Marketing Budget Calculator
Enter your revenue, industry and growth goal to get a recommended monthly budget, a channel split and an annual forecast.
Most business owners do not know what to spend on marketing. The guesses range from "as little as possible" to "whatever the last agency asked for". Both are wrong. This calculator gives you a starting point based on the one number you actually know: your revenue. It is a framework, not a law. The right budget for your business also depends on your industry, your growth goals and your margins.
Calculate your marketing budget
| Channel | Share | Cost / lead | Monthly $ |
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How to use it
Monthly revenue
Your average monthly revenue, using the last six to twelve months if it varies.
Growth goal
Whether you want to hold position, grow steadily, or scale fast.
Industry
Some industries need more marketing spend to stay visible, like trades and professional services.
Current spend
What you spend today on all marketing, including staff time.
Tracking
Whether you track leads and sales by channel, which affects how quickly you can scale safely.
Answer the questions above. The calculator works out a recommended monthly marketing budget and a tier that matches your situation.
A framework, not a law
These numbers are directional estimates, not promises. Here's where they come from.
Most small businesses spend 5–12% of revenue (SBA: 7–8%). Growth-focused firms run 10–20%+.
Typical B2B visitor→lead conversion is 1–3%. Adjust to your own numbers.
Benchmark band is SBA 7 to 8% and Gartner CMO survey 7.7%, adjusted by industry.
Forecast is indicative, using average revenue per customer and conversion rates. Directional estimates: adjust to your numbers.
Recommended budget tiers
Starter: holding position and testing
Recommended: 5% of revenue, with a sensible minimum. For businesses establishing their presence or testing channels before committing. The priority is measurement: tracking, a clean website, and one channel done properly.
Growth: building a repeatable lead engine
Recommended: 10% of revenue, with a focus on the channels that already show returns. For businesses that have proof something works and want more of it. Scale what is proven and let content compound.
Scale: aggressive expansion
Recommended: 15% of revenue or more, with real discipline behind it. For businesses entering new markets, launching new offers, or competing hard for share. Multiple channels working together with measurement on every dollar.
Frequently asked questions
Your industry may need more or less. A plumber fighting for local rankings may need a bigger percentage than a consultancy with a referral engine.
Budget without measurement is spending, not marketing. The fastest way to waste any of these budgets is to skip tracking and report on guesswork.
The best budget is the one you can sustain. A great campaign that stops after three months does less than a modest campaign that runs for two years.
These tiers assume revenue is the right anchor. For very new businesses, a percentage of nothing is nothing, so a minimum viable spend applies instead.
Why this framework works
Revenue is the anchor
The calculator starts from the one number you actually know.
Tiers, not laws
Starter, growth and scale match different situations and goals.
Pressure-test it
Talk to someone who can check the number against your real figures.
Want to Turn That Number Into a Plan?
If you want help turning the calculator number into an actual plan, book a free 30-minute Strategy Session. We will look at your revenue, your goals and where the money is best spent. No pitch deck, no obligation.
Contact Me TodayBook a free 30-minute Strategy Session
Tell me a bit about your business and we can dial in a strategy that fits.
