Digital Advertising Q&A: Everything Small Businesses Need to Know in 2025

Digital advertising can feel like a mystery to many small business owners. You know it’s important, but between Google Ads, Meta Ads, budgets, and buzzwords, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or unsure of where to begin.

At Hatch Strategies, we help small businesses demystify digital marketing and turn confusion into conversion. Below, we answer some of the most common questions small businesses ask us about digital advertising—and how we help simplify the process from start to finish.

What is digital advertising, and why does it matter for small businesses in 2025?

Digital advertising refers to promoting your business through paid online channels—like Google Search, display networks, Facebook, and Instagram—to reach your target audience exactly where they are.

For small businesses in 2025, digital advertising is no longer optional. With more customers shopping, researching, and making decisions online, showing up in the right places at the right time is essential to growing your brand and driving sales.

Unlike traditional ads (billboards, print, radio), digital marketing is trackable, targeted, and scalable to fit your budget. That means you get real results you can measure—and more value for your ad spend.

Is Google Ads or Meta Ads better for my business?

It depends on your goals. Here’s how the two platforms typically compare:

• Google Ads (Search, Display, YouTube): Ideal for capturing high-intent leads. People are actively searching for what you offer, so these users are closer to taking action.
• Meta Ads (Facebook, Instagram): Better for brand awareness and interest-building. You can target users based on interests, demographics, location, and behavior—even before they start searching.

In many cases, we recommend a combination of both platforms. Google Ads drives direct intent; Meta Ads builds brand familiarity. Together, they create a powerful strategy for reaching and converting your ideal customers.

How much should I budget for digital ads?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but here’s a quick breakdown of how to approach budgeting:

• Start small and test. Many of our clients begin with as little as $500–$1,000/month on a platform.
• Your industry and goals matter. A law firm’s budget will differ from a coffee shop’s.
• Think in terms of return, not just spend. What’s a new lead or client worth to you? If you spend $1,000 and make $3,000, that’s marketing that works.

Hatch Strategies helps you build a budget that works for your goals—not against them—and continually optimizes your campaigns so your dollars stretch further.

How do I know if my ads are working?

This is one of the most important (and often overlooked) parts of digital advertising.

We look at:

• Click-through rate (CTR): Are people engaging with your ad?
• Conversion rate: Are those clicks turning into leads, sales, or appointments?
• Cost-per-click (CPC): How much are you paying for each interaction?
• Cost-per-acquisition (CPA): How much are you spending to get a new customer?

Hatch Strategies tracks and reports on all these metrics—and more—so you never have to wonder where your money is going. We tweak campaigns weekly to improve performance and make sure your ads stay competitive.

Why aren’t my ads generating leads or sales?

There are a few common culprits we see:

• Poor targeting. If you’re showing ads to the wrong audience, they won’t convert.
• Weak messaging. If your headline or offer doesn’t resonate, people won’t click.
• Bad landing page experience. If the ad leads to a confusing or slow website, you’ll lose potential customers.

We help you identify and fix those roadblocks. Hatch Strategies doesn’t just run ads—we make sure every step of your funnel supports success.

What makes an effective digital ad campaign?

There are five key elements that work together:

• Clear goals. Know what success looks like (calls, leads, purchases, etc.).
• Audience targeting. Speak to the right people, in the right places.
• Strong creative. Headlines, images, and CTAs that capture attention.
• Landing page experience. Consistent, fast-loading, and easy to navigate.
• Ongoing optimization. Digital ads aren’t “set it and forget it”—we refine them weekly.

At Hatch Strategies, we handle the strategy and optimization, and if you need help with visuals or content, we work closely with a local creative partner to keep your campaign looking polished and professional.

Do I need a professional to run my ads, or can I do it myself?

You can do it yourself, but the truth is, most small businesses don’t have the time, tools, or experience to do it effectively—at least not without wasting time and money.

Our clients come to us for one main reason: they want results without having to learn the ins and outs of ads themselves.

When you work with Hatch Strategies, you get:

• A team who lives and breathes digital marketing
• Weekly monitoring and optimization so you never have to worry
• Strategic guidance tailored to your goals, budget, and industry

You stay in control—we handle the heavy lifting.

What sets Hatch Strategies apart?

We’re not a “set it and forget it” agency.

Here’s what makes us different:

• We facilitate, run, and monitor your ad campaigns on Google, Meta, and other platforms.
• We make weekly tweaks to your ads so they continuously improve.
• We don’t leave you wondering what’s working—we report it clearly and honestly.
• If you need help with content or graphics, we have creative partners ready to step in.

Our goal is simple: more leads, more conversions, and less stress for you.

Final Thoughts: Get Clarity. Get Clients. Get Growing.

Digital advertising shouldn’t feel like a gamble.



When you work with Hatch Strategies, it’s a smart investment in your business’s growth. Whether you’re new to Google and Meta Ads or want better results from your existing campaigns, we’ll guide you with a proven, no-nonsense approach.

📩 Let’s talk about your goals. Reach out today and let Hatch Strategies turn clicks into customers—so you can focus on what you do best.