Stop Wasting Money: See Which Ads Actually Make You Profit

The $5,000 Mistake Most Brisbane Business Owners Make

I was sitting down with a landscaper in Chermside last month. He was spending $5,000 a month across Facebook ads, Google search, and a local directory. When I asked him which one was actually putting money in his bank account, he shrugged.

"Facebook gets me lots of 'likes'," he said. "But the phone usually rings after someone finds me on Google."

Here’s the problem: He was about to cancel his Facebook ads because they didn't seem to be "working." But when we actually looked at the data, we found something surprising. People were seeing his beautiful garden transformations on Facebook first, then a week later, they were searching his business name on Google to call him.

If he had cut Facebook, his Google calls would have dropped by 40%.

This is what happens when you don't look at the big picture. Most business owners look at their marketing in silos. They check their Facebook app, then their Google dashboard, then their email stats. But your customers don't live in silos. They move between them.

In this guide, I’m going to show you how to stop guessing and start seeing exactly how your marketing works together to make you money.

Why Your Current Reports Are Lying to You

Most marketing reports are designed to make the person selling you the ads look good.

Google will tell you they deserve all the credit. Facebook will claim every sale was because of them. If you add up the "sales" reported by every platform, you’ll often find they claim you made $20,000 last month, even though only $10,000 actually hit your bank account.

This happens because of "double counting." If a customer clicks a Facebook ad, then later clicks a Google ad, both platforms will claim that customer as a win.

You need a single source of truth. You need to see exactly where sales come from without the fluff. If you don't have this, you are flying blind, and in a city like Brisbane where advertising costs are rising, flying blind is a fast way to go broke.

The "Customer Journey": How Brisbane Locals Actually Buy

Think about the last time you hired a professional service, like a lawyer in the CBD or a roofer in Logan. Did you click the very first ad you saw and spend $5,000 immediately?

Of course not.

1. The Discovery: You saw a helpful video or a before-and-after photo on social media. 2. The Research: You visited their website to see if they were legit. 3. The Comparison: You looked at their reviews on Google. 4. The Action: You searched their name and called them.

If you only track the "Action" (the phone call), you’ll think the first three steps were a waste of money. But without the discovery and research, that phone call never happens.

To grow your business, you must trace the path your customers take. This isn't about technical jargon; it’s about common sense. It’s about knowing that your $500/month social media budget is actually the "assistant" that helps your $2,000/month Google budget score the goal.

How to Set Up a "No-Bullshit" Dashboard

I tell my mates this all the time: You don't need to be a data scientist. You just need a simple way to see your numbers in one place.

Stop logging into five different websites. You need a single dashboard that shows:

Total Spend: How much went out of your bank account across all platforms? Total Leads: How many people actually picked up the phone or filled out a form? Cost Per Lead: What did it cost you to get one person to talk to you? The Assist: Which platforms are starting the conversation, even if they aren't finishing it?

Step 1: Track the Phone Calls

Step 2: Use "Source Tags"

Step 3: Focus on Profit, Not "Engagement"

What’s a Waste of Money?

I’ve seen dozens of Brisbane businesses flush money down the toilet on things that sound good but don't work. Here is my blunt advice on what to avoid:

1. Boosting Posts with no Goal: Clicking the "Boost Post" button on Facebook is usually just giving Mark Zuckerberg a donation. Unless that post is linked to a specific way to capture a lead, don't bother. 2. Paying for "Impressions": Some agencies will brag about how many thousands of people "saw" your ad. Who cares? If they didn't buy, an impression is worth nothing. You want to pay for results. 3. Fragmented Reporting: If your SEO guy, your Google Ads guy, and your Social Media girl all send you separate reports, they are all grading their own homework. They will all make themselves look like heroes. You need one report that shows how they all performed together.

The Cost of Getting This Right

Let's talk turkey. How much does it cost to get this kind of visibility?

If you try to do it yourself, you’ll spend dozens of hours frustrated. If you hire a cheap freelancer, they’ll likely give you a messy spreadsheet that makes no sense.

To have a professional agency set up proper tracking and provide a monthly "plain English" profit report, you’re usually looking at a few hundred dollars a month.

Is it worth it?

If you are spending $2,000 a month on marketing, and this reporting shows you that $500 of that is being wasted on ads that don't work, the reporting pays for itself immediately. Plus, you get the peace of mind knowing exactly where your next customer is coming from.

How Long Until You See Results?

This isn't an overnight fix. Usually, it takes about 30 to 60 days to gather enough data to see the patterns.

Month 1: We set up the tracking and start seeing the real numbers (often for the first time). Month 2: We identify the "wasters"—the ads that cost money but bring no value.

• Month 3: We move the money from the wasters to the winners. This is where you see the phone start ringing more often without spending an extra cent.

What Should You Do First?

If you're tired of wondering if your marketing is actually working, here is your checklist:

1. Audit your current reports: Do they show "clicks" or do they show "customers"? If it's just clicks, bin them. 2. Ask for a "Source Report": Ask whoever is doing your marketing to show you exactly how many phone calls came from each specific platform last month. 3. Look for the gaps: Are you only counting the last click? Ask about "assisted conversions"—this shows you which ads are helping, even if they aren't the final step.

Stop Guessing and Start Growing

Marketing shouldn't be a gamble. It should be an investment where you put $1 in and get $5 out. But you can't reach that point if you don't know which dollar is doing the work.

At Local Marketing Group, we specialise in helping Brisbane business owners cut through the technical rubbish. We provide clear, results-focused reporting that tells you one thing: Is your marketing making you money?

If you want to stop wasting money and start seeing real results, let's have a chat. We’ll look at what you’re doing now and show you exactly where the leaks are.

Ready to see the real numbers? Contact Local Marketing Group today.