Marketing Budget Planner

How Much Should You Spend on Marketing?

Answer 12 questions about your business, goals, and current marketing. Get a personalized budget plan with channel-by-channel allocation based on benchmarks from 20 industries.

12 data-backed questions · 20 industry benchmarks · Free budget health score · No signup required

Based on benchmarks from Gartner AI hype cycle research and McKinsey's State of AI report.

Your BusinessQuestion 1 of 12

What industry is your business in?

This determines industry-specific benchmarks and channel recommendations.

How it works

How It Works

Answer 12 Questions

Tell us about your business, goals, current marketing, and budget. Takes about 3 minutes.

Get Your Budget Score

See your Budget Health Score, recommended spend, and top 3 channels for your industry.

Optimize Your Spend

Get your complete budget blueprint with dollar amounts, AI tools, and 90-day plan ($37).

Industry benchmarks

What's the right marketing budget for my industry?

The planner uses benchmarks from 20 sectors. Here's a representative view (US SBA recommends 7-8% of gross revenue for SMBs as a baseline):

Industry	Recommended % of revenue	Primary channels	AI tool stack
Restaurants	3-6%	Local SEO, social, email	ChatGPT for menu copy, Tidio for reservations
Dental practices	5-8%	Local SEO, Google Ads, reviews	Claude for patient comms, Surfer for content
Legal services	7-10%	Content SEO, LinkedIn, referrals	Claude for legal content, Apollo for outreach
Real estate	10-15%	Local SEO, social, listings	ChatGPT for listings, Canva AI for visuals
E-commerce	7-12%	Paid social, email, SEO	Claude for product copy, Klaviyo AI for email
SaaS	10-15%	Content SEO, paid ads, webinars	Claude for content, HubSpot AI for sales
Consulting	5-10%	LinkedIn, content, referrals	ChatGPT for proposals, Lavender for outreach
Construction	3-6%	Local SEO, referrals, Google Ads	ChatGPT for proposals, basic content tools
Beauty & wellness	5-8%	Social, local SEO, influencer	ChatGPT for captions, Canva AI for visuals
Fitness studios	4-7%	Social, local SEO, email	ChatGPT for class descriptions, Mailchimp AI

Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should a small business spend on marketing?

The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends 7-8% of gross revenue for businesses under $5M. However, this varies by industry, growth stage, and goals. Our planner gives you a personalized recommendation based on your specific situation, not just a generic percentage.

Is this marketing budget planner free?

Yes! The quiz and your budget health score with top 3 channel recommendations are completely free. We also offer an optional $37 Marketing Budget Blueprint with exact dollar amounts per channel, AI tool recommendations, ROI projections, and a 90-day implementation plan.

How is my recommended budget calculated?

We combine industry benchmarks from 20 sectors with your specific revenue, growth goals, current spend, and budget priorities. The algorithm adjusts channel allocations based on whether you need leads, awareness, retention, or are launching something new.

What industries does this cover?

We have benchmarks for 20 industries including Restaurant, Dental, Legal, Real Estate, E-commerce, SaaS, Consulting, Construction, Beauty, Fitness, Education, Healthcare, Accounting, Marketing Agencies, Manufacturing, Nonprofit, Travel, Automotive, Freelance, and more.

What if I currently spend nothing on marketing?

That is actually one of the most valuable situations to use this tool. We will show you exactly where to start, which channels deserve your first dollars, and how to build up from zero with a clear 90-day roadmap. Many businesses waste money by starting with the wrong channel.

Do you recommend specific AI tools?

Yes! The paid report includes 2-3 AI tool recommendations for each marketing channel, complete with pricing and what they do. For example, Surfer SEO for content optimization, Buffer for social scheduling, or Mailchimp for email automation — all tailored to your budget and tech comfort level.