How much should I spend on social media ads?

Most businesses spend 5-15% of revenue on marketing, with 30-50% allocated to social media ads. Start with $500-$1,000/month per platform to gather data, then scale based on ROAS.

Which platform has the cheapest social media ads?

TikTok has the lowest average CPM at $5 per 1,000 impressions. Facebook follows at $6. LinkedIn is most expensive at $25 CPM but reaches B2B audiences with higher purchasing power.

What is a good ROAS for social media ads?

A good ROAS is 3:1 or higher (earning $3 for every $1 spent). E-commerce brands often see 4-8x ROAS on Facebook/Instagram. B2B companies may accept 2:1 ROAS due to higher customer lifetime value.

Should I split my budget evenly across platforms?

Start with even splits to test, then reallocate based on performance. Most brands end up spending 50-70% on their best-performing platform.

What is CPM vs CPC vs CPA?

CPM is cost per 1,000 impressions (brand awareness). CPC is cost per click (traffic). CPA is cost per acquisition/conversion (sales). Different campaign goals optimize for different metrics.

Is this ad budget calculator accurate?

Estimates based on 2026 average benchmarks. Actual costs vary by industry, targeting, creative quality, and competition. Use these as planning baselines.

Budget Tool

Free Social Media Ad Budget Calculator

Calculate your optimal ad spend across platforms. See estimated impressions, clicks, and conversions based on 2026 CPM and CPC benchmarks.

Configure your campaign

Note: Estimates based on 2026 average CPM, CPC, and CPA benchmarks. Actual results vary by targeting, creative quality, industry, and season.

Plan your ad budget

Select your goal, budget, and platforms to see estimated results based on 2026 benchmarks.

How to plan your social media ad budget in 2026

Your ad budget should align with your campaign goal. Awareness campaigns optimize for reach (CPM), engagement campaigns for interactions (CPC), and conversion campaigns for sales (CPA). Each goal requires different budget allocation and targeting strategies.

TikTok and Facebook offer the lowest CPMs for awareness. LinkedIn has the highest costs but reaches professionals with 2-5x higher purchasing power. YouTube provides long-form engagement with strong intent signals. Combine paid with organic posting using PostEverywhere for maximum ROI.

Most brands spend 5-15% of revenue on marketing, with 30-50% of that on social media. Start with $500-$1,000/month per platform to gather data, then scale what works. Track performance with UTM links.

2026 average ad costs by platform

TikTok

$5 CPM • $0.80 CPC

Lowest CPM. Best for awareness and Gen Z/Millennial targeting. Reels-style creative performs best.

Facebook

$6 CPM • $0.90 CPC

Best targeting options. Strong for e-commerce conversions and retargeting campaigns.

Instagram

$7.50 CPM • $1.20 CPC

Premium visual platform. Strong for lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and DTC brands.

YouTube

$10 CPM • $2.00 CPC

Highest engagement. Video ads with 15-30s skippable format. Strong intent-based targeting.

$25 CPM • $5.00 CPC

Most expensive but highest LTV. Essential for B2B, SaaS, recruiting, and enterprise sales.

Maximize ROI by combining paid and organic

Organic social media amplifies your ad performance. Accounts that post consistently see 30% lower ad costs because the algorithm favors active accounts. Use PostEverywhere to maintain your organic presence across all platforms.

Try AI Content Generator →

How to Use the Social Media Ad Budget Calculator

Choose your campaign goal

Select awareness (reach), engagement (interactions), or conversions (sales/signups).

Set your monthly budget

Enter your total monthly ad spend across all platforms.

Select your platforms

Choose which platforms to advertise on. Budget is split evenly across selected platforms.

Social Media Ad Budget Calculator FAQ

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