Should You Cut Your Facebook Ad Budget When Costs Rise, or Is There a Better Way to Get Found?

This episode explains what to do when Facebook ad costs go up but results don’t. Talia and Billy Jordan Jr. discuss why cutting your ad budget is only a short-term fix and how to build lasting visibility by getting recommended by AI and search engines.

In this episode

• Why rising ad costs hurt local businesses
• The risk of relying only on paid ads
• What answer engine optimization means
• How to check if AI recommends your business
• First steps to shift from ads to inbound calls

Quick answers

Should a business cut its Facebook ad budget when costs keep rising?

If a business relies only on Facebook ads, cutting the budget usually means fewer calls. The real issue is that paid ads rent attention, so when spending stops, leads stop too. Building owned visibility is a better long-term solution.

What is the alternative to relying on Facebook ads for leads?

A business can focus on getting recommended by AI tools and search engines through answer engine optimization. This means providing clear answers to customer questions and ensuring the business is listed where AI sources its information.

How can a local business check if it is being recommended by AI tools?

A business owner can ask ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews who they recommend for their service in their city. If the business is not named, it is likely not being recommended by these AI tools.

How long does it take to see results from shifting away from paid ads?

It depends on the market and effort. At The Jordan Insurance Agency, measurable results appeared in about sixty to seventy-five days. This is not typical for every business and requires ongoing work.

What is the first step to move from paid ads to inbound calls?

The first step is to improve the business website so it is fast, modern, and includes a real booking option. Next, create content that answers real customer questions and ensure it is accessible to search engines and AI tools.

Get the free guide: Found. Called. Booked.

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Talia: If your Facebook ad costs just keep climbing, are you really getting your money’s worth—or are you just paying more for the same calls?

Billy Jordan Jr.: When your ad costs go up, but you’re still paying to chase leads, you’re building someone else’s business, not your own.

Talia: So, do you cut the budget, or is there a smarter way to get found?

Billy Jordan Jr.: If you want to own your customer flow, you need to get found without paying for every click.

Talia: Okay. That's the episode. Let's get into it.

Talia: Welcome to The BreakPoint Brief, practical conversations about getting found, earning trust, and putting AI to work in a real business. I'm Talia. My job is to ask the questions a busy business owner would ask, and to not let anybody off the hook. Across the table, as always, is the founder of BreakPoint Systems, Billy Jordan Jr.

Billy Jordan Jr.: Good to be here, Talia.

Talia: Facebook ad prices are up. Meta’s average ad price climbed fourteen percent last quarter, according to MediaPost. For a business that depends on ads, what do you do when the cost to get found keeps rising?

Talia: Let’s get right to it. If my leads are coming from Facebook ads and the cost per lead goes up, should I cut my ad budget?

Billy Jordan Jr.: If your only source of leads is Facebook ads, cutting the budget usually means fewer calls. But if your costs are up and your results are flat or worse, it’s time to rethink what you’re buying. You’re paying for someone else’s audience, and when you stop, the calls stop too.

Talia: So, you’re saying the problem isn’t just the price, it’s what you actually own?

Billy Jordan Jr.: Exactly. Take a roofing company that relies on Facebook ads for most of its leads. If the ad cost jumps, they’re still just renting attention. When they pause the campaign, the calls dry up overnight.

Talia: Let me push back. Isn’t that just how marketing works now—pay to play?

Billy Jordan Jr.: That’s what the ad platforms want you to believe. But there’s a difference between buying clicks and building a reputation that makes people come to you. If you’re only buying leads, you’re competing on price and speed, not trust.

Talia: What’s the most common mistake here?

Billy Jordan Jr.: Business owners think as long as the phone rings, the system’s working. But if every call depends on the next ad dollar, you’re not building anything that lasts.

Talia: So cutting the ad budget is just treating the symptom, not the cause.

Talia: If I wanted to stop relying on paid ads, what’s the real alternative?

Billy Jordan Jr.: You need to be the business that AI tools and search engines recommend when someone asks who to call. That’s called AEO—answer engine optimization. It’s about getting named as the answer, not just showing up in the list.

Talia: How does that actually work for a local business?

Billy Jordan Jr.: Let’s say you run a personal-injury law firm. Instead of buying leads, you make sure your website answers the questions people ask, your business is listed where AI pulls its information, and your reviews are strong. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews for an injury lawyer nearby, your firm can be named directly.

Talia: Is that typical? Most owners I know think SEO is about blog posts and keywords, not AI answers.

Billy Jordan Jr.: It used to be. But now, AI tools are pulling from trusted sources, reviews, and clear answers to real questions. If you’re not showing up in those answers, you’re invisible to a growing chunk of customers.

Talia: What’s one thing a business owner can check today?

Billy Jordan Jr.: Ask ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews who they recommend for your service in your city. If your name doesn’t come up, you know where you stand.

Talia: What does it actually take to shift from ads to getting found through AEO and GEO—Google engine optimization?

Billy Jordan Jr.: There are eight steps, but the first is always fixing your website so it’s fast, modern, and has a real calendar for booking, not just a contact form. Then you build out content that answers what customers are really asking, and you make sure those answers get picked up by search engines and AI tools.

Talia: How long does it take before you see any results?

Billy Jordan Jr.: At The Jordan Insurance Agency, we started seeing measurable results in about sixty to seventy-five days, but that’s early, and it depends on your market and effort. It isn’t overnight, and you have to keep working at it.

Talia: That’s a lot of work. What if you can’t keep up?

Billy Jordan Jr.: Doing it by hand is close to a full-time job. That’s why we built systems to help create, publish, and keep content optimized, and added an AI receptionist to answer and book calls so no lead slips through.

Talia: What’s the payoff if you get it right?

Billy Jordan Jr.: For us, every call now is inbound—no ads, no bought leads, no racing other companies for the same customer. The calls close at a higher rate, and we own the relationship.

Talia: Okay, Billy. Somebody's listened this far. What should they do Monday morning?

Billy Jordan Jr.: First, search for your business in ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews and see if you’re named. Second, check your website speed and make sure you have a real booking option, not just a form. Third, look at your reviews and make sure they’re recent and relevant.

Talia: And if they'd rather run their business?

Billy Jordan Jr.: If you want to own your customer flow instead of renting it, BreakPoint Systems sets up the systems that get your business named and recommended by AI tools, so you’re not paying for every lead forever. Book a free discovery call at breakpointsystems.com, or start with your free AI visibility report. We'll show you whether AI tools are recommending your business, and your clearest first step.

Talia: That's The BreakPoint Brief. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.

Talia: The BreakPoint Brief is produced by BreakPoint Systems. The Jordan Insurance Agency and BreakPoint Systems are separate businesses, both owned by Billy Jordan Jr. The results discussed are specific to The Jordan Insurance Agency and don't guarantee results for any business. AI search visibility plans run on a technology partner's platform under its own agreement, and BreakPoint Systems receives compensation when clients sign up. This episode is general information, not legal, financial, or insurance advice.