Social media lead generation campaigns: what they cost

Key takeaways

Social media lead generation campaign cost has three parts: management, creative and media. As indicative UK figures, management is £300–£1,000 a month, a set of ad creative £225–£600, and a sensible media floor £300–£500 a month. Judge results on cost per qualified lead.

• £300–£1,000 a month is the indicative management fee for a lead campaign.
• A set of 3 to 5 ad variations costs about £225–£600 to make.
• Plan at least £300–£500 a month in media for a useful test.
• Cost per qualified lead matters more than cost per lead.

What is a social media lead generation campaign?

A social media lead generation campaign is a paid campaign designed to collect enquiries, usually through a lead form on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, a landing page or a click-to-message ad. It includes the offer, the ads, the form, follow-up and tracking.

• Social media agency pricing in the UK
• Social media lead generation for UK small businesses

How much does a lead generation campaign cost?

Management takes 4 to 10 hours a month, about £300–£1,000 at UK agency rates. A set of 3 to 5 ad variations costs £225–£600. Media spend starts at about £300–£500 a month for a small business. So a first month typically costs £825–£2,100 all in. These are indicative figures, not a GBL price list.

• Management: indicative £300–£1,000 a month.
• Ad creative: indicative £225–£600 per set.
• Media: from about £300–£500 a month.
• Lead form and tracking set-up: a few hours, one-off.

• Social media ad creative costs: paying for ads that work

Why does cost per qualified lead matter more?

Cheap leads are often poor leads. An instant form with no questions brings many contacts who never answer the phone. Adding one or two qualifying questions raises cost per lead but lowers cost per real enquiry. Track leads through to booked jobs or sales to see the true cost.

• Cost per lead by channel: comparing social media and offline

What does lead follow-up cost?

Leads go cold quickly. Someone must call, message or email new leads within hours, ideally minutes. If your team cannot, budget for a follow-up service or an automated first message. A campaign that generates leads nobody follows up has wasted its whole budget.

• Who handles social media enquiries? Fixing the handover

When is a lead generation campaign not worth it?

It is not worth it when you cannot handle more work, when the offer is weak, or when nobody can follow up quickly. Fix capacity, offer and follow-up first. A campaign amplifies whatever is already there, including slow replies and unclear offers.

• Social media offers that turn followers into first buyers

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with UK trades and clinic clients: a lead campaign brings plenty of form fills, but few become bookings because leads wait a day for a call. Global Bridge Labs (GBL) adds a qualifying question to the form and a fast first reply, then reports cost per booked appointment rather than cost per form.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Lead campaign checklist

Prepare these before launch.

• A clear offer worth enquiring about.
• One or two qualifying questions on the form.
• Who follows up, and within how long.
• Tracking from lead to booked job or sale.
• Management, creative and media budget agreed.

• Retargeting ads management: what it costs and when it pays
• TikTok Shop management costs in the UK

Next step

Tell us your service, your area and how many new enquiries you can handle. We will tell you what a sensible first campaign needs.