Why Most Advertisers Waste 50% of Their Budget

What if you could double your Facebook Ads results overnight — without increasing your budget? Most advertisers focus heavily on targeting the right audience, but overlook a critical piece of the puzzle: who to exclude. According to the team at Great Marketing AI, smart audience exclusions can dramatically reduce wasted spend and boost return on investment almost instantly.

Targeting the Right People Isn’t Enough

At the top of the funnel, advertisers commonly target interest-based audiences like fans of Tony Robbins or Gary Vaynerchuk, or use lookalike audiences based on past customers. Broad targeting powered by Meta’s AI is another growing tactic. But here’s where many go wrong: they forget to exclude warm leads, website visitors, or even past buyers — which leads to wasted impressions and unnecessary costs.

Here’s a YouTube video where we walk through this exact strategy step-by-step, including real examples and how to set it up in Ads Manager.

The Secret to Doubling ROI with Audience Exclusions

The real secret lies in strategic exclusions. At the top of the funnel, exclude people who have visited your website, engaged with your content, or already submitted a lead form. In the middle and bottom of the funnel, continue to exclude existing customers, low-quality leads, and unengaged users to prevent ad fatigue and wasted spend.

One client who implemented this strategy saw a 30% drop in wasted ad budget and nearly doubled their campaign performance in under a month.

If you're serious about growth and want to learn how to scale a business with ads, mastering exclusions is the next big move.