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Marketing budget template
Plan what you will spend on marketing, channel by channel, and see where every pound goes. Edit the worked example, then download it for Google Sheets or Excel.
This marketing budget template is for small business owners who want a simple, honest view of where their marketing money goes. The example shows a local business spending around £3,000 a month across ads, SEO, email, content and a few one-off costs.
Replace the example rows with your own channels and costs. Enter a monthly figure and the number of months for each line, check that the total matches, then download the table as a CSV for Google Sheets or Excel.
| Channel | What it pays for | Monthly budget (£) | Months | Total (£) | Owner | Notes | Remove row |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid search | Google Ads for kitchen searches in Harrogate and nearby towns | 850 | 12 | 10,200 | Business owner | Ad spend only. Run in-house, with search terms checked every fortnight. | |
| Paid social | Facebook and Instagram ads showing finished kitchens to local homeowners | 450 | 12 | 5,400 | Marketing assistant | Average figure. Spend more in January and less in August. | |
| SEO retainer | Local SEO, service page content and Google Business Profile updates | 600 | 12 | 7,200 | SEO agency | Review enquiries from organic search each quarter. | |
| Email platform | Subscription for the newsletter and enquiry follow-up emails | 30 | 12 | 360 | Office manager | Price rises with list size, so check it at renewal. | |
| Content and video | Filming and editing short tours of finished kitchens | 300 | 10 | 3,000 | Freelance videographer | No shoots planned in August or December. | |
| Photography | Professional photos of finished kitchens for the website and ads | 400 | 3 | 1,200 | Freelance photographer | Three shoots, booked for the best projects of the year. | |
| Design | Brochure updates, social templates and ad graphics | 150 | 12 | 1,800 | Freelance designer | Agreed monthly allowance of hours. | |
| Website care | Hosting, updates, backups and small fixes | 95 | 12 | 1,140 | Web agency | Includes security updates and a monthly backup check. | |
| Tools | Social scheduling, design app and call tracking subscriptions | 65 | 12 | 780 | Office manager | Cancel anything nobody has used for three months. | |
| Events | Stand at a regional home show in spring | 125 | 12 | 1,500 | Business owner | Set aside each month so the stand fee does not land all at once. | |
| Showroom leaflets and door drops near recent installs | 120 | 4 | 480 | Office manager | One print run each quarter. | ||
| Testing reserve | Money held back to try a new channel or idea | 200 | 12 | 2,400 | Business owner | Only spend with a clear goal and a stop date. | |
| Total | 3,385 | 35,460 |
Edit any cell. Your changes save in this browser. The CSV opens in Google Sheets (File, Import) or Excel.
How to fill it in.
What each part is for, so the sheet stays useful all year.
Most businesses budget for 12 months and review each quarter. Set the months column to match how long each cost runs, such as 12 for a retainer or 4 for a quarterly print run.
Subscriptions and tools add up quickly when nobody tracks them. Give each one its own row so you can see what you pay and decide what to keep.
Each row's total should equal the monthly budget multiplied by the number of months. The figures at the bottom add up your monthly spend and the overall total for the period.
Name the person or supplier responsible for each cost. It makes it clear who to ask when spend runs over or results drop.
Download the table as a CSV for Google Sheets or Excel, then add a column for what you actually spent each month. Comparing planned and actual spend shows where to adjust.
Tips.
What makes the difference when you put it to work.
- Keep ad spend and management fees in separate rows. What you pay Google or Meta and what you pay someone to run the ads are different costs, and you need to see both.
- Hold back a small testing reserve. It lets you try a new channel without cutting something that already works.
- Spread one-off costs across the year. Setting aside a little each month for events, print or a new website stops a big bill landing in one month.
- Review the budget each month against enquiries and sales from each channel. Use Google Analytics 4 and your own enquiry records to see which lines earn their place.
- If you would rather hand some of this over, Infinity plans marketing and runs paid ads, SEO and email for small businesses.
Questions, answered.
How much should a small business spend on marketing?
There is no single right figure. A common rule of thumb is a percentage of revenue, often quoted as 5% to 10% for small businesses, but the right amount depends on your margins, goals and how established you are. Start with what you can afford to test, then move money towards the channels that bring in profitable work.
What should a marketing budget include?
Include everything you spend to win and keep customers: ad spend, agency or freelancer fees, software, content, design, print, events and your website. Subscriptions and one-off costs are easy to forget, so list those too. A small testing reserve is also worth adding.
Should I include VAT in my marketing budget?
If your business is VAT registered and can reclaim the VAT you pay, budget the net amount. If you are not VAT registered, include VAT, because it is a real cost to you. Some suppliers do not charge VAT, so check your invoices and be consistent across every row.
How often should I review my marketing budget?
Check spend against results each month and make bigger changes each quarter. Some channels, such as SEO, take months to show results, so judge them over a longer period than paid ads.
Should ad spend and agency fees be separate lines?
Yes, it helps. Ad spend is the money paid to platforms such as Google or Meta, and the management fee is what you pay someone to run the ads. Keeping them apart shows your real cost per enquiry or sale and makes suppliers easier to compare.
Related free resources.
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