What is a good starting ad budget for a restyling shop?
$30 to $50 a day for most tint, PPF, ceramic coating and detailing shops, paid directly to the ad platform. Below about $30 a day, Google and Meta don't get enough data to find your buyers, so results are slow and noisy. Above that, scale based on cost per booking.
| Daily budget | Monthly (approx.) | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| $30 a day | $900 | One service, one area, owner-operators |
| $40 a day | $1,200 | One or two services, small shop |
| $50 a day | $1,500 | Two or more services, shop with installers |
| $50+ a day | $1,500+ | Multiple services or locations, scaling to a jobs target |
This is ad spend only, paid to Google or Meta. Agency fees are separate. Motorgrowth's minimum ad budget is $30 to $50 a day for exactly this reason.
Cost per lead or cost per booking: which one matters?
Cost per booking. A cheap lead that never books is worthless, and an expensive lead that books a $2,000 PPF job is a bargain. Cost per lead is useful for spotting problems early, but budget decisions should be made on what a booked job costs.
Cost per booking is a form of cost per action: total ad spend divided by booked jobs. If you spent $1,200 last month and booked 12 jobs from ads, your cost per booking was $100.
- Cost per lead = ad spend ÷ inquiries. Tells you if the ads are reaching people.
- Booking rate = bookings ÷ inquiries. Tells you if the page, follow-up and phone work.
- Cost per booking = ad spend ÷ bookings. The number to budget against.
- Return = revenue from booked jobs ÷ ad spend. Motorgrowth clients typically see 5 to 10 times.
How to set your budget from a jobs target
Decide how many extra jobs you want a month, multiply by your cost per booking, and that's your monthly ad budget. Until you know your cost per booking, start at $30 to $50 a day and measure it for a few weeks.
- 01
Pick a jobs target
For example, 20 more jobs a month.
- 02
Measure cost per booking
Run at $30 to $50 a day for three to four weeks and divide spend by bookings.
- 03
Multiply
20 jobs × cost per booking = monthly budget.
- 04
Check it against job value
Cost per booking should be a small fraction of your average job value. If it isn't, fix the page or follow-up before adding budget.
Worked examples by service
The higher your average job, the more you can afford per booking. A PPF shop can pay far more to book a job than a detailer and still come out ahead. These examples show the break-even point at $40 a day.
| Service | Example average job | Bookings to cover $1,200 |
|---|---|---|
| Detailing | $250 | 5 |
| Window tint | $400 | 3 |
| Ceramic coating | $1,200 | 1 |
| PPF | $2,000 | 1 |
Every booking past break-even is revenue, and repeat customers, upsells and referrals cost nothing more to acquire. That's why cost per booking, not ad spend, is the number to watch.
Should the budget go to Google or Facebook?
Split it based on what each one books. Google Ads usually book faster but cost more per click. Facebook and Instagram ads cost less per lead and bring volume. Start with the channel that fits your best jobs, then add the other once cost per booking is stable.
Common budget mistakes
- Spending $10 a day and deciding ads don't work.
- Judging ads on likes or clicks instead of bookings.
- Letting ads run outside your service area.
- Turning ads off in slow months, then starting from scratch in spring.
- Paying an agency more than you spend on ads. One owner told us they were paying $5,000 a month in fees while making $10,000 to $15,000.
What to expect in the first month of spend
The first two to three weeks cost more per booking than later months, because Google and Meta are still learning who your buyers are. Judge the budget on weeks three and four, not the first few days, and don't change it every day while the platforms are learning.
- Week 1: ads go live; leads arrive but cost per lead jumps around.
- Weeks 2 and 3: Meta's learning phase targets about 50 results per ad set per week; Google gathers search term data.
- Week 4: enough bookings to calculate a first cost per booking.
- Month 2 onward: budget set from the jobs target, wasted searches and weak ads cut.