Ad platforms report "results", but each one counts in its own way. For a local business, the result that matters is usually a conversation started on WhatsApp, and it can come through two different paths.
Path 1: an ad that opens WhatsApp directly
In Meta's messaging campaigns, the click opens the conversation. The platform counts "conversations started". It is a good number, but remember that a started conversation is not a customer: check how many were answered.
Path 2: an ad that takes people to the website
When the ad leads to the website and the person clicks the WhatsApp button there, the platform does not see that click without extra setup. Here you need to measure on the website itself: a visit that came from an ad and clicked WhatsApp.
The math
- Add up the spend for the period across all platforms.
- Add up the conversations: those started by messaging ads plus the WhatsApp clicks on the website from paid visits.
- Divide the spend by the conversations.
Compare the result with the value of a new customer for that business. If a conversation costs US$ 4 and one in five becomes a customer, each customer cost US$ 20 in ads. The owner knows whether that fits their margin.
Doing this for many clients
For one client, a spreadsheet works. For ten, it becomes the week's work. MyXet combines spend from Meta and Google accounts with the clicks measured on each client's website and shows the cost per contact, ready, in the dashboard and in the report.