Is $20 a Day Enough for Facebook Ads?

If you’re a small business or new advertiser considering Facebook Ads, you’ve likely asked yourself:
“Is $20 a day enough to run effective Facebook ads?”

The short answer: Yes, it can be.
But like most things in digital marketing, it depends on what you’re trying to achieve, how you set up your campaign, and who you’re targeting.

In this blog post, we’ll break down what $20/day can realistically get you, how to stretch that budget, and when it might not be enough.

What Does $20/Day Mean in Facebook Ads Terms?

Spending $20 per day on Facebook means you’re investing about $600 per month. That’s a solid entry-level budget for many small businesses, especially when you’re testing the waters.

Here’s what that $20/day allows you to do:

Run multiple ad sets for A/B testing
Reach thousands of people (depending on your targeting and industry)
Generate consistent impressions and clicks
Gather meaningful performance data over time

But it also comes with limitations—especially if your industry has higher competition or cost-per-click (CPC) rates.

What Are You Trying to Achieve?

The success of your $20/day budget heavily depends on your campaign objective. Facebook lets you choose goals like:

Brand awareness
Traffic
Engagement
Leads
Sales (Conversions)

Here’s what your budget can get you for each type:

Objective	Is $20/Day Enough?	Why?
Brand Awareness	✅ Yes	You can reach thousands and build familiarity over time
Website Traffic	✅ Yes	Average CPC in Australia is ~$0.50–$1.50, so expect ~15–40 clicks/day
Leads (Forms)	⚠️ Maybe	Depends on your lead cost (~$5–$20 per lead in most industries)
Sales/Conversions	⚠️ Maybe	Works if you’re selling low-cost products or have a proven funnel

If you’re aiming for high-ticket B2B leads or complex funnels, $20/day might not be enough to produce meaningful results consistently. But for simpler goals like local awareness, e-commerce offers, or community growth—it’s a great starting point.

How to Make the Most of a $20/Day Budget

To get the best possible results from your $20/day spend, you need to optimize everything else in your campaign:

1. Choose the Right Objective

Don’t just hit “Boost Post.” Use the Meta Ads Manager to select the right objective based on your business goal.

2. Narrow Your Target Audience

Avoid wasting your spend on broad, uninterested audiences. Focus on:

Local targeting
Lookalike audiences
Retargeting website visitors
People who’ve engaged with your brand before

3. Use High-Quality Creatives

Strong visuals and copy can dramatically reduce your cost-per-result. Even a simple, eye-catching video or UGC (user-generated content) can outperform expensive ad creatives.

4. Start With 1–2 Ad Sets

Don’t spread your budget too thin. Run 1–2 versions of your ad and test which performs better. Once you have data, scale the winner.

5. Monitor and Adjust

Check performance metrics like CTR, CPC, and CPM every few days. Pause underperforming ads, tweak headlines, or test new visuals to improve efficiency.

Real Example: A Local Cafe

A small café in Melbourne runs a $20/day campaign to promote its new lunch specials. Here’s how they spend it:

Campaign Goal: Engagement & Reach
Audience: 5km radius + interests like “coffee”, “lunch deals”
Ad Type: Short video + carousel of dishes
Result: 2,000+ impressions/day, dozens of clicks to their online menu, and noticeable increase in foot traffic

Small budget, big local impact. That’s the power of focused spending.

Is $20/Day Enough?

Yes—if you use it strategically.

$20/day is a solid starting point for many businesses. It can:

Build brand awareness
Drive website traffic
Generate leads or sales (with a strong funnel)
Collect data to improve future campaigns

But remember: success doesn’t come from your budget alone. It’s about smart targeting, compelling creatives, and consistent optimization.