Meta ads are one of the best ways to reach people who are not actively searching but would be a great fit for what you offer. They create demand, spark interest, and bring new people into your orbit. But to use them well, you need to understand the real costs involved.
This guide explains what Meta ads cost each month and what drives those costs.
Ad Spend Costs (Paid to Meta)
Your ad spend is the amount you pay directly to Meta (Facebook and Instagram) to show your ads.
Costs vary based on competition, audience size, geographic targeting, and how compelling your ad creative is. Most organizations that want consistent results spend at least $2,500 to $5,000 per month in ad spend.
Below that level, Meta ads still work, but they tend to scale slower and data takes longer to accumulate.
You can think of your ad spend as the fuel. The more fuel you add, the more people you can reach and the more the algorithm can learn.
Ad Management Costs
Ad spend and ad management are different. Meta charges you for impressions and clicks. We charge you for strategy, creative, testing, and optimization.
One-Time Setup Fee
Before ads launch, we build your campaigns from the ground up. That includes audience research, strategy development, ad creation, pixel installation, tracking setup, and setting up the campaign structure.
Setup typically ranges from $1,000 to $2,000.
Monthly Management Fee
Once campaigns are running, Meta requires active management. Audiences fatigue. Creative needs to be refreshed. Testing must be ongoing. Results improve only when the account is constantly monitored and optimized.
Our ongoing management ranges from $750 to $2,500 per month depending on complexity, number of campaigns, and the scale of the ad spend.
We charge flat fees, not percentages of your ad spend.
Percent-of-spend models reward agencies for pushing bigger budgets, whether you need them or not. Our goal is the opposite: make every dollar work harder.
Why Meta Ads Work
Google Ads captures intent.
Meta Ads create intent.
Meta finds people based on interests, behaviors, demographics, and patterns the algorithm recognizes. This allows you to introduce your message to people who match your ideal audience long before they search for anything.
Meta excels at:
- Growing awareness for your brand
- Filling top-of-funnel pipelines
- Driving leads when paired with strong landing pages
- Retargeting people who have visited your website
- Promoting events, fundraisers, programs, enrollment seasons, open houses, and content
Meta is one of the fastest ways to build and warm up an audience who has never heard of you.
The Landing Page Still Matters
Even if your ads are excellent, people will not convert without a clear, focused landing page. Strong copy, a straightforward offer, and a visible call to action matter.
You can spend $10,000 a month on ads, but if your landing page is confusing, slow, or cluttered, you will waste most of that budget.
Ads bring people in.
Your landing page convinces them to act.
We evaluate landing pages for every Meta campaign we run because the two work together.
Is Meta Advertising Right for You?
Meta Ads are a strong fit if you want to:
- Introduce new people to your organization
- Build demand before someone searches
- Promote events, programs, coaching, services, products, or ministries
- Retarget past visitors to bring them back
- Reach the same person across multiple placements (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Reels)
Meta is especially strong for storytelling, visual content, and campaigns focused on emotion and transformation.
If you rely only on people searching for you, you miss everyone who is a perfect fit but not actively looking yet.
Next Step
If you want help determining the right ad spend, or want us to evaluate whether Meta ads are a good investment for your goals, schedule a call. We will give you a clear recommendation based on your specific situation.
