Why Facebook Ads Don’t Work (and what to do instead)

Facebook ads, or any other type of paid advertising, may seem like pressing the easy button for driving traffic to your sales funnel, your offer, and ultimately converting sales for your online course.

But the reality is that most people waste money instead of earning it.

If you listen to my podcast, ask yourself: of all the online course success stories, how many attribute a lot of their success to paid ads?

Answer: VERY few.

While this article's title might seem sensational, it's important to note that paid ads work for some. However, for the majority, they are largely ineffective.

Today, I'll explain why that is the case and offer alternative strategies for driving more effective traffic.

The Big Picture

Let’s start with the framework on which 6 and 7-figure online course businesses are built.

The key elements to making money from your online course business are as illustrated above.

Traffic is where people discover us, AND we start to build trust.

The funnel is solely focused on cultivating this trust.

Once trust is established, we can then present our offer.

Here’s the key: Sales occur when a high level of trust meets an irresistible offer.

If you haven’t built enough trust or don’t have a good enough offer… you won’t make the sale.

So if you want to sell your course…

Trust must be HIGH.

And your offer must be GREAT.

TRUST vs. OFFER

Next, let’s dive deeper into why paid ads usually fail. To illustrate this, we have a graph with trust on one axis and your offer on the other.

Next, let me present you the OT Threshold (Offer/Trust Threshold), beyond which sales are much more likely to occur.

To the left of the OT Threshold, you will make very few sales, if any.

Let’s go through a couple of examples…

Low Trust, High Offer = Low Sales (The Shortcoming of Paid Ads)

The graph below illustrates why Facebook Ads often fail: they don't generate sufficient trust.

To succeed with paid advertising, your offer has to be exceptional to overcome the lack of trust.

Pushing Through the OT Threshold

I recommend a consistent content marketing strategy over paid ads to drive traffic and increase sales.

The Winning Formula: Maximizing Both Offer and Trust

This concept shows that to truly succeed, like those 7-figure course creators, you must optimize both your offer and the trust you've built with your audience.

Conclusion

In the world of online courses, building trust is just as crucial as having an exceptional offer. While paid ads might seem like the easy route, they often fall short of generating the trust needed for conversions.

That's why I advocate for content marketing, a strategy that draws attention and builds credibility and trust over time.

So, before putting all your eggs in the paid ads basket, ensure your overall strategy will push past this OT Threshold. Your bottom line will thank you.

I’m rooting for you.

-Jacques

When you’re ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. Genesis Courses. Starting your journey in online course creation? This coaching program is for you. From pinpointing your niche and building an audience to crafting a unique offer and launching your course, consider this your complete business blueprint… from the beginning.
2. Next Level Coaching. Already established in the course creation world and earning a minimum of $1,000 monthly? This program offers a clear roadmap to scale your monthly income to 5 or 6 figures. Let's work together to take your business to new heights.