SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

Marketing Budget Template: Do You Need One?

Learn how to manage your marketing budget and download free marketing budget templates to optimize spending and growth.

April 8, 2025

CMOs are assigning only 7.7% of the company’s total income to marketing this year.
It’s expected that 62.7% of all money spent on ads will be for online ads by 2025.
Almost 47% of small businesses use cost-free tools such as Google Analytics for marketing management.
The 70-20-10 budgeting guideline aids in balancing established, innovative, and experimental approaches.
Ads can take up as much as 60% of the entire marketing budget if planning isn’t done carefully.

Let’s be honest — handling your marketing budget can seem like a dangerous juggling act. Between justifying every dollar and deciding on spending that truly helps growth, getting the numbers correct is not optional — it’s essential. For that reason, having a structured marketing budget template or marketing budget planner isn’t just something that’s “good to have,” it’s what sets you apart from competitors. By matching your money to planned aims, you’ll support your team, avoid spending too much, and set a data-based route to improved ROI.

What Is a Marketing Budget?

A marketing budget is the financial plan for your complete marketing work — a proactive plan explaining how much you’ll spend, what you’ll use it for, and the results you anticipate. It usually covers periods of a month, a quarter, or a year and includes both set and adaptable amounts.

Your marketing budget should include all the resources needed to:

Get new customers
Keep current customers
Grow brand recognition
Increase income and ROI

Whether you’re doing paid ads, conducting webinars, or sending email campaigns, all linked costs are included in this budget.

Common Marketing Budget Categories Include:

Advertising and Paid Media – Search ads, social campaigns, media buying
Marketing Software – CRM, analytics, automation tools
Creative Services – Design, video, copywriting
Salaries and Contractors – Internal teams and freelance experts
Content Creation – Blogs, landing pages, whitepapers, social assets
Events and Sponsorships – Booths, promotional items, registration fees
Market Research – Surveys, focus groups, behavioral insights
Public Relations and Branding – Agency fees, press releases, rebranding

According to a recent study by Gartner, marketing spending has gone down to 7.7% of total company income in 2024. This makes effective budget planning not just useful, but extremely important.

Key Components of a Marketing Budget

printer and neatly stacked budget templates

A useful marketing budget template should outline costs throughout the full customer process. From getting attention to making a sale, here are the areas to include in your budget plan:

1. Tools & Software

Marketing now depends on data and automation. Common platforms are:

Google Analytics – Web analytics
HubSpot / ActiveCampaign – Email and CRM automation
Semrush / Ahrefs – SEO and keyword research
Canva / Adobe Creative Cloud – Design and asset creation
Hootsuite / Buffer – Social media scheduling

Tools require regular updates and upkeep. Almost 47% of small businesses begin with cost-free tools (LocaliQ, 2023), but upgrading in a planned way as you grow is vital.

2. Content Creation

Content is a lasting investment and a major factor in bringing in leads. Plans should be made for:

Writer payments
Video producers
Licenses for stock images
Editing tools
Blog CMS & plugins

A well-made content marketing budget planner should separate “always relevant” content from assets made for specific campaigns.

3. Paid Media & Advertising

These are often the most changeable—and costly—parts of your marketing approach. They include:

Facebook Ads
Google PPC
Display network banners
Influencer placements
Sponsored content

Dentsu predicts 62.7% of worldwide ad spending will change to online channels by 2025 (Dentsu, 2024).

4. Personnel and Freelancers

Doing the work takes people. Your budget should have:

Full-time positions (designers, strategists, marketers)
Part-time or freelance creatives
Agencies and consultants

Personnel costs often make up 25-40% of the total marketing budget depending on company size and internal skills.

5. Events and Sponsorships

Whether it’s sponsoring a podcast or having a stand at a big trade show, events often form a large part of B2B marketing budgets. Things to budget for:

Booth setup
Travel and places to stay
Conference passes
Virtual event platforms
Branded promotional items

6. Market Research and Branding

Understanding the market lowers the chance of mistakes. This category includes:

Focus groups
Surveys and tools to analyze them
Brand message testing
Checks on competitors
Development of visual identity

All of this sets the base for well-informed campaigns that connect with people.

Why You Need a Marketing Budget Template

Running a team without a marketing budget planner is like driving without being able to see. A well-structured marketing budget template gives understanding, steadiness, and control.

Benefits of Using a Marketing Budget Template

Makes sure budgets are followed across departments
Tracks spending against results for improvement
Helps match campaigns to aims that increase income
Makes communication with stakeholders easier
Helps with planning for quarters or years

Instead of making your plan from the start each time, a template that can be reused and changed saves time and adds strategic clarity.

Marketing Budget Planner Templates: Must-Have Formats

Let’s look more closely at the kinds of marketing budget templates you might require based on specific aims or projects:

Master Budget Template – Gives a general picture of total spending and amounts assigned by category and department.
Campaign Budget Template – Tracks spending by marketing campaign, broken down by method, seller, and outcome.
Product Launch Marketing Budget – Handles metrics before and after launch, from research to release.
Content Marketing Budget – Organizes costs linked to writers, SEO, content sharing, and software.
Advertising Budget Planner – Best for tracking Cost-Per-Click (CPC), conversions, ad designs, and bidding trends.
Public Relations Budget Template – Sets out costs for pitches, media watching, events, and PR fees.
Website Project Budget Template – Useful for tracking redesign projects, site changes, and CRO improvements.
Event Marketing Template – Covers everything from booth costs and promotional items to food and drink and lead scanners.

Useful templates should:

Track Budgeted vs. Actual Spend
Include Channels & Cost Categories
Feature ROI & Engagement Metrics

Need formats ready to use? Get these cost-free marketing budget templates put together by HubSpot for use right away.

Marketing Budget Breakdown: How To Allocate for Growth

A good strategy balances being steady with being new using the 70-20-10 rule:

70% → Proven campaigns that do best
20% → New chances
10% → Experimental ideas that are higher risk

Example Allocation For a $10K/Month Budget:

$7,000 → Top-doing paid search & retargeting
$2,000 → Think about LinkedIn video ads or partnerships with affiliates
$1,000 → Sponsor a specific TikTok creator or do a micro-campaign that hasn’t been tried

Gartner’s report from 2024 gives more details into category amounts:

Digital channels: 57.1%
- Search ads: 13.6%
- Social: 12.2%
- Display: 10.7%
Events: 17.1%
Sponsorships: 16.4%
TV: 16%

This breakdown shows that online is the main part — but in-person experiences still create strong demand in some businesses.

Marketing Budget vs. Advertising Budget: What’s the Difference?

Think of your marketing budget as the whole system and your advertising budget as just one piece of it.

Category	Marketing Budget	Advertising Budget
Included Costs	Strategy, software, staffing, branding, content	Paid search, social ads, display media
Scope	Wide and for the long-term	Focused on tactics and campaigns
ROI Drivers	Marketing that brings people in and reaches out, email, SEO	Focused on CPM, CTR, ROAS

Advertising can be as much as 60% of your marketing spending, especially in businesses driven by products. But it needs to be balanced with content that teaches and parts that build relationships to turn interest into income.

creative team working on video ad shoot

What To Include in Your Advertising Budget

Online advertising costs are not just about clicks or views — they include:

Creative Production – Video shoots, design, copywriting
Ad Buys – CPC or CPM costs on platforms
Tech Stack – Platform fees for Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, and software to automate ads
Performance Tracking Systems – Tools for A/B testing, dashboards for analytics (e.g., Google Data Studio, Supermetrics)
Execution Resources – Payments for freelancers or agencies, time for project managers
Audience Research – Data on behavior, heatmaps, and benchmarks against competitors

A full advertising budget template gives you clear sight across all these levels.

whiteboard with digital ad metrics

How to Set and Monitor Your Ad Budget

Here’s a way to handle advertising spending more smartly using your budget planner:

Begin with the End Goal

Start with business aims. Are you trying to:

Build brand awareness?
Make leads?
Increase direct sales?

Your aim will decide the best mix of channels.

Identify KPIs Before Launch

Goals that can be tracked create responsibility. Suggested KPIs:

ROAS (Income ÷ Spend)
CPM (Cost per 1,000 views)
CTR (Click-through rate)
Conversion Rates (Leads or Purchases)
Lifetime Value / Customer Acquisition Cost ratios (LTV:CAC)

Create a System to Track Changes

Make a sheet with:

Campaign
Platform
Budgeted Spend
Actual Spend
Performance (clicks, conversions, income)

Check it every week and change amounts if needed.

Give Yourself Room to Adjust

Don’t set every dollar in place. Keep back at least 10% of your advertising budget for quick promotions or new understandings.

+Regular checks are important. Marketing changes fast — your budget plan should also.

startup owner working at small desk with laptop

Smart Budgeting for Small Businesses and Startups

For startups and those who work for themselves, budgeting with less money isn’t a problem — it’s a starting point for new ideas.

Here’s a smart budgeting setup for teams with less than $500K in yearly spending:

Cost-free tools like Google Analytics or Mailchimp for data and email
Focus on 1–2 channels where your audience is already present
Put conversions first with strong landing pages and email relationship building
Set tests at $100 or less to check performance before growing

Small budgets work best when you really focus on ROI.

three colored charts with business category labels

Sample Marketing Budgets by Business Type

Use these example percentages as a guide to change your marketing budget template:

SaaS Startup ($2M Revenue)

35% – Digital Ads
25% – Content & SEO
20% – Sales Support
15% – Events & Webinars
5% – Trying New Channels

Ecommerce Brand ($10M Revenue)

40% – Paid Social + Google Ads
25% – Email and SMS
20% – Product Photos & Blog
10% – Influencer Partnerships
5% – Affiliate & Experimental

Manufacturing Firm ($50M Revenue)

30% – Trade Shows
25% – Online Ads
20% – Marketing for Dealer Channels
15% – ABM Campaigns
10% – Research & Competitor Analysis

No two companies are the same — but your template should connect your spending to real chances.

Common Budgeting Mistakes to Avoid

Look out for these mistakes that lower ROI:

Forgetting costs that are not obvious (e.g., software licenses, image payments)
Not thinking about sharing (even the best content needs to be promoted)
Tracking things that look good but don’t have impact (views vs. conversions)
Not changing — grow what works, stop what doesn’t
Only using reports at the end of the quarter — check each week

Use your budget template as both a tool for planning and for finding problems.

closeup of hand stacking coins beside chart

The ROI of Organized Budgets

What really drives marketing success? Doing things well. A great campaign will not succeed without right budget support and watching how it’s doing in real-time.

The value of a well-structured marketing budget planner includes: