When I first started my Facebook ads agency, I ran successful campaigns for clients with small budgets—literally $100 per month, about $3 per day. The good news is, you absolutely can succeed with Facebook ads even on a small budget. In this blog, I’m going to show you how!
What Defines a Small Facebook Ads Budget?
Before diving into strategies, let’s define what a small budget means for Facebook ads.
- Small Budget: Anything less than $1,000 per month ($33/day or less).
- Tiny Budget: Less than $600 per month ($20/day or less).
You might think that such small budgets mean you can’t achieve much, but that’s far from the truth. In fact, I recommend that many businesses start small, because it gives you the flexibility to test and adjust without putting your finances at risk. Plus, once you figure out what works, you can scale up from there.
Focus on What Works in Your Industry
With a small budget, you can’t afford to experiment wildly with different ad formats, creatives, and strategies. Instead, you need to leverage what’s already working in your industry.
A great resource for this is Meta Ads Library, a free tool where you can browse ads from competitors and see what’s been running for a while. Focus on ads that have been live for at least 3-6 months, as these are likely to be the ones that are performing well.
Look for:
- Ad formats (video, image, carousel)
- Copy style and language
- Audience targeting
You can then model these ads for your own campaigns, adapting the style, format, and messaging while ensuring your ads remain unique.
Reduce the Number of Variables
When working with a small budget, it’s crucial to keep things simple. Here’s how you can reduce variables in your campaigns:
- Sell one product or service: Start with your best-selling or most profitable item. Don’t spread your budget across multiple products or services.
- Focus on a single campaign: Instead of running multiple campaigns or ad sets, focus on one to get more data and insights on what works best.
- Minimize changes: Make fewer adjustments to your campaigns to give Meta time to optimize.
By doing this, you avoid spreading your budget too thin and allow Meta’s algorithm to work efficiently and optimize your campaigns for the best results.
Trust Meta’s Optimization
When operating on a small budget, it’s tempting to micromanage every aspect of your campaigns. But in reality, Meta’s algorithms are built to find the best audience and optimize campaigns for success.
Using Advantage+ shopping campaigns or Advantage+ audiences allows Meta to do what it does best—optimize your ads for better performance. Trust the system, and avoid overthinking things like targeting and custom audiences. The more you let Meta work its magic, the better your results will be.
Be Willing to Spend More for Conversions
One mistake many beginners make is having unrealistic expectations of their ad performance. Many expect a return on ad spend (ROAS) of 10x—meaning for every dollar spent, they want to see $10 in sales or leads. This is highly unlikely when you’re just starting out and working with a small budget.
Instead, I recommend being a bit more aggressive with your ROAS goals. Aim for something between 2x and 3x ROAS, which is more reasonable for new accounts and small budgets. This strategy will allow you to scale once you start seeing consistent results, even if it’s not hugely profitable in the beginning.
The key is not to expect large profits right away. Instead, focus on getting your campaigns to break even, so you can gather enough conversion data and optimize for better results as you scale up.
Don’t Waste Money on Brand Awareness Campaigns
Brand awareness campaigns are great for larger businesses with established brands, but they’re a waste of money for small businesses with limited budgets. When you’re working with a small budget, your goal should be direct sales or leads—not simply “getting your business out there.”
Instead, craft your campaigns with specific goals in mind:
- Leads if you’re in a service-based industry.
- Sales if you’re selling products directly.
The only exception to this is the omnipresent content strategy, which can effectively use awareness campaigns for small businesses targeting a very specific audience.
Avoid Constant Tweaks and Changes
One of the most important parts of Facebook advertising is the learning phase. This is when Meta tests various combinations to determine what works best for your campaign. But if you’re constantly adjusting your ads, you reset this learning phase, and your campaign can never fully optimize.
Once your campaign is live, avoid making changes too frequently. Give Meta the time it needs (usually 48-72 hours) to gather data and optimize your campaign for better results.
Final Thoughts
Running Facebook ads on a small budget doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it’s an excellent way to start building a profitable business without risking too much upfront. By focusing on proven strategies, reducing the number of variables, trusting Meta’s optimization, and being realistic with your ROAS expectations, you’ll be well on your way to success.
Are you ready to get started with Facebook ads?
If you’re looking to get the most out of your Facebook ads, let us handle your campaigns for you! With years of experience managing over $50 million in ad spend and helping businesses scale, we’re ready to help you grow.