Marketing tool
How much should I spend, and on what?
Most budgets start with a percentage someone heard once. This one starts with the growth you actually want, works back through jobs, leads, and cost per lead — then checks the answer against the rule of thumb and tells you when they disagree.
Where you are, where you're going
Your unit economics
Your budget
Annual budget
$314K
$26,148 per month
% of target revenue
3.4%
Common range is 5–10%
Cost per job won
$155
9.4× return on spend
This lands below the usual 5–10% range, which usually means strong unit economics — or an assumption that is too optimistic. Check the close rate and cost per lead against what you can actually evidence.
Where it goes
- Paid search$94K
- Local search & maps$75K
- Database & retention$56K
- Content & site$50K
- Brand & fleet$38K
| Channel | Monthly | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paid search | $7,845 | Demand capture, scales fastest |
| Local search & maps | $6,276 | Highest intent, lowest cost per job |
| Database & retention | $4,707 | Cheapest revenue you will ever buy |
| Content & site | $4,184 | Compounds, slowest to pay back |
| Brand & fleet | $3,138 | Wraps, signage, community |
What it has to produce
New revenue needed
$2.9M
Jobs to win
2,031
Leads required
3,692
That is 308 leads a month, every month. If your current lead flow is materially below that, the budget is not the constraint — capacity to convert is.
Illustrative only. Channel mix is a starting allocation based on posture, not a media plan — your market, seasonality, competitive density, and existing brand strength all move it. Cost per lead varies enormously by trade and geography; use your own numbers wherever you have them.
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