Jason Smith is the Owner and CEO of Spotlight Social Advertising, LLC, a company specializing in creating high-converting social media campaigns on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Founded in 2016, the agency has grown to manage robust campaigns across various social media platforms, primarily focusing on e-commerce clients. Prior to his venture into digital marketing, Jason served as a Los Angeles police officer for 13 years.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [2:20] Jason Smith breaks down why Facebook and other social media ads are often wrongly blamed for poor business performance
• [7:37] Common agency frustrations when clients ignore advice on website speed, CTAs, and conversion rates
• [11:03] Patterns of business owners “agency hopping” and expecting instant results without proper foundations
• [20:35] Why understanding your numbers is critical before running ads
• [24:10] Communication breakdowns inside businesses that lead to agencies being unfairly blamed
• [26:18] Jason’s advice to business owners

In this episode…

Too often, business owners rush to blame their Facebook ads when sales slow or leads dry up. But is the ad platform really the root cause — or is there something deeper going on in the business itself? What if the problem isn’t the ads, but what happens after the click?

According to Jason Smith, a digital advertising expert, the real issue lies in business owners not taking responsibility for the full customer journey. He highlights how weak conversion funnels, poor communication, and unrealistic expectations frequently sabotage success, regardless of how good the ads are. This blame-shifting creates a cycle of agency hopping and missed growth opportunities. Jason demonstrates how many business owners fail to understand metrics like MER, ignore agency advice, and still expect high ROAS without investing in proper infrastructure or optimization.

In this episode of the Truth About Social Ads, Jason Smith talks about why Facebook ads often get scapegoated for broader business failures. He breaks down how poor conversion rates, lack of internal follow-up, and misaligned goals lead to underperformance. Jason also shares real client stories that illustrate how agencies get unfairly blamed and provides insights on being a better partner to your agency.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• Jason Smith on LinkedIn
• Spotlight Social Advertising

Quotable Moments:

• “Ads could be doing really well, but maybe they’re not getting sales or the leads aren’t coming in.”
• “Stop blaming agencies for everything else that’s going wrong in your business.”
• “You decided to go ahead and get ads going; you know, and we told you that.”
• “If you don’t know your numbers up front… we’re just not going to work with you.”
• “Would you rather spend five or $10,000 now on conversion rate optimization or $100,000 on ad spend?”

Action Steps:

1. Know your business numbers upfront: Understanding your margins, KPIs, and MER allows for realistic ad goals and scalable growth.
2. Optimize your website and funnel before launching ads: Fixing page speed, CTAs, and conversion rates maximizes the return on your ad investment.
3. Follow through on agency recommendations: Acting on expert advice increases your chances of successful ad campaigns and better performance metrics.
4. Communicate clearly across all departments: Transparent internal communication prevents confusion, misalignment, and misplaced blame on marketing partners.
5. Evaluate your agency relationships honestly: Acknowledging your own role in campaign outcomes fosters better collaboration and long-term success.

Sponsor for this episode

Spotlight Social Advertising is a results-driven digital marketing agency that helps businesses scale with powerful Facebook and Instagram advertising. Their expert team crafts highly targeted campaigns that attract the right audience, boost engagement, and drive real conversions.

Whether you’re a startup looking to build brand awareness or an established company aiming for higher ROI, Spotlight leverages data-backed strategies to maximize every ad dollar.

Ready to grow your business with expert social media advertising? Contact Spotlight Social Advertising today to get started.