Not Everyone Should Be Running Paid Media Campaigns

It’s tempting to think that paid media is the obvious next step for growth. We see it all the time—businesses feeling pressure to ‘do something’ quickly, turning to ads hoping for instant results.

But here’s the truth: not every business is ready to run paid media campaigns. And that’s okay.

At Metis, we often advise businesses not to invest in ads until a few key foundations are in place. We’re not here to sell you something you don’t need, and we definitely don’t need to make Google or Facebook richer. We’re here to help you make smarter, more informed decisions—especially when every cent counts.

So before you dive into paid media, ask yourself these five questions:

1. What problem am I trying to solve with paid media?

This might sound obvious, but it’s often overlooked. Are you looking for more leads? Trying to boost sales of a new product? Test a new market?

Paid media is a tool—one of many. If you’re not clear on the challenge you’re trying to solve, you might end up measuring the wrong things or worse, solving the wrong problem. Start with clarity. Then build from there.

2. Do I have the right tracking and measurement in place?

You can’t make good decisions with bad data. We’ve seen too many businesses spending thousands on ads without knowing what happens after someone clicks. Are your leads turning into customers? What’s your cost per acquisition? Which channels are working? Without proper tracking—from platforms like Google Analytics to offline sales uploads—you’re flying blind. Good tracking helps you understand what is working and what is not working, and with this vital info, you can make informed decisions.

3. Is my website built to convert?

Driving traffic to a website that can’t convert is like pouring water into a leaky bucket. Your site is more than a digital brochure—it should be designed to guide your visitor toward taking action. That’s where Big Beard shines. Their focus on UX and UI means you’re not just getting a beautiful site—you’re getting one that turns traffic into results. If you’re going to pay to bring people to your site, make sure your site earns their trust and makes it easy to find the information they looking for and take the action they need.

4. Do I know what a customer is worth to me?

Paid media only works if the economics work. You need to understand two key metrics:

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): How much am I willing to pay for a new customer? (a little trick here is to ask yourself what would you pay for a successful referral?)

Lifetime Value (LTV): How much is a customer worth to you over time? (Paid Media might not make sense when you only look at the cost of the acquisition to the 1st invoice, but if this is a customer that has repeat purchases, or helps give you more referrals, then the ROI makes sense)

5. Do I have enough budget to test, learn, and optimise?

Paid media isn’t about flipping a switch and watching the sales roll in. Platforms like Meta and Google need data to learn what works. If your budget is spread too thin, the algorithm can’t do its job—and you end up with poor results that reflect the setup, not the potential. If you’re serious about paid media, treat it as a testing ground first. Allow at least 3 months for real insight to emerge—and be ready to adapt as you learn. A general rule of thumb is that you want to budget at least R15,000 per platform. (e.g. if you want to run Google Ads + Facebook Ads this would = R15,000 x 2 = R30,000).

Final thoughts

At Metis, we work best with businesses who want to build sustainable, data-led growth—not chase vanity metrics or short-term wins. That’s why our long-standing partnership with Big Beard works so well. We share the same values: wise council, keep it simple, data-driven performance.

If these questions got you thinking, and you’re wondering whether now’s the right time to invest in paid media, the Big Beard team knows us well. They can connect you for a no-pressure conversation to help you figure it out.

If you found this article interesting let’s connect on LinkedIn

Chantelle Bowyer

Founder & CEO of Metis Performance Marketing