3 Types of Ads Every Small Business Owner in Nigeria Should Be Running

1. Lead Generation Ads: Build Your Own Audience

What It Does

Lead generation ads bring new people into your business funnel—cold leads who have not interacted with your brand before.

Why It Matters

You don’t own social media audiences. If Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok suspends your account, everything goes with it—your followers, likes, comments, and shares disappear.

Platforms like WhatsApp and email are yours. You own those contacts. You cannot lose them unless you delete them. You can export your email list and move to another platform anytime. That is why building your own contact list is important .

The Real Purpose

This type of ad is not necessarily to sell directly. Most people won’t buy from you immediately, especially if they have not interacted with your brand before. Lead generation ads collect contact information—email addresses or WhatsApp contacts—so you can nurture them later until they are ready to buy.

How to Set It Up

You can run lead generation ads on:

• Meta Ads Manager (Facebook and Instagram)

• Google Ads Manager

See the difference between Meta and Google ads  here >>

The key is using lead forms embedded within the ad. These forms allow users to fill in their information without leaving the platform, which naturally increases conversion rates. If you have a website, you can also create a landing page with a form.

Practical Example

If you sell building materials, offer a free guide on how to spot fake building materials before buying, or offer a discount in exchange for their contact information. The goal is to look for something your target audience values and use it to collect their information.

Why This Works

Research confirms that data-driven targeted online adverts have a statistically significant positive relationship with increased quality lead generation . In Nigeria, where many customers prefer chatting before buying, owning your contact list ensures you can reach them anytime without relying on any algorithm .

2. Retargeting Ads: Convert People Who Already Showed Interest

What It Does

Retargeting ads re-engage people who have shown interest in what you sell but did not buy. It reminds them about your product or service and gives them incentives for coming back.

Why It Is Important

Retargeting increases your chance of converting potential customers and lowers the amount you pay for ads. You are targeting warm audiences—people who have already interacted with your brand before. They are easier to convert because they already know you.

How It Works

Think of it this way: if you sell makeup and someone visits your e-commerce store, checks out your products, but does not buy—retargeting ads go specifically to that person. They saw your product pages before, so they will quickly remember your brand.

How to Set It Up

If You Have a Website

• Install the Facebook Pixel on your website. The Meta Pixel is a piece of code that tracks how people interact with your website after seeing your Facebook and Instagram ads .

• When you place the base Meta Pixel on every screen, it tracks user behavior and lets you create Custom Audiences in Meta Ads Manager based on:

  1. People who visited specific pages

  2. People who did not complete a specific action, such as submitting a lead form 

• Use this to retarget visitors on Facebook and Instagram with tailored ads .

• Apart from Google’s keyword bidding, Google Ads also allows you to create audiences of people who have interacted with your ads or visited your website before.

If You Do Not Have a Website

Use Facebook and Instagram to target people who have interacted with your social media page in the past 30, 60, or 180 days—people who visited your profile, watched your content, or engaged with your posts.

Practical Example

A lady selling makeup items can run ads specifically to visitors who checked out her makeup products but left without buying. Even without a website, she can target people who visited her Instagram profile or watched her content.