How we launched our first paid campaign without an ads team

The thing about becoming an ad tech company is that, at some point, you probably need to run some ads yourself.

Which is awkward when you've never actually done it before.

Now, I know my way around ad copy and creative. I spent 15 years writing display ad headlines and copy for brands like Kellogg's and Kimberly-Clark. But hitting that launch button on a paid campaign? Completely different skill set.

So when Vector evolved into a contact-level advertising platform, I had a choice: keep talking about ads without running them, or figure it out.

In our latest episode of This Meeting Could've Been a Podcast, we walk through how we went from selling ad tech without running campaigns ourselves, to actually launching our own—complete with creative variants, native targeting, a li'l Vector on Vector, and only minimal panic.

This episode features a cat on a Roomba, ghosts lounging by a pool, and proof that doing absolutely nothing at the gym can somehow make you an advertising legend.\

‍

What you'll learn:

• How to launch your first ad campaign without a dedicated ads team
• Why broad awareness campaigns are your friend when you're starting out
• How native targeting gets your ads in front of actual ICPs (not random LinkedIn users)
• When to leave a winning ad alone and when to kill it
• Why you need an advertising playbook that actually matches where your customers are

‍

TOP THREE TAKEAWAYS

Takeaway 1: Start simple with easy tweaks

When you're launching your first ad campaign, you need to test different versions to learn what resonates with your audience. But don't overthink it—start with simple variations like swapping out headlines, trying different background colors, or adjusting your layout.

The key is creating just enough variants to get useful data without spreading yourself too thin. Two or three versions is usually enough to start spotting patterns. And here's the thing: the version you're convinced will perform best? It probably won't be the winner. Ads are funny like that.

Takeaway 2: Give your ads time to perform

I get it—you've just launched a campaign and you're excited to see results. But refreshing your analytics dashboard every hour isn't giving you real insights. It's like weighing yourself every morning and getting frustrated when you haven't lost five pounds overnight.

Ad performance fluctuates constantly. What looks like a disaster on Tuesday might turn into your best performer by Friday. You need to let campaigns run for at least a week or two before you can spot genuine trends in the data.

I know it feels counterintuitive to just... leave it alone. But patience actually gives you better information to work with.

Takeaway 3: Start with your existing content

Not sure where to start? Look at the content you already have—that web page you spent weeks perfecting, your CEO's LinkedIn post that actually got engagement, anything relevant to your campaign goals.

Will it be a perfect match for your ad? Probably not. But if you're working with a small team and limited resources, you adapt what you have rather than waiting for the perfect moment. Ship something good enough, learn from it, and iterate.

So, if you're staring down your first ad campaign, here's what actually matters: 

• Start with a couple of simple variants to test
• Give them at least a week before you panic about performance
• And use whatever content you've already got instead of waiting for “perfect creative”

We tested ads that pushed the boundaries of B2B creative, learnt that Josh doing nothing at the gym converts better than polished corporate content, and used our own contact-level targeting to figure out what resonates.

The whole point of running ads is learning what works for your audience. You can't do that from the sidelines, you just have to start.

Catch the full episode (and subscribe to This Meeting Could’ve Been a Podcast!) on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform.