5 Ways Irish Businesses Waste €5k+/Month on Ads
Introduction
Running ads doesn’t guarantee results. Every month, I see Irish SMEs burning through €5,000+ without realising it. The truth is, the platforms make it easy to spend, but not always easy to spend well. As someone who’s been managing campaigns for years here in Kerry and across Munster, I’ve noticed the same mistakes cropping up again and again.
Here’s where the money leaks out, and more importantly, how to stop it.
Targeting Too Broadly
Casting the net too wide means you’re paying for clicks that will never convert.
Facebook and LinkedIn both encourage you to reach “as many people as possible,” but that’s not always the smart move. For example, if you’re running Facebook ads in Ireland and targeting “everyone aged 18–65,” most of your spend is wasted on people who’ll never buy from you.
Fix: Get clear on your audience. Narrow your targeting by location (Kerry, Munster, or your specific service area), interests, and behaviours. Smaller but sharper audiences almost always deliver better ROI.
No Proper Tracking
Without pixels and conversion tracking, you’re flying blind.
It still amazes me how many businesses spend thousands on Google or Facebook ads in Ireland without installing basic tracking. If you don’t know which campaigns bring in leads or sales, how can you optimise?
Fix: Make sure the Meta Pixel and Google Analytics are set up correctly. Track form fills, purchases, or whatever your main conversion is. This is the only way to measure whether your spend is working.
Ignoring Creative Fatigue
The same ad running for weeks? Audiences tune out quickly.
I often see SMEs launch a campaign, get good results for the first few weeks, and then performance nosedives. It’s not the product or service that’s the problem, it’s the fact that people have seen the ad too many times.
Fix: Refresh your ad creatives every few weeks. Rotate images, headlines, and calls-to-action (CTAs). A small creative tweak can revive engagement and stop money leaking from your budget.
Not Rotating or Iterating on Creatives
Even high-performing ads can stagnate if you don’t test and refresh them.
Example: A tech company ran the same LinkedIn ad for three months. Engagement dropped off steadily, but they kept spending €1,500/month. By the end of the campaign, cost-per-lead had doubled, and the client had nothing new to show for their spend.
Fix: Regularly review ad performance and test variations. New headlines, visuals, or CTAs can breathe life into a campaign. From my experience managing ads for Kerry and Munster businesses, unattended campaigns almost always perform worse over time. Ongoing optimisation isn’t optional — it’s essential.
No Funnel Strategy
Jumping straight to “Buy Now” without warming up leads is a recipe for wasted spend.
Most people won’t purchase from a cold ad. They need to see your brand a few times, get familiar, and build trust. Going straight for the hard sell often means pouring money into clicks that never convert.
Fix: Build a funnel. Start with awareness ads, then retarget with testimonials, case studies, or offers. By the time you ask for the sale, people already know who you are, and are far more likely to convert.
DIY Guesswork
Ads need data-driven optimisation. Too often, I see businesses jump in, boost a few posts, and hope for the best. Without strategy and constant fine-tuning, results rarely justify the spend.
Fix: Either invest the time to learn proper campaign management or work with someone who knows the platforms inside out. In most cases, bringing in an experienced partner saves money in the long run.
Conclusion
If you’re spending thousands on ads each month, make sure every euro is working for you. The most common Facebook ads mistakes in Ireland - poor targeting, lack of tracking, stale creatives, weak funnels, and DIY guessing, can all add up to €5k+ wasted before you even notice.
If you’re spending thousands on ads, make sure every euro counts. You can book a strategy session with us by clicking on the button below.
