September 04, 2026
Adwave vs doing it yourself: boosted posts, Google Ads, or a local agency
Most small businesses are not choosing between ad platforms. They are choosing between boosting a Facebook post, opening Google Ads, paying a local agency, or letting Waverunner build and run the whole mix from one daily budget.
Table of Contents
If you own a restaurant, a dental practice, a roofing company, or a real estate business, you have probably tried at least one of these: boosting a post, opening a Google Ads account, or paying a local agency. Each one works for somebody. This page lays out what each option actually asks of you, what it costs to start, and where your ads end up, next to Waverunner by Adwave, which builds the ads from your website and runs them on TV, Google, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok from one daily budget.
Quick comparison at a glance
Option 1, boosting posts on Facebook and Instagram
Boosting is the easiest way to spend money on advertising, which is exactly why so many owners start there. You pick a post, a radius, and a budget, and Meta shows it to more people.
What it is good at: reminding people who already follow you, and cheap reach for a one-off promotion.
What it is not: a campaign. A boosted post is one creative on one platform with Meta's default optimization. There is no TV, no search, no landing on the moment someone is actually looking for what you sell. When the boost ends, the awareness ends with it.
If you want to keep boosting, keep boosting. Waverunner does not replace your organic page. It replaces the part where you try to turn a post into a media plan.
Option 2, running Google Ads yourself
Google Ads captures people at the moment of intent. Someone searches "emergency plumber near me" and your ad is there. That is the most valuable click in local advertising, and it is worth having.
What it asks of you: keyword research, match types, negative keywords, bid strategy, conversion tags on your site, and enough weekly attention to notice when a campaign starts spending on the wrong searches. Google's own guidance recommends checking in regularly, and most owners do not.
What it cannot do alone: create the demand it captures. Search only catches people who already want you. Waverunner runs Google Search as one leg of the campaign once your daily budget covers it, alongside the TV and social placements that make people search for you in the first place. TV viewers are 3x more likely to search for your brand after seeing a spot.
Option 3, hiring a local marketing agency
A good agency does the work for you: strategy, creative, media buying, reporting. For a business with a meaningful budget and no time, that is the right buy.
What it costs: a monthly retainer before any media runs, an onboarding period measured in weeks, and often a minimum term. Small budgets get small attention, because the economics of a retainer only work above a certain spend.
What to ask them: whether TV is on the table at your budget, how creative revisions are billed, and whether you can see visits and conversions from every channel in one place. Many local agencies are excellent at search and social and never touch television.
Option 4, Waverunner by Adwave
Waverunner is software that does the agency's job from your website. Paste your URL. It reads your business, proposes the customers worth reaching, and comes back with image ads, social video, and a TV spot. You approve or edit by chat, set a daily budget and the area you serve, and it runs the campaign across TV, Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and the web.
You never open Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, or a TV network account. One first-party tag on your site records who visited and who converted, including people who saw the TV spot and came to your site later. Campaigns start at $30/day from a prepaid wallet. There is no subscription, no contract, and no platform fee on media. Pause anytime and charges stop.
Waverunner is built by Adwave. See how it works or what a daily budget buys.
What each option costs to start
When to keep doing it yourself
You enjoy running Google Ads, you check it weekly, and search alone fills your calendar.
You only advertise a few times a year and a boosted post does the job.
You already have an agency you trust, TV is in the plan, and the retainer fits your budget.
You do not have a website yet. Waverunner needs one to read.
When to choose Waverunner
You want your business on TV, Google, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok without learning five ad platforms.
You do not have finished video or image ads and do not want to pay a production crew.
You want one daily budget that is the whole bill, and the option to pause any day.
You want to know which ads brought people to your site, including the ones nobody can click.
Your budget is real but too small for an agency to take seriously.
Common questions answered
Do I need a Facebook or Google ad account to use Waverunner? No. Waverunner buys the placements on your behalf. You never open Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, or a TV network account.
Can I keep my own Google Ads and add Waverunner? Yes. Many businesses keep a search program running and use Waverunner to add TV, social, and the rest of the mix. The TV halo lifts branded search either way.
What does it cost to start? You can paste your site and see recommended ads without a card. Campaigns run from $30/day from a prepaid wallet. New accounts get $60 starter credit when they add a deposit. There are no subscriptions or contracts.
Who makes the ads? Waverunner builds image ads, social video, and a TV spot from your website. You edit them by chat before anything runs. You can also upload your own photos or finished assets.
Is Waverunner an agency? No. It is software built by Adwave. There is no retainer and nobody to schedule a call with before your ads can run, though you can book a walkthrough if you want one.
Ready to see your ads?
Paste your website and Waverunner will show you the ads before you spend anything. Build my campaign, or read the pricing page first.
