How much should I really spend on Facebook ads?

The short answer

If you're a local business and you're serious about getting leads, £300–£900 a month in ad spend is the realistic range to start with — on top of your management fee.

Anything less and you're basically running a test, not a campaign. Anything more, and you need a sales process that can actually handle the volume.

Why agencies dodge this question

Most agencies won't give you a number because:

• They want to "win the meeting" first and worry about budget later.
• They earn more when you spend more, so it's easier to just say "as much as possible".
• They genuinely don't know what your industry costs per lead.

At 99 Ads, we tell you upfront — because we'd rather work with the right businesses than waste anyone's time.

What your budget actually buys

Here's a rough guide based on real campaigns we run:

• £300/mo — 10–25 leads/month for trades, beauty and local services.
• £600/mo — 25–60 leads/month, more consistent, better targeting.
• £900+/mo — Enough to test creative, scale winners and run multiple offers.

Your industry, location and offer will swing these numbers a lot. A boiler installer in Manchester is not the same maths as a hair salon in Bath.

The number that actually matters

Forget cost-per-lead for a second. The number that matters is cost-per-customer — and that depends on:

1. How fast you reply to leads (under 5 minutes wins).
2. How good your offer is.
3. How well you close on the phone.

Great ads + slow follow-up = wasted money.

Want us to run the numbers for your business?

Book a free 30-minute call. We'll tell you straight what your budget needs to look like — and whether ads are even the right move for you right now.