Social Media
Best Time to Post on Instagram and Facebook in Australia
The best time to post on Instagram is usually midweek afternoons in your audience’s local time, and Facebook is similar. Here’s the data and how to find your own.
How much do Facebook ads cost? You decide: Facebook and Instagram ads run on a budget you set, daily or for the whole campaign, and Meta’s ad auction decides how much each click, view or lead costs within it. That price changes with your audience, competition, the time of year and how relevant your ad is. Small businesses can start with a modest budget and increase it once they see what works.
There’s no fixed price list, and anyone quoting a set cost per click without knowing your campaign is guessing. Here’s how Facebook advertising costs work and how to budget.
How does Facebook advertising cost work?
Meta explains on its ad pricing page that you control your spend with a budget, and the auction determines the price you pay. Every time there’s a chance to show an ad, Meta compares the ads competing for that person and picks the one that gives the best mix of bid, estimated action rate and ad quality. In practice:
- You set a budget: a daily budget or a lifetime budget for the campaign.
- You choose a goal: such as traffic, leads, messages or sales. Meta tries to get you the most of that result for your budget.
- You pay as results happen: charged to your card or account as the ads run, and you can pause at any time.
So the Facebook ads cost you see in Ads Manager (cost per click, cost per lead) is an outcome, not a price you pick.
What affects Facebook ads cost?
- Your audience: narrow or highly sought-after audiences usually cost more to reach.
- Competition: busy periods such as the lead-up to Christmas push prices up.
- Ad quality and relevance: ads people engage with tend to cost less per result.
- Your goal: a click usually costs less than a lead, and a lead less than a sale.
- Placement: Facebook feed, Instagram stories, reels and other placements are priced differently by the auction.
- Your landing page: a slow or confusing page means fewer results for the same spend.
How much do Facebook ads cost per day and per month?
You can set a daily budget as small as Meta allows for your currency and goal (Ads Manager shows the current minimum), which makes testing affordable. For a meaningful test, most small businesses should plan a few weeks at a steady budget, so Meta’s system has enough data to learn. Monthly, your Facebook advertising cost is simply your daily budget times the days the ads run, plus any management fee.
As a guide to scale, our social media advertising packages are designed for ad budgets from $500 to $2,000 a month at the entry level, and up to $5,000 to $10,000 a month for larger campaigns. That ad spend is paid to Meta, separate from management.
What is Facebook ads cost in Australia if you use an agency?
For Facebook ads cost in Australia through Rock Solid Marketing, management fees come from our price guide. All prices + GST, with ad spend paid to Meta on top:
| Package | Management fee | Plus | Campaigns | Ad spend it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | $2,000 + GST a month | 10% of ad spend | 1 | $500 to $2,000 a month |
| Essentials | $4,000 + GST a month | 8% of ad spend | 2 | $2,000 to $5,000 a month |
| Advanced | $6,000 + GST a month | 6% of ad spend | 3 | $5,000 to $10,000 a month |
If you only want to boost a few posts, our social media management packages come with a boost budget instead (see our social media management cost guide). Full campaign details are on our Facebook ads management page.
Are Facebook ads worth it?
They can be, for businesses that sell to a clear local or demographic audience and have a strong offer, such as events, tourism, retail, trades and services. They’re less suited to products people only look for when they need them urgently: there, Google Ads often works better because you reach people already searching. The way to know is a small, well-tracked test with a clear goal, measured in enquiries or sales rather than likes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the price for Facebook ads for a small business?
There’s no set FB ads price: you choose your budget, and costs per result vary by audience and competition. Many small businesses start with a modest monthly budget, test a few ads, then put more behind what works. Add a management fee if someone runs the ads for you.
Is FB advertising cost the same on Instagram?
Instagram ads run through the same Meta system, so the FB advertising cost model is the same: budget plus auction. Prices per result can differ between Facebook and Instagram placements, and Meta can spread your budget across both automatically.
What is a good Facebook ads rate per click?
There’s no universal good rate. A cost per click that brings paying customers profitably is good; a cheap click that never converts isn’t. Track what each lead or sale costs you, and compare that with what a customer is worth to your business.
Do I need a big budget to start?
No. You can test with a small daily budget. Focus it on one audience and one offer, give it a few weeks, and judge the result before scaling up. If the numbers don’t stack up, we’ll tell you before you spend more.
The short version
Facebook ads cost what you budget, and the auction sets the price per result. Audience, competition, ad quality and your goal drive the numbers. Start with a small, tracked test. If you’d like it managed, our Facebook ads team and social media specialists can set it up and report on what it delivers.
