Ending Soon! Save 33% on All Access

Stop Using Facebook Ads to Tell the World How Great You Are If your actions aren't speaking louder than your ads, work more and advertise less.

By Steve Eakin Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

coffeeka | Getty Images

We get it. You built a "system" to turn $100 in Facebook ad spend into $301,424.37 in monthly revenue (or something equally absurd.) And now you want to teach us how to do it too.

Congrats on your success, but sorry, no. You're shouting it so loud that we don't really believe you anymore.

If you fancy yourself an entrepreneur of sorts, your Facebook feed is littered with people you've never heard of that "cracked the code" of making money online, and they just can't wait to show you how they did it. It was amazing at first. Then it became cool. Then "neat." Now, its like you're walking past a bunch of used car lots with some shady salesman shouting at you to come test drive their lowest priced, but somehow best, car.

Related: 6 Proven Facebook Advertising Offers You Can Use to Attract More Business

Advertisers are getting so loud that it's hard to take them seriously. It's an understandable trap to get stuck in. Tons of people have figured out how to build million dollar businesses online, and they want to show you how too. After all, there's an even bigger business in showing you the path they took.

The problem is how loud and absurd it's gotten. I'm sure are there are legitimate opportunities hidden in the crowd, but it's just so damn loud now. And the irony of it all is, making money online isn't some DaVinci code to crack. It's not an impossible task or secret only available to a select few. Everyone can do it. It just takes work -- real, honest work. Anyone telling you to try some magic system, sit back and watch the cash flow in isn't telling you the whole story. Yes, you can absolutely do that -- after you put in the work to get there.

People are sick of advertisements selling their souls just to make a buck, and I'm sick of it too. It's much more respectful, and I believe much more profitable, to be honest and humble with your success.

Related: Creating Advertising Hooks That Work on Facebook

That's where long term gains come in. And respect. People become life-long customers from companies they value and respect. They'll buy the shiny new object, but it's a fad, not a trend.

You don't have to shut your ads down, but maybe tone them down. It's not about being the loudest, it's about being honest and connecting with your audience in a real and meaningful way. Unless, of course, you're just looking to make a quick buck. Then, by all means, keep it up. But seriously, enough of the noise and shiny objects already. We've had enough. We want real value from real people. Keep the guru crap to yourself. Your modesty will get you farther than you can get by being a shameless huckster.

Full disclosure: I have ads running. People click it, join my free course to build their first app without learning to code, and turn it into a business from there.

Related: Why Boosting Your Facebook Posts Is Just Throwing Money Down the Drain

I'm not screaming "make tons of money with this system without doing any work!" I'm being honest and letting the success of the free course speak for itself. The goal is to deliver long-term value that will pay me back ten-fold in the years to come -- not to make a quick buck. Yes, there's a paid program for sale at the end, and if people liked what they got for free, maybe they'll buy.

But maybe not, and that's ok too.

Steve Eakin

Founder of Startup Black Belt

Steve Eakin is a speaker, investor, startup advisor and the founder of Startup Black Belt, where he helps tech startups launch, grow and scale.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

Now that OpenAI's Superalignment Team Has Been Disbanded, Who's Preventing AI from Going Rogue?

We spoke to an AI expert who says safety and innovation are not separate things that must be balanced; they go hand in hand.

Franchise

What Franchising Can Teach The NFL About The Impact of Private Equity

The NFL is smart to take a thoughtful approach before approving institutional capital's investment in teams.

Employee Experience & Recruiting

Beyond the Great Resignation — How to Attract Freelancers and Independent Talent Back to Traditional Work

Discussing the recent workplace exit of employees in search of more meaningful work and ways companies can attract that talent back.

Business News

Scarlett Johansson 'Shocked' That OpenAI Used a Voice 'So Eerily Similar' to Hers After Already Telling the Company 'No'

Johansson asked OpenAI how they created the AI voice that her "closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference."

Business Ideas

Struggling to Balance Your Business and Your Relationship? This Company Says It Has a Solution.

Jessica Holton, co-founder and CEO of Ours, says her company is on a mission to destigmatize couples therapy so that people can be proactive about relationship health.

Marketing

Marketing Campaigns Must Do More than Drive Clicks — Here's How to Craft Landing Pages That Convert Clicks into Customers

Following fundamental design principles will ensure that your landing pages lead potential customers from clicking on an ad to completing a purchase.