What £500 a month on Meta ads can honestly achieve
Small budgets are not hopeless, but they are unforgiving. What to expect, what to stop doing, and when to wait instead.
Meta, Google or TikTok ads - where should your first budget go?
Start with one platform, not three
The most common mistake with a small ad budget is splitting it across every platform at once. Each one gets too little money to learn, the results are unclear everywhere, and the conclusion becomes "ads don't work for us".
Pick one platform, make it work, then add the next. The question is which one first.
The right platform is the one where your customers already are when they are ready to buy.
Google: when people are already looking
Google Search ads show up when someone types what they need: "plumber in Lahore", "buy running shoes", "accounting software for small business". The intent is already there. You are answering a question they just asked.
Best for:
- Services people search for when they have a problem
- Local businesses
- Products people compare before buying
- Anything with clear search demand
Watch out for: competitive keywords can be expensive, and your landing page has to match the search closely or you pay for clicks that do not convert.
Meta (Facebook and Instagram): when you need to create demand
Meta shows your ads to people who were not searching for you, based on interests and behaviour. You are interrupting their scroll, so the creative has to earn attention.
Best for:
- Visual products: fashion, beauty, food, home
- New products people do not know to search for yet
- Retargeting people who visited your website
- Building an audience for a local business
Watch out for: creative fatigue. The same ad stops working as people see it repeatedly, so you need a steady supply of new creatives.
TikTok: when you can be entertaining
TikTok rewards ads that feel like native content: short, fast, personal videos. Polished corporate ads tend to get skipped.
Best for:
- Products with a strong visual or "wow" moment
- Brands aimed at younger audiences
- Businesses willing to produce a lot of short video
Watch out for: it needs volume and a native style. If you cannot produce video regularly, start elsewhere.
A quick test: if your customers would search for you, start with Google. If they need to see it to want it, start with Meta. If it makes a great 10-second video, consider TikTok.
Before you spend on any of them
- Install tracking. The Meta pixel, Google tag or TikTok pixel, with conversions set up properly. Without it, you are guessing.
- Fix the landing page. Fast, clear, and matching the ad. Ads magnify a good page and expose a bad one.
- Decide what success looks like. A cost per lead or cost per sale you can afford, worked out before you start.
When to add a second platform
Once one platform consistently brings results at a cost you are happy with, add the next. Many businesses end up with Google capturing existing demand and Meta creating new demand and retargeting visitors. The two work well together.
Need help choosing?
Our digital marketing service covers Meta, Google and TikTok, and our AI ads service produces the creatives to keep them fresh. See the marketing packages.
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