Digital Marketing Starter · free course

Free course · Lesson 3 of 6

Facebook & Instagram Advertising

In this lesson you will

  • Explain campaign objectives and targeting
  • Plan a small, policy-compliant ad

Meta Business Suite manages your Facebook and Instagram presence in one place, including running paid ads that reach beyond your existing followers.

  • Boosted post vs. Ads Manager campaign: Boosting a post is quick and simple; building a full campaign in Ads Manager gives more control over audience, budget, and goals.
  • Targeting: Choose audience by location, age, interests, and behavior — e.g. "Juba, ages 18-35, interested in fashion" reaches a far more relevant audience than "everyone in South Sudan."
  • Budgeting: Start small (a modest daily budget for a few days) to test what works before committing more money to one ad.
  • Ad formats: Single image, carousel (multiple images/products), or short video — match the format to what you're promoting.

Practical Skill: Using Meta Business Suite (or its free trial/demo mode), plan a simple ad: target audience, budget, ad format, and the one action you want viewers to take.

TemplateSimple Ad Plan
Worksheet
=== FACEBOOK/INSTAGRAM AD PLANNING SHEET === Objective:        [ ] Awareness  [ ] Traffic  [ ] EngagementTarget location:  [e.g. "Juba, South Sudan"]Target age range:  [e.g. "18-35"]Target interests:  [e.g. "fashion, small business, shopping"]Ad format:         [ ] Single image  [ ] Carousel  [ ] VideoDaily budget:      [start small — test before scaling up]Call-to-action:    [ ] Message Us  [ ] Learn More  [ ] Shop NowTest duration:     [e.g. "3 days, then review results"]

Practice exercise

Complete the ad planning sheet in the example without spending money.

Key takeaways

  • Choose the objective that matches the goal
  • Start with a budget you can afford to test
  • Read the advertising policies before designing
In the full program Module 3: Meta Advertising Fundamentals See how this topic is taught in depth, with practical activities and an assessment.

Free self-study lesson — no certificate. For the full instructor-led program, see registration options.