How Small Businesses Can Win with Low Budgets in 2024

Are You Struggling to Make Meta Ads Work on a Tight Budget?

Navigating Facebook Advertising with a limited budget can feel like an uphill battle.

With so many options and strategies available, it’s easy to get lost in the noise and overcomplicate your approach.

But what if the key to success isn’t doing more, but rather, doing less—and doing it smarter?

In 2024, winning with Meta Ads isn’t necessarily about throwing money at the problem.

It’s about strategic simplification.

Understanding Low Budgets for Meta Ads

First, let’s clarify what we mean by a small budget for Meta Ads. I define a low-budget account as one that spends between €500 - €5,000 per month.

If you look at it closely, that's a big interval, but many small businesses in Europe fit into this category.

For many small businesses, this budget might seem tight, but with the right strategy, it’s possible to achieve significant results.

For small markets and small businesses, like the smaller European countries, it's enough to get positive results.

For example, a local coffee shop in a small European town could see substantial foot traffic and online orders even with a €500 budget.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

One of the most common mistakes I see is overcomplicating your ad account with too many campaigns and audiences.

Running multiple campaigns can spread your budget too thin, making it harder to see a return on investment.

The solution?

Simplify and streamline your ad account structure. Imagine trying to manage 10 campaigns on a €500 budget—it’s a recipe for disaster.

1. Adopt a Simple Ad Account Structure

Stick to 1-3 campaigns, focusing on three key areas: cold audiences, re-marketing, and testing.

If you’re on the lower end of the budget spectrum, spending less than €1,000 per month, one Advantage+ campaign might be all you need.

Advantage+ allows you to target all three audiences—new, engaged audience, and existing customers—by simply defining the audiences in the ad account settings.

You can read more about this topic in DAS #23 - How to Define Audience Segments in Meta Ad Accounts.

Advantage+ optimizes ad delivery across these segments, maximizing your reach with minimal manual adjustments.

If you have a bit more budget to work with, you can start testing with custom re-marketing audiences and experimenting with new creatives aimed at a broad (Advantage+) audience.

For instance, if you have €2,000 to spend, you might allocate 20% (€400) towards experimenting with different ad styles.

2. Master Basic Copywriting

Never wing your ad copy!

Don’t just slap on an offer, a price, and a product description—that’s what every amateur competitor does.

Instead, be smart and different with your copy. Here are a few frameworks that can elevate your ad copy:

•  PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solution): Highlight the pain point, delve into it, and then present your solution. 

Example: "Tired of your phone dying during important calls on the road? Our power bank ensures you stay connected—no matter what."

•  AIDA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action): Grab attention with a strong hook, raise interest, create desire, and prompt action.

Example: "Want to double your productivity? Discover our Free course that transforms your work habits in just 7 days—sign up now."

•  Before & After: A simple yet effective tactic to showcase transformation.

Example: "Before: Struggling with outdated software. After: Boosting efficiency with our latest upgrade."

•  Benefit/Outcome Listing: Don’t sell the product or service; sell the desired outcome.

Example: "Don’t just buy a blender; invest in a healthier, more energized you."

•  The 4 Cs (Clear, Concise, Credible, Compelling): Ensure your message is straightforward and convincing.

Example: "Join over 10,000 satisfied customers who have improved their sleep quality—order today."

Copywriting tip: Concrete language works better than vague statements ↓

Instead of saying, “Offer ends soon” or "Limited Offer," say, “Offer ends at midnight on September 25th.”

Instead of “50+ sold,” say, “Only 17 packages left.”

Instead of “Hurry, while stocks last,” try “Only 3 units left—act fast!”

3. Craft Irresistible Offers

A compelling offer can make all the difference.

Instead of saying, “Get X and Y for €45 plus €4.99 for shipping” say,

“Get X for €45, and we’ll include Y and free shipping if you order right now.”

A well-crafted offer should entice your audience and make them feel like they’re getting an exclusive deal.

Notice how the latter makes the deal feel more immediate and valuable.

Crafting Offer Tip: 'Free' will always outperform 'Cheaper' (Discounts) ↓

That's just consumer psychology. People are naturally drawn to the idea of getting something for free, even if it’s a small addition.

4. Streamline Your Creative Testing Process

If you’re working with a low budget, avoid setting up separate campaigns just for testing creatives.

Instead, introduce new ad creatives into your existing cold audience (Advantage+) campaign each week.

I recommend using a 50/50 split between static designs and video ads—image ads aren’t dead yet!

Static images can still convey strong messages quickly, especially for mobile users who are scrolling rapidly.

How Many Creatives Should You Test?

Here’s a guideline based on your budget:

•  < €500/month: 3-4 creatives/month

•  €500 - €1,500/month: 5-7 creatives/month

•  €1,500 - €2,500/month: 8-10 creatives/month

•  €2,500 - €5,000/month: 12-15 creatives/month

For budgets over €5,000 per month, you’re moving out of the low-budget category.

Regardless of your budget, remember that you don’t need to test entirely new concepts every time.

Instead, iterate on existing concepts by testing new hooks in the ad copy, iterating headlines, or tweaking the first few seconds of a video.

Monitor the performance of each variation closely and prioritize scaling the ones that perform best.

5. Know Your Data

Data-driven decisions are crucial, especially when working with a small budget.

First of all, you don’t need fancy or expensive software to track your results.

For low-spending accounts, I recommend relying on Meta Ads data, Google Analytics, and, if possible, direct access to the client’s admin dashboard to monitor orders or leads.

Focus on key metrics (Conversions, ROAS, CPA) and use secondary metrics (CTR, CPM, CPC) to inform your decision-making.

For instance, if your goal is leads, prioritize metrics leads, CPL (Cost per Lead) over CTR, CPM CPC or impressions.

Conclusion

Winning with Meta Ads on a small budget is entirely possible with the right approach.

By simplifying your ad account structure, mastering copywriting, crafting irresistible offers, and making data-driven decisions, you can achieve significant results without overspending.

Remember, it’s not about doing more; it’s about doing less, but doing it smarter.

Keep things simple, stay focused, and watch your small budget go a long way. With discipline and creativity, your budget can stretch further than you ever imagined.

Let me know if these principles helped you.

What would you add to help DIY small business owners who run their own Meta Ads?