Solved: Best Way to Spend $1k Facebook Ads Budget

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out!

Regarding your enquiry about how to best spend your ad budget for the concert tickets, I've put together some initial thoughts. It's a classic problem, but the choice isn't really between 'slow burn' and 'big bang'. The smart money is on a phased approach that builds momentum. Let's get into it.

I'd say you should avoid the £5/day 'afterburner' approach...

Right, let's get this out of the way first. Spreading £1k over months at £5 a day is probably the worst thing you can do. I know it feels safe, like you're 'always on', but it's a sure-fire way to burn your cash with very little to show for it.

Here’s why. The Meta ads algorithm needs data and volume to work properly. It has something called the 'learning phase' where it tries to figure out who is most likely to buy a ticket. To get out of this phase and start optimising effectively, it needs about 50 conversions (ticket sales in your case) per ad set, per week. On a £5 a day budget, you're never going to get anywhere near that. The algorithm will be permanantly stuck, thrashing around trying to find buyers but never getting enough data to learn anything. It's like trying to start a bonfire with a single match in the pouring rain.

You're also not reaching enough people to create any real buzz. For an event, you need to build momentum. A tiny daily spend means only a handful of people see your ad, and it’s unlikely to be the *right* people. You'll get a few clicks, maybe, but no real traction. We've seen it time and again with new clients who come to us with this exact setup, and it's always the first thing we change. It’s a false economy, you feel like your doing something but the results are rarely there.

We'll need to look at a phased campaign strategy...

So, instead of a slow trickle, you need a series of calculated pushes. This lets you use your budget intelligently, learn as you go, and build excitement as you get closer to the event in May. I'd break your entire budget (the £1k now and the April budget) into three distinct phases.

The goal here isn't to sell out, it's to get your first batch of dedicated fans on board and, more importantly, to gather data. You'll target the absolute die-hards: people who've liked the artists' pages, people who've engaged with the venue's page before, maybe even a Lookalike audience if you have an email list from a past event. Your offer is exclusivity and a better price: "Early Bird Tickets On Sale Now - Save 20%".

Every single person who buys a ticket in this phase is incredibly valuable. They become the source for your most powerful audience in the next phase.

This is where you go big. You've got your new budget, and you've got data from Phase 1. Now you build a Lookalike audience from your Phase 1 ticket buyers. This is you telling Facebook, "go and find me thousands more people who look exactly like the ones who've already bought tickets". It's the most effective targeting you can do.

You'll also run retargeting ads to people who visited the ticket page in Phase 1 but didn't buy. The messaging shifts from price to experience: show clips of the artists, highlight the atmosphere, sell the night out. You'll also test broader interest-based audiences (e.g., fans of similar artists, people who go to gigs in your city) now that you have a bigger budget to play with.

This phase is all about scarcity. Your targeting is almost exclusively retargeting. You're hitting people who've engaged with your ads, visited the site, or even added tickets to their cart but didn't complete the purchase. The messaging is direct: "Last 50 Tickets Remaining!", "Selling Fast - Don't Miss Out!". This final push can be incredibly effective at converting those last-minute decision makers and creating a sold-out buzz.

Here's a little tool to help you visualise how you might split your budget across these phases. Assume you get another £1,000 in April for a total of £2,000.

You probably should focus your targeting...

Getting the audience right is half the battle. A lot of people just throw a few broad interests in and hope for the best, but you need to be more strategic, especially with a limited budget. As I mentioned, you want to prioritise audiences based on how likely they are to convert. People who already know you are much easier to sell to than complete strangers.

For an event like yours, the hierarchy looks something like this:

• Top Priority (Hottest Audience): People who added tickets to their cart but didn't buy. These people are moments away from converting. A simple "Still thinking about it?" ad can be incredibly effective. This is your BoFu (Bottom of Funnel) audience.
• High Priority: People who visited your ticket sales page, engaged with your Facebook/Instagram page, or watched a significant portion of your video ads. They've shown clear interest. This is your MoFu (Middle of Funnel).
• Medium Priority: Lookalike audiences built from past ticket purchasers. This is your best bet for finding new customers who behave like your existing ones.
• Lower Priority (Coldest Audience): Detailed targeting based on interests. This is where you find new people. You'd target fans of the specific artists playing, fans of similar artists, people interested in "live music" or "concerts" who live within a certain radius of the venue. This is your ToFu (Top of Funnel).

You should structure your campaigns around this. Have a seperate campaign for ToFu (finding new people) and another for MoFu/BoFu (retargeting the interested ones). This prevents you from spending all your money on cold audiences who are expensive to convert, and ensures you're capitalising on the warm leads you've already generated.

Here’s a flowchart that shows how a potential customer might move through your campaigns, from a cold prospect to a ticket holder.

You'll need messaging that actually sells tickets...

Your ad copy and creative are just as important as your targeting. A common mistake is using the same generic ad for everyone. Your message needs to match the audience's temperature. Someone who's never heard of the event needs a different message than someone who has tickets sitting in their online cart.

You need to talk to them based on where they are in their journey. It's the difference between shouting at a stranger in the street versus reminding a friend about plans you've already made.

Here's a quick breakdown of ad copy angles you could test for each phase:

For creative, video is king. Even a simple phone video of a previous event, or a montage of the artists with their music playing, will outperform a static image nine times out of ten. It captures the energy in a way a poster can't. If you dont have that, a well-designed graphic with clear text is your next best bet.

I'd say you need to know your numbers...

Finally, you need to know what success looks like. For selling tickets, the most important metric is Return On Ad Spend (ROAS). For every £1 you put into ads, how many pounds do you get back in ticket sales? A 3x ROAS means you're making £3 for every £1 spent. A 1x ROAS means you're just breaking even on ad spend (not counting ticket platform fees, etc).

Your cost per purchase will vary hugely depending on the ticket price, your targeting, and your ads. But what matters is that the final ROAS is profitable. Don't get too hung up if one ad set has a higher cost-per-purchase than another, as long as its profitable. We've run campaigns for events and eCommerce where some audiences have a high CPA but they buy more expensive tickets or products, leading to a great overall return.

Use this calculator to get a feel for your ROAS. Play around with the numbers to see how changing your ad spend or selling more tickets affects your return.

This is the main advice I have for you:

To wrap up, here's a table summarising the recommended strategy. It’s a move away from just 'spending money' to actively 'investing' it to build momentum and data.

I know this is a lot to take in, and implementing it correctly can be tricky, especially when every pound in your budget has to count. Getting the setup, targeting, and optimisation right from the start can be the difference between a sold-out show and an empty room.

That's where getting professional help can make a huge difference. For instance, I remember one campaign we ran for an events app where we applied a similar phased strategy. It helped drive over 45,000 signups at under £2 each. The key was building momentum and using data from early adopters to find a much larger audience, just like the approach I've outlined for your concert.

If you'd like to chat through your specific event and get a second pair of expert eyes on your plan, we offer a completely free, no-obligation initial consultation. We can look at your specific situation and give you some more tailored advice. Feel free to book one in if that sounds helpful.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh