What $500 in Facebook Ads Looks Like for Small Businesses
- elmntmediallc
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Facebook ads can feel like gambling — especially when you’re a small business on a tight budget.
We put $500 into a real-world Facebook campaign to test what works, what doesn’t, and whether that spend can actually lead to sales. Spoiler: we learned a lot — and made a few mistakes you won’t have to.
Here’s what happened when we ran $500 worth of Facebook ads for a small business, and what you should do differently. The Setup: $500 Budget, One Clear Goal
We didn’t go in blind. The goal of this ad spend was to drive traffic to a landing page offering a free consultation for a service business. Here's what we set up:
A simple but optimized landing page
Clear headline and call to action
One conversion event: booking a call
Ad creatives: 2 image ads, 1 video
Targeting: interest-based + custom audience
What Worked
✅ The Video Ad Outperformed Everything Even with a basic edit, the video had better engagement and click-through rates than both static image ads. Motion + a clear message = more attention.
✅ Simple Copy = Better Results The ad with short, clear text outperformed the version with a long explanation. Facebook is a scroll-first platform — clarity wins.
✅ Retargeting Was a Game Changer The custom audience retargeting those who visited the site but didn’t book accounted for 3 out of the 6 total conversions. What Didn’t Work
🚫 Interest Targeting Was Too Broad Trying to reach “everyone interested in marketing” wasted a chunk of the budget. Narrower targeting or lookalike audiences would have been smarter.
🚫 Budget Spread Too Thin Running 3 ads on just $500 gave us limited reach per ad. Next time, we’d test just 1–2 creatives to gather stronger data.
🚫 Landing Page Load Speed Hurt Us We lost visitors due to mobile load speed. If your page isn’t lightning fast on mobile, you’re literally burning your ad budget. Final Results
Clicks: 294
Landing Page Views: 207
Consult Calls Booked: 6
Cost Per Lead: ~$83
Ad Spend: $500
Client Value (Avg.): $950
So yes — we made back the ad spend and then some. What We’d Do Differently Next Time
Run just 1 ad at first, not 3
Use a better pre-qualified audience (or email list)
Make the landing page even simpler
Optimize mobile load speed before launch
Should You Run Facebook Ads for Your Small Business?
Absolutely — but only if you treat it like a system, not a scratch-off ticket.
Most small businesses lose money on ads because they focus on the ad — not the entire conversion path. Want Us to Run the Test for You?
We turn small ad budgets into real results with custom Facebook ad strategies, creative, and landing pages built to convert. If you're ready to stop guessing and start growing — book a free strategy call today.
