meta ads, ideally with video included.
- Already running ads but stuck: either works. Coaching if you want to fix it yourself, an agency if you're done with it.
You can compare all of our options on our pricing page. Still not sure? Book a free 15-minute strategy call and we'll tell you which one we'd pick in your shoes, even if it's the cheaper one.
