1 Jan – 28 May 2026
€95,470.88 in Meta ad spend. €573,222.05 in tracked sales.
Tracked in Meta Ads Manager.
Facebook & Instagram ads · Choosing help
Choosing an
ads agency.
What to ask.
Choose a Facebook ads agency that explains its plan in plain language, reports on enquiries and sales rather than likes, sets up tracking first, and leaves the ad account in your business’s name. Ask how they price, what is included, how long you are tied in and who makes the creative. Avoid anyone who guarantees results.
By Malta Digital · Published · Updated · 5 min read
In this article
What to look for
What a good agency
does first.
Before talking about budgets, a good agency asks about your business: what you sell, your margins, who your best customers are, how enquiries are handled and what has been tried before.
- Checks your tracking and fixes it before spending money.
- Explains the plan, the objective and how success will be measured.
- Tells you if ads are not the right next step.
- Gives you a clear proposal with fees, inclusions and notice period.
If the first conversation is mostly about follower numbers or posting schedules, you are talking to a different kind of service.
Questions to ask
Questions to ask
before you sign.
Who owns the ad account?
It should be your business, with the agency given access as a partner. You keep the history, audiences and Pixel data if you part ways.
What will you report on?
Enquiries, bookings, sales and their cost, not just reach, clicks and likes.
Who makes the creative?
Images, video and copy have a big effect on results. Find out who makes them, how many, and how often they are refreshed.
How do you track results?
Ask about the Pixel, the Conversions API and how they will connect ads to real enquiries or sales.
What is included in the fee?
Strategy, setup, creative, landing pages, reporting and calls. Get it in writing.
How long is the contract?
Monthly with notice is common. Long lock-ins before any results are a risk for you.
Red flags
Red flags
to watch for.
- Guaranteed results, or a promised return on ad spend before they have seen your account.
- The agency insists on running ads from its own ad account.
- Reports that only show impressions, reach and likes.
- No questions about your margins, prices or how you handle enquiries.
- Unclear fees, or a fee that rises automatically with your ad spend without a reason.
- Long contracts with no way out if results are poor.
Nobody can promise results on Meta. Too much depends on your offer, market and follow-up. Honest agencies talk about tests and measurement, not guarantees.
Your part
What the agency
needs from you.
Results depend on both sides. Before you sign, be ready to provide these, and check the agency asks for them.
Access
Partner access to your ad account, Page, Instagram account and Pixel, through your Meta business portfolio.
Information
Your prices, margins, best-selling products or services, and who your best customers are.
Creative input
Photos, video, or time to film them. Real material from your business usually beats stock images.
Fast follow-up
Someone who replies to enquiries quickly. Ads cannot fix slow responses.
Feedback
Which leads became customers. This is how campaigns improve over time.
Pricing models
How agencies charge.
Fixed monthly fee
A set amount per month for agreed work. Easy to budget and not tied to how much you spend on ads.
Percentage of ad spend
The fee rises as your budget rises. Common, but can reward spending more rather than spending well.
Performance-based
Fees tied to leads or sales. Rare for small budgets, and needs very clear tracking and definitions.
Project or setup fee
A one-off fee for setup, tracking or a landing page, sometimes alongside a monthly fee.
Our Meta ads management is a fixed monthly fee: from €1,250, €1,950 or €2,900 per month depending on scope, plus ad spend, excluding VAT. Malta’s standard VAT rate is 18%.
Options
Freelancer, agency
or in-house?
Freelancer
Often cheaper and flexible. Check cover for holidays and illness, and that the accounts stay in your name.
Agency
A team covering strategy, creative, tracking and reporting. Costs more than a freelancer, with less dependence on one person.
In-house
Someone on your team runs the ads. Works when the budget and workload justify a role, and the person has time to keep learning.
Many businesses start with outside help, then bring some of the work in-house once the approach is proven. Ask any agency how they would make that possible.
The first months
What the first
months look like.
01
Setup
Account access, tracking checks and fixes, and a short plan with the objective and how it will be measured.
02
Launch
First campaigns with several ad versions, so there is something to compare.
03
Learn
Weekly checks. Weak ads switched off, new versions added, budgets moved to what works.
04
Review
A clear report on enquiries or sales and what changes next.
Expect the first weeks to be about learning. A good agency will tell you what it has learned, not just what it has spent.
Proof
What good reporting
looks like.
Ask any agency for real examples of what they track and report. These are figures from campaigns we manage, tracked in Meta Ads Manager.
2025
€217,048 in tracked sales. 9,384 website sales.
Tracked across the year in Meta Ads Manager.
1–9 June 2026
€6,523.92 in spend. €38,550.54 in tracked sales.
Nine days of campaigns, tracked in Meta Ads Manager.
Platform-attributed purchase value is not profit. These examples are not a guarantee of future results.
Look for the same honesty from anyone you consider: figures with dates, a source and a clear note on what they do and do not mean.
Local or not
Does a Malta-based
agency matter?
It is not essential, but it helps. A local agency knows the seasons, the difference between residents and visitors, the localities, and how small the audiences are. You can also meet in person.
What matters more is how they work. A clear plan, honest reporting and quick communication beat an office round the corner.
Checklist
A checklist for
your first call.
- Ask them to explain how they would approach your business in the first 90 days.
- Ask what they would need from you: access, creative, time, information.
- Ask for a sample report.
- Confirm who you will deal with day to day.
- Confirm the notice period and what happens to the account if you leave.
- Ask what they would not recommend for your business, and why.
A few straight answers
What you might be wondering.
How much does a Facebook ads agency cost in Malta?
It depends on the scope and the pricing model. Our Meta ads management starts from €1,250 per month plus ad spend, excluding VAT. Ad spend is paid to Meta and is separate from the fee.
Should the agency use my ad account or theirs?
Yours. The ad account, Page and Pixel should belong to your business, with the agency given partner access.
Can an agency guarantee results?
No honest agency can. Results depend on your offer, market, creative and follow-up. Be wary of guarantees.
How long before we see results from Facebook ads?
Campaigns need time to learn and to test creative. Expect to judge early signals in the first weeks and clearer results over a few months.
Do you lock clients into long contracts?
We work month to month with notice, and the ad account stays in your name.
Keep reading
Related guides.
Are Facebook ads worth it?
When Facebook and Instagram ads pay off, when to wait, and how to judge results honestly.
Facebook ads not working?
A practical checklist for ads that are not running, or running without results.
What is a good ROAS for Meta ads?
Why there is no universal number, how to work out break-even ROAS, and how VAT changes the maths.
A useful first step
Show us what
you’re running.
We’ll look at your offer, campaigns, tracking and landing page, then explain what we would change first. Initial review at no charge.