The 3-Question Checklist Before Spending on Ads

Most small business owners waste thousands on paid ads that never convert.

Gaby Belanger, founder and lead strategist at Honed Digital Strategy & Co, joins the DoneMaker Podcast to break down what actually drives results on Meta, Google, and beyond. With years of agency experience turned solopreneur success, she reveals why fundamentals beat flashy tactics every time.

You’ll discover how to know if you’re truly ready for paid ads, the exact way to set budgets based on your profit margins and CAC, why AI-generated assets are hurting your ROI right now, and the retargeting strategies that create the 12+ touchpoints buyers need before saying yes.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

– Why knowing your customer deeply is still the only foundation that matters for conversions and ROI
– The 3-question readiness checklist every small business owner must pass before spending on Meta or Google ads
– How to calculate your ideal ad budget by working backwards from price, profit margin, and cost per acquisition
– Why real photography and videography beats AI assets — and how often you actually need new shoots
– The real reason “garbage leads” happen and the simple lead form + targeting fixes that qualify them fast
– How to avoid click fraud and traffic campaigns that look good but deliver zero sales
– Retargeting secrets plus when to test new platforms (and when to double down on Google’s intent)

If you’re a small business owner, entrepreneur, or CEO tired of guessing with ad spend, this episode gives you the clear, no-BS framework to turn paid media into a predictable growth engine while protecting your cash flow.

Perfect for anyone building a sales pipeline, exploring lead generation without ads, or scaling a business with smarter systems and an entrepreneurial mindset.

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#DoneMakerPodcast #LinkedInOutreach #B2BLeadGeneration #SmallBusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessPodcast #PaidAds #MetaAds #GoogleAds #DigitalMarketing #AdStrategy #Retargeting #BusinessGrowth

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Make easy business decisions by filling your sales funnel with LinkedIn Organic Outreach. No data scraping, no outreach automations, no AI messages. The entire process is done manually + weekly strategy call with a dedicated account rep.

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