“The Ultimate Social Ads Playbook: Proven Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Growth”

Jason Smith is the Owner and CEO of Spotlight Social Advertising, LLC, a company specializing in creating high-converting social media campaigns on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Founded in 2016, the agency has grown to manage robust campaigns across various social media platforms, primarily focusing on e-commerce clients. Prior to his venture into digital marketing, Jason served as a Los Angeles police officer for 13 years.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:25] Understanding realistic ROAS for e-commerce profitability
[2:44] The importance of strong product margins for ad success
[3:52] Evolving ad creative strategies with Facebook’s Advantage+
[4:50] How to use Northbeam for data-driven ad decisions
[6:20] Why business owners need a big-picture perspective

In this episode…

Scaling an e-commerce brand or digital agency in today’s landscape requires mastering the right balance of data, creativity, and long-term thinking. From navigating Facebook’s evolving ad tools to interpreting complex attribution models, business owners and marketers face a rapidly shifting environment where yesterday’s strategies no longer guarantee tomorrow’s results. So, what can we learn from leaders who are blending proven tactics with adaptable, data-driven approaches?

In this curated selection of insights, Jason Smith dives into what realistic return on ad spend (ROAS) goals look like in the current social advertising world, offering grounded advice to help brands stay profitable. He explains why understanding product margins is crucial for ad success and how small adjustments can make or break a campaign. He also unpacks Facebook’s Advantage+ Creative AI, showing how advertisers can work with automation instead of against it. Eric Bork shares how their agency uses Northbeam to cut through data overwhelm and make smarter decisions without a full analytics team. Meanwhile, Kyle Brothersen reminds entrepreneurs to zoom out from daily metrics and take a big-picture view, encouraging leaders to evaluate their progress over months, not just weeks.

In this special compilation episode of The Truth About Social Ads, Jason Smith and industry experts create a practical, actionable playbook for business owners, marketers, and agency leaders. Their experiences reveal that winning with social ads today requires more than just technical know-how — it demands a mindset that blends strategy, patience, and adaptability.

Resources mentioned in this episode

Quotable Moments:

“The average e-commerce store needs about a 3x return on Facebook to be profitable.”
“And then the other major thing for me is what are your margins? That’s a huge deal.”
“Advantage+ creative is the AI that’s behind some of this creative knowledge, and I think it works.”
Northbeam has essentially stepped in and become the North Star of what we do in decision making.”
“Sometimes you just need to step back and be like, okay, ‘What have I done?’”

Action Steps:

Set realistic ROAS benchmarks for your campaigns: Establishing achievable return on ad spend targets helps align expectations with market conditions and prevents overspending on underperforming ads.
Audit your product margins before scaling ads: Understanding your true profit margins ensures your advertising is financially sustainable and prevents campaigns from eroding your bottom line.
Test ad creative variations with a clear strategy: Systematically experimenting with headlines, visuals, and copy allows you to identify what resonates with audiences and improves campaign effectiveness.
Integrate a data attribution tool like Northbeam: Leveraging robust attribution software provides clearer insights into ad performance across channels, reducing guesswork and improving decision-making.
Regularly review campaign performance from a broader time frame: Looking at ad results over several months, rather than days or weeks, offers a more accurate picture of growth trends and long-term ROI.

Sponsor for this episode

Spotlight Social Advertising is a results-driven digital marketing agency that helps businesses scale with powerful Facebook and Instagram advertising. Their expert team crafts highly targeted campaigns that attract the right audience, boost engagement, and drive real conversions.

Whether you’re a startup looking to build brand awareness or an established company aiming for higher ROI, Spotlight leverages data-backed strategies to maximize every ad dollar.

Ready to grow your business with expert social media advertising? Contact Spotlight Social Advertising today to get started.