The $15 Ad That Outperformed the $200 One (Yes, Really)
Same number of sales on 1/10th the budget
Once upon a very real time, there was a client who owned a brand-new food truck. Exciting, right? They were eager to spread the word and went all in with a $200 Meta ad targeting 20,000 people in their city.
Their ad performance
Here’s what that campaign got them:
- Approximately 250 visits to their website and social platforms
- 2 takeout orders
- Approximately $40 in total revenue
- No Return on Investment
Not bad for exposure… but not exactly a lunch rush either. Now here’s the twist:
Our ad performance
We stepped in and test ran a $15 Meta ad to 300 people. That’s not a typo - fifteen bucks.
The audience?
- Local foodies, within reasonable travel distance of the food truck.
- People who love trying new restaurants
- Folks who practically live for eating out
You know... people actually interested in what the food truck was selling.
What else did we do?
- Created delicious looking imagery (included in our services)
- Wrote a compelling subject/tagline with a hook
- Timed ad to run during local events (hungry attendees)
- And, obviously it works better if the ad links directly to the take out menu
Here’s what that tiny budget got:
- 30 visits to the website and socials
- 2 takeout orders
- Approximately $40 in revenue
- An actual return on investment - the important part
Same number of orders. Less than 1/10th of the budget. Smarter targeting.
The moral of the story?
Spraying your ads at everyone is like tossing flyers off a rooftop and hoping one lands in the hands of your ideal customer. The food truck's ad targeted those who were too old or too young to be mobile, or too far away, but the bulk of the audience didn't care about their food truck. Smart marketing isn’t just about budget. It’s about knowing your audience, speaking their language, and placing your offer right in front of the people already hungry for it - literally, in this case.
