Google first, if people in your city are already searching for your treatments, because capturing existing demand converts faster and cheaper than creating new demand. Meta first only when you are selling a newer treatment nobody searches for yet. And neither one first if your funnel leaks, because ads are a multiplier, and multiplying a leak just makes the leak professional-sized.
What each platform actually does
- Google Ads captures intent. Someone typed your treatment plus your city. They are shopping now. Your ad meets a decision already in motion, which is why search converts at the highest rates and shortest cycles.
- Meta creates and nurtures intent. Nobody opens Instagram looking for a consult. Meta interrupts beautifully: offers, transformations, and retargeting that keeps you in front of people who already visited.
The decision, cleanly
- Established treatments (injectables, laser, facials): Google first. The demand exists. Go stand where it is.
- New devices or novel treatments: Meta first, because search volume does not exist yet. You are introducing, not capturing. Pair it with owning the AI and search answers early, so you collect the demand your own ads create.
- Both, later: the mature setup is Google on high-intent searches, Meta on offers and retargeting, and your site converting both. Add the second channel when the first is profitable and measured, not before.
The rules that keep ads honest
- You pay Google and Meta directly, in your own accounts. No agency markup hiding in the middle.
- Management fee is flat, never a percentage of spend.
- The only report that matters: cost per booked consult, by channel, next to revenue.
- Start narrow. One treatment, one offer, one city beats a shotgun launch every time.
Start with the gap report
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How much should a med spa start with on ads?
Enough to learn: typically a few thousand a month on one focused campaign, run for a full learning cycle. Underfunded ads teach you nothing and slowly. But budget size matters less than what it points at.
Are med spa ads restricted on these platforms?
Both platforms have health and beauty policies: before-and-after rules, personal-attribute restrictions, and medical claims limits. It is navigable, but it is exactly where med-spa-specific experience pays for itself.
What results should I expect in month one?
Data, mostly. Search can book consults in week one; Meta usually needs creative cycles. Judge month one on learning velocity and tracking integrity, and months two and three on cost per booked consult.