You've seen the card. Here's what's behind it.
Meta ads for online stores. Measured by what you keep.
We plan, create and manage your ads on Facebook and Instagram. The benchmark isn't the ROAS in your ad account. It's what actually stays in your pocket after returns, product costs and ad spend.
- Ad spend runs through your own ad account
- Tracking that respects your visitors' privacy choices
At what ROAS do you make money?
A ROAS of 3 sounds good. Whether it is depends on your order value, your product costs and your returns. Enter your numbers, and the receipt does the math.
What an order brings in on average, before sales tax
Purchase or production cost, as a percentage of the sale price
Share of orders that come back
Cost per order in dollars, for example postage and processing fees
Simplified math: returned goods can be resold, and returns cost shipping and payment fees twice. The ad account counts purchases before any returns come in. That's why your return rate belongs in the math.
Your receipt
Per $100 of revenue in your ad account
Your break-even point
ROAS2.3
$100 divided by $42.70 comes to about 2.3.
Below this number, every sale from ads costs you money. Above it, profit begins.
Doable. The ads need to be good and the tracking clean.
Five lines about Meta ads we'd cross out.
Some of what gets said about Meta ads used to be true. Some of it never was. Here's how we work instead.
Often heard, not quite right:
The ROAS in your ad account is your profit.It's Meta's own math, without returns, product costs or shipping. We measure by your store numbers and by what's left at the end.
Often heard, not quite right:
Find the right audience and you've won.Today, the ad itself largely decides who gets to see it. That's why we put the work into many different ads, not ever narrower audiences.
Often heard, not quite right:
Retargeting is your most profitable campaign.It only looks that way. Often it collects purchases that would have happened anyway. We keep it small and look for new customers instead.
Often heard, not quite right:
More campaigns mean more control.More campaigns mean less data for each one. A lean ad account learns faster.
Often heard, not quite right:
A good ad runs forever.Ads wear out, often within a few weeks. That's why we keep new ones coming.
Which ad wins?
Four ads for the same candle from our made-up sample store. Tap the one you think sells the most.
Honestly: nobody knows in advance.
Not even us. Which ad wins is decided by the people who see it. That's why we don't build the one perfect ad, but many different ones, each with its own reason to buy. Because each reason appeals to different people, each ad finds different buyers too. The numbers show which ones do the heavy lifting.
In an analysis of about 579,000 Meta ads, only about one in twenty got at least ten times the budget of a typical ad in the same account.
Precise tracking that takes no for an answer.
Meta learns from purchases: the more of them it sees, the better it finds new buyers. That's why we report every purchase two ways, from the browser and from your server. Both only with your visitors' permission.
Someone buys in your store. What happens?
The purchase waits for the visitor's choice in the privacy banner.
Two paths, one purchase
Browser and server report the same purchase with the same ID. Meta counts it once, and fewer purchases get lost, for example to ad blockers.
The visitor's choice on both paths
Without a yes, neither the pixel nor the server sends anything. The Conversions API is no way around the privacy banner either.
With proof
We test every setup with a test purchase and document how it's configured, with the date.
This website works the same way: nothing goes to Meta before you agree.
Your privacy policy has to describe this setup. We provide the technical details. This isn't legal advice.
Fictional example: Nightwax, candle maker
ROAS goes down. Profit goes up.
Nightwax doesn't exist, and the numbers are made up. The math behind them is real, and it's exactly how we work.
Starting point
A small candle maker in Vermont with an online store. A candle costs $34, three ads are running, all with 20% off, and the ad account reports a ROAS of 4.1. Still, nothing is left at the end of the month.
- Ad budget per month
- $3,000
- Ads, all with a discount
- 3
- ROAS per the ad account
- 4.1
What we'd find
- The constant discount pushes the order value down to $36. Production costs just over a quarter of the list price, but with the discount, it's a third of the order value. Break-even: ROAS 2.5.
- Almost half the budget goes to people who were about to buy anyway.
- The pixel ignores visitors' privacy choices, and there's no Conversions API.
- Three ads, one single reason to buy: price.
- One ad says “eco-friendly” with nothing to back it up. The FTC's Green Guides warn against exactly that kind of unqualified claim.
What we'd change
Week 1
Numbers and tracking
Calculate the break-even point and set a goal that's measured by profit. The pixel respects visitors' choices, and the Conversions API is added.
Weeks 2 and 3
Offer and ads
Instead of a constant discount, a two-pack for $59. Twelve new ads with five reasons to buy: scent, burn time, reviews, handmade, gift. Instead of “eco-friendly,” they say what can be proven.
From week 4
Slim down the account
Retargeting only as a small remainder. The budget goes where new customers come from, and new ads keep coming.
Month 3
The tally
The report puts store numbers next to Meta numbers. What counts is what's left after all costs.
Report after three months
Fictional numbers| Metric | Before | After three months |
|---|---|---|
| Ad budget per month | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| ROAS per the ad account | 4.1 | 3.2 |
| Break-even point | ROAS 2.5 | ROAS 2.0 |
| Average order value | $36 | $49 |
| New customers per month | 95 | 150 |
| Left after ad spend, per month | −$350 | +$1,790 |
Why the 4.1 ROAS still cost money: the ad account credited itself with many purchases that would have happened anyway, mostly through retargeting. Far fewer of them were actually additional sales in the store. Repeat purchases from the new customers aren't even counted in this report yet.
Assumptions: production cost of $9 per candle including wax, fragrance oil, jar, labor and packaging. Before: $36 per order, so 33% product costs; after: $49 at 29% (single candle $34, two-pack $59). Shipping and payment $9 per order, 3% returns and breakage, prices before sales tax. With these numbers, the calculator above shows the same break-even points. To the calculator
Fictional example. Nightwax is made up, and so are all the numbers. They show how we calculate and work, not a result we promise. Nobody can guarantee how ads will perform.
Everything in the cart. Nothing in the fine print.
What you get is listed here like an order summary. We tailor the scope to your store.
Numbers and goal
Before any ad runs, we do the math with your store numbers: break-even point, a goal for the first three months and how we'll measure success.
Included
- Break-even point from your real costs
- One goal, in writing
- Review of your ad account, if ads are already running
Tracking
Meta Pixel and Conversions API, cleanly connected and respecting your visitors' privacy choices. So Meta learns and your reports are right. If your tracking is already in place, we check it; if it's missing, we set it up.
Included
- Browser and server, every purchase counts once
- Privacy choices respected on both paths
- Test purchase and dated documentation
Ads
Images and short videos, each ad with one clear reason to buy. New ones all the time, because ads wear out.
Included
- Reasons to buy from your reviews and customer questions
- Copy written in English for US shoppers, not translated
- Checked for pricing claims, green claims and disclosures
- Nothing goes live without your approval
Campaigns
A lean ad account, budget where new customers come from, and tests that show what works.
Included
- Building or cleaning up your ad account
- Testing new ads and offers
- Budget changes in calm steps
- Catalog ads, if your product range fits
Reporting
Short every week, detailed every month. Store numbers and Meta numbers side by side, with a clear decision.
Included
- Revenue, new customers and what's left over
- What we're testing and what we're stopping
- One dedicated contact
Order summary
- Management
- Monthly retainer based on scope
- Tracking
- One-time setup based on scope, if none is in place
- Ad spend
- Paid directly to Meta
- Ad account
- Stays yours, with all its data
Price: In writing, before we start.
Request a proposalWe'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Shipment tracking for your project.
Here's how it works. What you contribute is listed next to each step.
Order received
Free assessment
Send us your store's address. We look at your store and at the ads that are public in Meta's Ad Library, and tell you honestly whether Meta ads will pay off for you.
Your part: one email
Processing
Call and proposal
Using your numbers, we calculate the break-even point, set a goal and send you a written proposal.
Your part: a call and a few numbers
Preparing
Setup
Tracking, ad account, first ads. You give us partner access, and your ad account stays yours.
Your part: access and materials
In transit
Launch and learning phase
The first ads are running. Meta needs a few weeks to learn. During that time, we test and don't react to every swing.
Your part: approve the ads
Delivered weekly
Ongoing management
New ads, tests and budget. A short report every week with a decision, a detailed one every month.
Your part: read the report
Questions before your first ad dollar.
What does management cost?
A monthly retainer based on scope: how many ads per month, how many campaigns. If clean tracking isn't in place yet, a one-time setup is added, depending on the work. You get everything in writing before we start. Ad spend comes on top and goes directly from you to Meta.
How much ad budget do I need?
It depends on your break-even point and your goal. With very small budgets, Meta's system learns slowly, so everything takes longer and costs more at first. In the free assessment, we'll tell you honestly what budget makes sense for your store.
Do you guarantee a ROAS?
No. Honestly, nobody can. How ads perform depends on product, price, store and market. We promise careful work, honest numbers and that you can always see what's happening with your budget.
Who owns the ad account?
You do. We work as a partner in your Meta business portfolio. Ads, data and audiences stay with you, even if we stop working together someday.
When will I see results?
First numbers within a few days. They usually become reliable after a few weeks, because Meta has to learn first. After about three months, you can judge well whether advertising pays off for your store.
Do you create the ads too?
Yes. We build ads from your product photos, videos and reviews, as images and short videos. If material is missing, we'll tell you which shots are worth taking.
How do you handle privacy laws?
We set things up so that the pixel and the Conversions API follow your visitors' privacy choices, including opt-outs and Global Privacy Control signals where they apply. Your privacy policy has to describe the setup, and we provide the technical details. It doesn't replace legal advice.
What about AI images and green claims?
We check both before launch. We label AI-generated content that looks real. Blanket green claims like “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” are exactly what the FTC's Green Guides warn against when they can't be backed up. We replace them with specific claims you can prove.
Does this work with Shopify, WooCommerce or BigCommerce?
Yes. All three have ways to connect the pixel and the Conversions API cleanly. Which one fits, we'll figure out after a look at your store.
I don't have an online store. I run a local business.
Then our section for contractors and local businesses is the right one: website, Google Business Profile and getting found on Google and in AI answers.
See websites for local businessesLet's run the numbers on your store.
Free assessment: send us your store's address and, if you like, your approximate ad budget. We look at your store and your ads and tell you honestly whether Meta ads pay off for you. You'll hear from us within 24 hours.
Request an assessmentOr write directly to raik@ianmarketing.de