How to Win with Meta Ads in 2025: Lessons from Bec Anderson

In a recent Profit Made Simple episode, we spoke with Bec Anderson, a marketing strategist who manages over 65 ad accounts across Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK.

With 17 years in the fitness industry and eight years running Meta ad campaigns, Bec has seen the platform evolve. In 2025, the changes are more significant than ever.

Her advice is gold for fitness business owners who want to stay ahead, generate better quality leads, and stop wasting money on ineffective campaigns.

Meta Ads Have Changed and Here’s What You Need to Know

Meta (Facebook and Instagram) has made sweeping updates to its ad platform. They have invested billions into AI-powered Advantage+ targeting, which automatically selects audiences, writes copy and optimises delivery for you.

Sounds easy, right? Not so fast.

Bec cautions that while AI is promising, it is not yet perfect. Her advice:

Run two types of campaigns:

  • One using Meta’s AI-driven targeting
  • One using your own manual targeting (location, age, gender, interests)

Compare the results and scale what works.

Pro tip: Do not hand over all control to AI just yet. Test both approaches.

Video Is King but Quality Matters

Meta is heavily favouring Reels and native-style video ads in 2025. If your ads do not look and feel like quality social media content, you will pay more per lead.

Your videos should:

  • Hook viewers in the first 3 seconds
  • Look natural yet professionally edited
  • Be optimised for mobile viewing
  • Include captions for silent playback

Bec’s tip: “If your ad creative isn’t great, nothing else matters. It’s the biggest scroll stopper.”

Better Quality Leads with Built-In Pre-Qualification

For years, fitness businesses have complained about poor quality leads from Meta ads. People submit fake details, never answer calls, or are not serious buyers.

Meta’s new features are fixing this:

1. One-Time Password Verification — Prospects confirm their number before submitting a lead form.

2. Manual Entry Over Autofill — Switch off autofill so leads must type in their details.

3. Rich Creative Lead Forms — Add before/after photos, reviews and offers directly into the form to educate and pre-qualify leads.

These extra steps increase lead cost slightly but massively improve quality.

Marketing insight: Ten $50 leads that convert beat 50 $10 leads that don’t.

Know Your Numbers Before You Spend

Bec insists every fitness business owner should know:

  • CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) — How much it costs to acquire a paying client.
  • LTV (Lifetime Value) — How much that client spends with you over their membership.

Without these numbers, you cannot know how much to spend on ads or whether they are profitable.

Example:

  • Spend $400 to acquire a client worth $4,000 over 12 months? Do it every day.
  • Spend $100 for a client worth $120? You are losing money.

Good Campaigns vs Great Campaigns

What is the difference?

  • Good campaigns: Tell people who you are and what you offer.
  • Great campaigns: Speak directly to their pain points, emotions and desires and offer the solution.

To achieve this, you need:

  • Strong ad copy that resonates with your target audience
  • Multiple creative formats (video, Reels, static images, text graphics)
  • Consistent testing and refinement

Bec’s advice: “If you’re running ads like it’s 2023, you’re already behind.”

Common Misconceptions About Meta Ads

Bec busted a few myths:

  1. “If I spend $30 a day, sales will just walk in.”
    Wrong. It takes skill, testing and patience.
  2. “I should get a lead every day.”
    Not always. Lead flow can be uneven.
  3. “The ads will close the sale for me.”
    Ads get attention. Your follow-up closes the deal.

Patience and Consistency Win

Many business owners panic when leads slow down for a few days and switch campaigns off. This interrupts optimisation and wastes money.

Bec’s golden rule: Commit to a budget you can comfortably spend for several weeks without touching the campaign. Then evaluate.

Her benchmark: If you cannot spend $200 to $300 per week consistently, ads might not be the right play yet.

Why Bec’s Clients Succeed

Bec is not just an ad manager. She is a partner in her clients’ marketing success. She offers:

  • Transparent reporting
  • Education on sales and follow-up
  • Industry-specific insights from running dozens of fitness campaigns
  • Guidance on both paid and organic marketing

With deep experience in the fitness sector, she knows exactly what works and what does not in this competitive space.