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Key takeaways
A social media budget over the first three months should move from setting up, to testing, to scaling what works. Spend month one on content, tracking and a small test; month two on a properly funded test of the best message; month three on scaling the winner. Judging after week two is the most common mistake.
- Month 1: content, tracking and a small test.
- Month 2: fund the best message properly.
- Month 3: scale the winner in steps of about 20%.
- Do not judge results before week 6.
Want your first 90 days planned? Message us on WhatsApp.
Chat on WhatsApp →What should month one pay for?
Profile clean-up, a month of content, tracking set-up such as the pixel and tagged links, and a small test of two or three messages, perhaps £150–£250 of ads. The aim is to find which message buyers respond to, not to produce a flood of enquiries.
What should month two pay for?
Put most of the ad budget behind the message that worked best, at a level the platform can learn from, often £300–£500 for a local business. Keep production going so there is fresh creative. Start tracking cost per enquiry weekly.
Send us your month one results on WhatsApp and we will discuss your requirements.
Chat on WhatsApp →What should month three pay for?
If cost per enquiry is below target and you can take the work, raise spend in steps of about 20% a week. If it is above target, change the offer, creative or landing page rather than the budget. By the end of month three you should have a figure to plan the next quarter on.
- Below target: scale in 20% steps.
- Above target: fix the offer, creative or page.
- No data: tracking is broken; fix it first.
What does the 90-day spend look like in pounds?
Illustrative plan for a local business: month one £600 total, with £200 of ads; month two £800, with £400 of ads; month three £900–£1,000, with ads rising if results allow. Production stays similar each month. The total is about £2,300–£2,400 over the quarter.
What does this look like in practice?
A pattern we see: the full monthly budget goes into ads in week one, results look poor in week two, and everything stops. Phasing spend so the first month is mostly learning usually gets to a stable cost per enquiry by the end of the quarter.
First 90 days checklist
- Set up tracking before any ad spend.
- Test two or three messages in month one.
- Fund the winner properly in month two.
- Scale in steps in month three.
- Write the next quarter's budget from the results.
Next step
Write the three months on one page with the budget, the aim and the review date for each. Share it before spending starts.
Message us on WhatsApp with your plan, or book a 30-minute consultation.
Chat on WhatsApp →Sources and further reading
- Learn about Meta pixel · Meta
- URL builders: collect campaign data with custom URLs · Google Analytics Help
Frequently asked questions
How should I start a social media budget?
Start with content and tracking, then a small test of a few messages. In the second month put most of the ad budget behind the best one; in the third, scale it if cost per enquiry is below target. Avoid committing the full budget before you know what works.
How long before social media spend shows results?
Ads can bring enquiries within days, but a reliable picture of cost per enquiry usually takes six to twelve weeks. Organic content takes longer. Plan for the first month to be mainly learning, and judge the channel at the end of the quarter.
What if nothing works after 90 days?
Check tracking first, then the offer, the landing page and response times. If all are sound and costs are still well above target, the platform may not suit your buyers. Test a different platform or move the budget to search, using what you learned about messages.
Written by
Global Bridge Labs (GBL) is a UK–Sri Lanka partner for social media, websites and BPO. Everything here comes from client delivery, not theory.
