The first 30 days of Meta ads determine whether you'll succeed or waste your spend. Here's the exact checklist we follow on every new client account.
Week 1: Foundation
- Business Manager set up with admin + backup admin
- Pixel installed on every page of your site
- Conversions API (CAPI) connected via Meta Gateway or native integration
- Domain verified in Business Manager
- Standard Events firing: PageView, Lead, Schedule (minimum)
- Aggregated Event Measurement (AEM) priority events set
- Test event flow — submit a test form, confirm Lead fires in Test Events
Week 2: Assets + Launch
- Landing page built (not homepage) — offer above fold, one CTA
- Creative library: 3-5 videos (UGC style) + 2-3 static images
- Ad copy: hook, offer, social proof, CTA — in that order
- Audience 1: broad (age 30-65, service area radius)
- Audience 2: detailed targeting (homeowners + relevant interests)
- Lookalike audience (if you have 1,000+ past customer emails to upload)
- Daily budget calibrated to Cost Cap or Lowest Cost (recommend Lowest Cost first)
Week 3: Optimize
- Review daily CPL — expect volatility in first 7 days (learning phase)
- Pause any ad with 3x+ your target CPL after 1,000 impressions
- Double budget on winning creative if CPL is hitting target
- Begin building retargeting audience from site visitors + video viewers
- First weekly client call — adjust offer or creative if needed
Week 4: Scale or Pivot
- If hitting target CPL consistently: increase budget 20%, launch 1-2 new creatives
- If CPL is 50%+ over target: pause campaign, rebuild offer or creative
- If appointments aren't converting to jobs: problem isn't ads — fix follow-up or close process
- Launch retargeting campaign (Custom Audience: website visitors + video viewers)
End of month 1 goal: Cost Per Booked Job within 30% of target. Month 2 target: stabilize at target. Month 3 target: 10-20% below target as the pixel optimizes.