The £500 Ad Budget That Generated £15,000 in Revenue

One of the biggest myths in paid advertising is that you need a massive budget to see results. We’re here to tell you that’s simply not true — if your campaigns are built right.

This is a hypothetical scenario based on the kind of results we aim to deliver at Mad Fox Media. Imagine a local service business spending £500 on Meta ads over 30 days. Here’s how those numbers could work.

The strategy starts with the offer. Instead of running a generic ‘awareness’ campaign, we’d create a specific, compelling offer that gives people a reason to act now. Something like a free consultation, a limited-time discount, or an exclusive bundle.

Next comes the targeting. Rather than blasting the ad to everyone within 50 miles, we’d narrow the audience down to the exact type of person most likely to become a paying customer. Age, interests, behaviours, location — all dialled in.

The creative is where most campaigns either win or lose. We’d produce multiple versions of the ad — different images, different headlines, different hooks — and let Meta’s algorithm figure out which combination performs best. This is A/B testing, and it’s non-negotiable.

With the right offer, targeting, and creative, a £500 budget could realistically generate 50-100 qualified leads. If even 10-15% of those convert into paying customers at an average order value of £1,000-£3,000, you’re looking at £5,000 to £15,000+ in revenue.

That’s a 10-30x return on ad spend. Not bad for £500.

Of course, results vary based on your industry, offer, and audience. But the point stands: you don’t need a huge budget to see huge results. You just need the right strategy behind it.