Marketing and ads

How much should a small business spend on paid ads?

By Mahmoud SaiedLast updated 27 October 20262 min read

The short answer

Work out your budget backwards: how many customers you need each month, and how much you can pay to win one customer and still make a profit. Multiply the two to get your monthly budget, and start with a test period of two to four weeks before you scale up.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Work out the profit per customer

    Average order value multiplied by profit margin, and if customers buy again, calculate their value over a year.

  2. 2

    Set an acceptable acquisition cost

    The most you can pay for a new customer without losing money.

  3. 3

    Set the monthly target

    The number of new customers you need to reach your target sales figure.

  4. 4

    Budget equals customers times cost

    This is a first estimate that is confirmed or adjusted after the test period.

  5. 5

    Split it

    A test budget for new ads and audiences, and a larger budget for what has already proven to work.

A common mistake

A very small budget spread across many campaigns is not enough for any of them to learn, so the ads look like failures when they have never really been tested.

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