5 Lessons From Over £30M In Facebook Advertising Spend

In the first edition of Croft Advertising's free resources, our founder Ben shares his top 5 lessons learned from managing over £30 million in Facebook advertising spend.

The "Testing Phase" or "Learning Phase" is a Lie

Many advertisers believe they need to let their creatives run for weeks, even at a loss, during the so-called "testing phase." This is especially false if you have period data. There is categorically no reason to keep running ads that aren’t performing for an extended period. Instead, cut them at 1x or 2x your target CPA to minimise losses and optimise your budget effectively (data-dependent).

Experiment with Bidding Options

Most advertisers don’t realise that Facebook Ads offer multiple bidding strategies beyond just "lowest cost." You have several options, including:

• Lowest Cost (no bid cap, maximises delivery)

• Target ROAS (aims for a specific return on ad spend)

• Cost Cap (keeps costs under a set threshold)

• Bid Cap (sets a maximum bid per auction)

  
  

  Take the time to understand these bidding methods and test them to see which works best for your campaigns.

Speed to Lead

Speed to Lead is Critical If you're running lead generation ads, timing is everything. Leads should be contacted as soon as possible—ideally within an hour, but the best-performing campaigns push for an even faster response. In my experience, the highest-performing accounts aimed for a 10-minute contact time and achieved an average back-end ROAS of 61.7x.

The faster you engage, the better your chances of conversion.

Managing Lead Quality on Facebook

Facebook is an invasive platform, meaning you will always receive some lower-quality leads—it’s just part of the process. Ads are only one piece of the puzzle. Use available tools and strategies to filter and improve lead quality, such as:

• Pre-qualifying questions in lead forms

• CRM integration for lead scoring

• Automated follow-up sequences

Think Like a Consumer

Would you buy a £100 product the first time you saw an ad for it? Probably not, and neither will your potential customers. Understanding the sales cycle is crucial. Consumers need time to go through the buying journey, which includes:

• Awareness (discovering your brand)

• Consideration (researching and comparing options)

• Decision (making the purchase)

  
  

  Don’t expect instant conversions—structure your campaigns accordingly and nurture leads properly.

Conclusion

By implementing these strategies, you can significantly improve your Facebook Ads performance and maximise your return on investment. If you found these insights helpful, check out my full video for a more in-depth breakdown!

If you're looking for a Facebook advertising agency, click here to book a free strategy call or account audit.

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