Marketing Budget : everything You Need to Know + Template

Marketers are responsible for driving 44% of revenue, up from 10% just five years ago. — THE CMO Council and Televerde.

So, yes, marketers do play a significant role in every business. That's undeniable! But, what is even more important for marketers is their budget. To drive vital revenue, marketers need budgets that are on fleek. So, planning a marketing budget is their annual ritual.

With 2023 on the horizon, businesses are probably evaluating their budgets. So, while doing maths for the company, remember that it's time to solidify your marketing budget as well. In addition, your competitors are probably setting their budgets by now. So, it's time to think about how you will spend your money wisely to get more marketing achievements during 2023.

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Studies predict that digital advertising spending will reach $378 billion by 2020. This sum may continue to rise steadily over the next few years, reaching $646 billion by 2024.

But, a marketing budget is more than just a financial plan. So, it will help if you learn how to give the appropriate amount of funds to the right partners. You should also know which effective marketing methods you should invest your money in.

Still, the process of setting a marketing budget is indeed confusing. It is also different from one company to another. But, according to CMO Survey, most businesses develop their marketing budgets from the previous year's expenses.

So, as a marketer, how can you select the proper funding for your business? If you are lost and don't know how to set your marketing budget, you are not alone! However, you can use this blog as your ultimate guide to preparing your marketing budget.

What Is A Marketing Budget

A marketing budget is the equivalent of a marketing plan but in terms of costs. It is an estimated amount of money you will spend on promoting your products or services in a set period. In other words, a marketing budget sets how much money you will spend on each marketing function. The budget includes all the different aspects of marketing that your business uses, such as Public Relations and Online Advertising.

Now, why is your budget very important? A marketing budget is a crucial plan for every company because marketing affects every area of your business. Here's why it's important to build a marketing budget:

• The lack of a well-constructed budget causes big marketing failures.
• A marketing budget serves as a roadmap to keep you on track with expected costs against actual costs.
• It's essential for helping you change the focus of your promotional activities to low-cost tactics.
• Setting realistic goals that propel your organization ahead is easier when you have a well-defined budget.
• It helps you know if you're overspending or have extra money to invest in a specific plan.

We always hear the statement, "You need to spend money to make money." But how do firms spend their money when it comes to marketing?

How Do Businesses Set Their Marketing Budgets

Companies set their budgets in different ways. Different factors do affect the process as well. So, here's a look at the different approaches and factors that affect every Marketing Budget.

Approaches of Setting a Marketing Budget

Most companies set 7 to 10% of their general revenue on marketing. So, you can consider doing the same. Since digital marketing is rising, most companies allocate half or more of their budget to online marketing. On the other hand, some businesses may give only a third to online marketing.

Based on statistics, these are the categories that best describe how marketers set their budgets.

Annual Basis: 41.1% of businesses set their budgets yearly based on the previous year's expenses. Of course, while making any necessary changes.

From Scratch: 27.9% of companies build their marketing budget from scratch according to their new needs and goals every year.

Revenue: 21.1% of firms set their budget in alignment with their income. A percentage of their revenue goes to marketing, so the budget differs from one year to another.

Revisited: 10% of enterprises review their previous budget. Also, they adjust the budget every quarter or month if necessary.

No matter what way you choose, your budget must include a contingency element. Your safety plan will allow the company to respond to unforeseen events and opportunities. But what factors may affect the decision of how much money you'll spend on marketing?

Factors that Affect A Marketing Budget

Similar to any other plan, certain elements define your marketing budget. These factors influence the decision of how much money you allocate for marketing:

The company's Financial Position: How much revenue the company earns and its costs affect the budget. If it is in a good place, it will be able to raise the marketing spend. On the contrary, the firm will cut costs if it has financial difficulties.

Competitor Behavior: Every business must align with competitors to maintain market share. A company whose competitors are considering raising its marketing budget may need to respond.

The Price and Demand for Marketing Services: Like in any market, price, and demand influence the marketing field. Thus, you must include the cost of marketing efforts in the budget.

Now let's take a look at how you can build a solid marketing budget that will help you reach your goals.

How to Create Your Marketing Budget

Planning and forecasting have grown difficult following 2020/ 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant shift in consumer behavior, which will continue to evolve. But, how to prepare a marketing budget that responds to your customer's behavior and growth goals. Let's discuss the step-by-step process of budgeting to promote your products and services during 2023.

1- Plan

The first step is to build your plans. Planning is the most crucial element for the success of every business. Here are the two plans to prepare for your company before budgeting.

A Business Plan

It's a roadmap that defines the business objectives and how it goes about achieving these goals. Your business plan will assist you in anticipating future costs. It helps you decide what you will spend your money on. For example, when you look at your business plan, does your digital marketing show up? What are your goals, vision, mission, and values? Your business plan guides every facet of your company's operations.

Marketing Plan

A marketing plan is a document that details an organization's advertising strategy. It defines how the business will generate leads and reach its target customers. A marketing plan will show you what steps you'll need to take to achieve a specific objective. Moreover, it defines the marketing channels you can use to accomplish your goals. So, a marketing plan helps you with the confusion of the budget. When you know what you'll spend money on, you'll learn how much you need to pay.

The aim of creating your business and marketing plan is to identify clear goals for your budget. It's not a good idea to go on a journey without having a destination. Your marketing objectives may include growing sales, increasing leads, building brand awareness, etc. First, you'll need to figure out your marketing objectives and be prepared to adjust your budget. You must consider the big picture to define the charges.

Every strong marketing strategy begins with well-defined objectives. After all, if you don't know what you want to achieve, it's hard to know how much money to allocate. Therefore, your goals should be SMART, especially if you're utilizing them to build a budget:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Timely

Specific goals with measurable outcomes enable you to assess the value of your marketing and calculate a reasonable budget for each targeted result. Quantifiable goals also allow you to track and report on your progress and fine-tune your budget over time to better support the most effective techniques for your company.

2- Evaluate the Previous Budget

You'll need to evaluate last year's budget first, whether you will start your budget from scratch or work on the previous one. Start by assessing your previous year's budget. Then, define what is working and what is not working. It is essential that you know what last year's unexpected costs were. Then, you will be able to include them in your new budget. Or, at least be aware of the similar charges that may show out of the sudden. The goal is to get a maximum gain of your marketing budget. Next, examine how much money you're spending on marketing vs. how much money you're making. For example, take a look at the ads you ran throughout periods of solid and low sales. This step will help you know what Ads worked and how much you will need to create similar ones.

3- Research

To prepare a solid marketing budget, you have some pre-budgeting research to do. When creating your marketing strategy, you must take into account essential industry and market elements. Researching your competitors will also have an impact on your budget. You'll want to allocate funds in a way that takes advantage of your competitors' flaws while highlighting your own. Let's go through some helpful research you'll need to do before budgeting:

Industry and Market Research

Market research is the process of determining the viability of a new product or service. It's about conducting direct customer research. This method enables businesses to identify their target market. It also helps them gather data and feedback and make educated decisions.

You'll need market research for several reasons, which are:

1. It helps you identify the size of your target market. It also enables you to understand the problems of your target customers and find solutions.
2. Analyzing your market helps you understand what your business needs to stand out and prosper.
3. It supports pricing decisions and new market entries.
4. It allows you to keep track of market trends in your industry.
5. It tests whether your marketing strategies are effective.
6. It enables you to eliminate potential risks in the industry.

All these findings will help you measure the costs you will need to reach customers. As a result, good Industry and Market Research enable you to understand the market for better budgeting.

Competitor Analysis / SWOT

A SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing a company and its environment. It is a brainstorming process that helps you understand your business's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Therefore, you'll know what makes your business stand out from competitors. In addition, it helps you understand your competitive advantage and your weaknesses. For marketers, a SWOT Analysis is the first step toward planning.

Here are a few simple rules that you need to keep in mind for your SWOT analysis:

• Remember that it aims to distinguish your business from where it is and where you want it to be. So, be realistic about your strengths and weakness.
• Be clear and straightforward.
• Always use the tool regarding your competition. Compare the points in which your business is better or worse than your competitors.
• Keep your audit brief and simple. So, avoid over-analysis and complexity.

Being able to understand your strengths and weaknesses helps you in many ways. For example, if you know the weaknesses of your marketing strategy, you'll be able to identify where you'll be spending money to improve. Thus, you will be able to include it in your marketing budget.

Marketing Controls

Marketing controls mean the process of monitoring and evaluating the proposed plans. It helps you understand what is working and what is not. Therefore, you'll be able to adjust and modify your plan for better results. A gaol indicates your destination. At the same time, your plan explains how you will reach it. On the other hand, a marketing control tells you if you're on the right track and have reached your purpose or not.

To supervise your costs, it's crucial to control your marketing plans. Measurement, evaluation, and monitoring are all part of the Marketing Control process. But marketing control means defined resources and tools. Therefore, being aware of your Marketing Control process will help identify what tools you'll use. Thus, you'll be able to include the costs in your 2023 budget.

Marketing Audit

The marketing audit is an essential aspect of the marketing strategy and budget development. It helps businesses identify the internal and external factors that impact their marketing. Let's consider the different elements you need to consider when conducting a marketing audit.

   1- The Internal Marketing Environment

To know what factors impact your internal marketing environment, you should ask these questions:

• What resources do we have in hand? Evaluate your labor, finances, time, equipment, and factors of production.
• How do you organize your marketing team? How much is your team effective and efficient?
• What is the state of your marketing today?
• What is the evaluation of your marketing mix (5Ps)

    2- The External Marketing Environment

The external environment of your marketing is affected by three significant factors: the customer, the competition, and the cultural climate of your market.

Here are a few things you need to consider for the customers:

• What are their needs, and how to satisfy them
• What is your buying decision process, and what is your customer's behavior?
• What is the level of your customer's loyalty?
• How do you provide value to your customers?

Other points that you need to consider when it comes to competition include:

• What is the level of your competitors' profitability?
• What Marketing strategies do they adopt?
• What resources do they have in hand?

When it comes to the cultural environment of your market, consider the following:

• What are your target audience's religions and beliefs?
• What is their lifestyle?
• What is their level of education and standards?
• What is the level of consumerism in your target market?

You may fall into the trap that your marketing audit is similar to a marketing plan. But these two processes are different. A marketing audit precedes the marketing plan. To get a well-built marketing plan, you need to evaluate the internal and external factors that affect your marketing. So, a marketing audit, then a marketing plan. Afterward, you can get the full image of your costs.

4- Identify Your Costs

After doing the necessary research for your marketing budget, you'll move forward to the next step, which is about identifying costs. This part is the most crucial one when it comes to budgeting. It is confusing to get the correct prediction of your marketing expenses during one year. In other words, what to include in your marketing budget? There are three major categories of charges that you need to consider.

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External Costs

To create your marketing budget, start by calculating your outside costs. You can automatically generate your budget once you know what external fees you'll need to pay.

What is an external cost? It is a cost incurred by a firm due to an economic transaction in which they are not directly involved. Your exterior prices may include:

• The product manufacturing costs
• Packaging and shipment costs
• Internet network fees
• Electricity bills
• Office space payments
• Travel costs, if there are any

Internal Costs

Once you have identified your outside costs, you'll need to define your internal spending. But what is precisely an internal cost?

An internal cost refers to the monetized expenses of planning, building, management, maintenance, and disposal.

For marketing, it includes your direct and indirect communication expenses. You identify this part of your spending by understanding your budget for different marketing strategies and methods. Here's a list of what your internal fees may consist of.

         1 - Human Resources Fees

This cost includes the salaries you'll pay to the people who will manage your marketing tasks. So, before deciding on the expenses, you'll need to choose how you will handle your marketing.

In-House: If you decide to handle your campaign on your own (in-house), be aware that you will incur costs in the form of salaries, office equipment, and supplies such as computers and furniture. In addition, you may need to invest in some tools and services to help you manage your marketing initiatives.

Freelancers: Freelancers are experts in a single approach or a small part of them. It's worth noting that if you engage a freelancer, you'll most likely pay on an hourly or project basis. The price may be higher depending on the freelancer's experience or the length of the assignment.

Marketing Agency: Are you considering hiring a digital marketing firm? You'll get everything you need in one spot, including tools and software, and you'll only have to pay them monthly to keep them until the job finishes. So, if you're hiring a marketing agency, consider adding the cost to your annual marketing budget.

So, to sum up, you need to conduct research first to determine your strategy costs. The way you'll do things defines how much money you need. Whether the expenses of the team you'll be working with or the channels you'll use for marketing., it's essential to add it all to your budget.

       2 - Research Fees

Even the research you conduct has fees. If you're leading market research to build your marketing plan or promote a new product, you may need professionals to do it. If you're doing it by yourself, you may need tools as well. So, all these expenses go under the umbrella of your research expenses. Your research fees include the research firm fees, web search, independent research, and any other fees related to collecting data.

        3 - WhatsApp Direct Messaging Fees

One of the newest and best methods of direct marketing fees is WhatsApp direct messages. So whether you're preparing a budget for your retail business or healthcare center, you should include WhatsApp marketing costs in your budget. Most companies are using WhatsApp now to promote their products and services. Your competitors are probably using the solution already. Thus, plan to allocate part of your budget to WhatsApp direct messaging fees. The channel is the 1st in the world when it comes to instant messages. So, implementing the solution for your business allows you to host immediate and personal conversations with your customers.

If you want to use WhatsApp as an official channel for your business to connect with customers, you have two options: If you have a small consumer base, use the WhatsApp business app. On the other hand, if your consumer base is medium to huge, you can use WhatsApp Business API.

You can check this blog if you would like to learn the differences between the two products.

WhatsApp Platform total cost is composed of three elements:

• WhatsApp fees for the template Messages
• WhatsApp Business Platform hosting fees
• WhatsApp Business solution providers' fees

If you didn't register for the service yet, include the registration fees in your budget. You can also contact businesschat.io to activate the solution. One more cost you should be aware of when using WhatsApp is the direct messaging fees. The customer-initiated messages are free. If your clients ask you a question via WhatsApp and respond using the API within 24 hours, there are no charges. But, for WhatsApp's business-initiated messages. You will pay specific fees if you send a notification within 24 hours of the customer's last communication.

We listed every cost related to WhatsApp's direct messaging and marketing in this blog.

        4- Offline Advertising Fees

If you're following the old-school marketing strategy, you'll need to add the costs to your budget. A few points to consider when offline marketing include brochure design and printing, mailing, radio, and television advertising. This part of your budget may also include postcards, billboards, newspapers, and bus sides advertising fees.

         5- Public Relations

Public relations are a primary method for the branding of any business. Your public relations fees include the charity events you organize or join and the sponsorship activities your business grants. When doing maths for your public relations expenses, you should also consider the costs of the events of your product launch, for example, the audio, the food, and the beverage. In addition, 97% percent of B2B marketers say in-person events are critical to the success of their business. So, it's better to prepare your marketing budget to assist you in improving your business networking.

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        6- Content Creation

If you are following an inbound marketing strategy, you'll need to create content. This budget includes the software expenses on which you'll publish your content, such as Wix, the tool of artwork design like Canva, and the project management tool as Notion, for instance. You should also calculate other services that include stock photography subscriptions and video editing. Plus, you'll need designers, writers, and developers. So, don't forget to add all those to your budget.

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        7- Paid Advertising

Most marketing campaigns are happening online nowadays. With the rise of digital marketing, paid promotions have also become a must for any business. So, if you plan to get some paid advertisements during 2023, you'll need to add the costs to your budget. Your Paid Promotions budgets include the channels you'll use and how much you'll pay for each campaign. You may also consider starting or solidifying your email marketing strategy, so you'll need to count the costs of the tools and hands you'll need for this method.

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        8- Branding and Creative Costs

If you choose to do your marketing on your own, you'll need some resources and equipment. For example, if you have a product photoshoot, you'll need a photographer, a camera, and other photography tools. So, when counting the expenses of creating a brand image and creative artwork, think of all the hardware, software, and equipment purchases you'll need. Then, add them to your budget.

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       9- Promotional Activities

Promoting the next launch of your product, for example, needs more than a simple Paid Ad. You need to plan a whole campaign that grants profit and success. So, new product and collection launches come with great marketing efforts. But, it comes with payments to do as well. Therefore, you need to anticipate what you will do as promotions and discounts or giveaways, for instance. Then, add the fees to your annual budget.

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Other than your internal and external costs, it happens that you'll have to pay some unexpected extra money on the way. So, what about the hidden fees?

Hidden Costs

A marketing budget spreadsheet allows you to calculate your hidden costs. Nothing is better than being aware of the unexpected charges that may show up and being prepared to face them. A marketing budget will enable you to prevent incidental marketing charges. Besides, by building an expectation of your hidden costs, you won't freak out by the last quarter asking where your budget disappeared.  Let's set an example of hidden fees for marketing. If you are using WhatsApp for marketing, you sure have three hidden costs, which you're not aware of one at least. These costs include WhatsApp messaging fees, WhatsApp Platform Hosting fees, and WhatsApp Business Solution providers fees. You sure have a  good idea about one of these costs, but what if you miss any? Then, you may not execute your marketing on WhatsApp plan effectively due to a lack of capital.

You can get more details about WhatsApp Platform Pricing by reading this blog. If you are interested in obtaining the solution, you can contact Businesschat.io. We help companies grow their brands using the WhatsApp Platform.

4- Create a Marketing Attribution Model

Attribution modeling is an approach that allows marketers to analyze and credit marketing touchpoints that occur at specified steps of the customer journey—for example, searching for a product online and making a purchase, as well as every activity in between. Marketers can use attribution models to determine which aspects of their marketing efforts bring the most leads to that stage of the sales funnel. So, your attribution model allows you to measure your marketing performance. Therefore, you'll be able to measure your ROI.

By measuring your Return On Investment, you'll be able to identify if the money you spent did your business well. Or, on the other hand, you spent your money on marketing activities that didn't help you reach your goals. So, to measure, evaluate and make changes, you need to create an attribution model that measures performance. Then, you'll be prepared to measure your Return On Investment. This step allows you to make the right changes at the appropriate time.

These were the necessary steps, research, and plans you need to make to create your 2023 marketing budget. Now, how can you spend your money, and where should your priorities lie?

Where to Spend Your  Marketing Budget

When working on your marketing budget, remember it's the rise of digital marketing time. Thus, most of your marketing efforts should focus on that area: Online Marketing. But how to spend your money wisely? Which methods do you need to consider for your 2023 marketing? So, let's discover where to spend your marketing money.

WhatsApp Marketing

With 2 billion worldwide users, WhatsApp should be your new destination to reach customers. The WhatsApp platform offers businesses various features to grow sales, build brand awareness, and increase customer loyalty. In addition, with the ability to share promotional campaigns and transactional notifications, WhatsApp will help you shift your marketing strategy.

You can read this blog if you want to learn more about how to use WhatsApp for Marketing.

Since sending marketing campaigns finally became authorized by the WhatsApp team. In 2023, you should move your direct marketing communication budget from SMS to WhatsApp. There is no reason to continue using SMS. With WhatsApp, you can send rich media, track read rates, and create engaging two-way conversations with customers.

WhatsApp Platform is definitely worth your investment. Using the solution, you can even build a chatbot to automate customer conversations. Therefore, you will be able to enhance your customers' experience with live and instant chats.

The solution allows you to optimize your team's efforts. With the WhatsApp Platform, you can have access to customers' data. Thus,  your marketing team can send customized campaigns that fit your clients' interests and preferences.

With chatbot automation, you can also reduce costs. That's because your agents will only interfere when needed. They can also use a single number which helps you grow brand awareness. So, all these features make WhatsApp a suitable investment for your 2023 marketing. But what's even better is WhatsApp's ROI. The tool is worth every dollar with a 99% open rate and a +40% response rate.

You can activate the solution by contacting Businesschat.io. We can build a chatbot that fits your business needs.

Businesschat.io offers you a turnkey solution that helps you maximize sales and reach your marketing goals.

Website

Your website represents your brand. So, in 2023, think about investing your marketing money in your website. First, ensure that you have developed a budget for three main things: Content creation, web design, and SEO optimization.

Content Creation

Adding blogs, video material, or other lead magnets to your website will attract visitors. But it will also help them convert into leads long before they're ready to buy. Therefore, your content creation budget should focus on two methods which are the following:

Content that generates sales: You can start by asking your sales team the questions they hear the most. Then, you can start creating content for your prospects and existing customers. While creating content to answer your customer queries, you can suggest your products or services as a solution.

Content that improves customer experience: To learn more about what content enhances your customer experience, get the help of your customer service team. Then, generate content that serves your customers as a knowledge base.

After knowing what content you'll generate, build a plan that maps how to develop it. Then, decide how much money you need to create videos and blogs. Now, how much should you allocate for content creation?

Let's set the example of blogs. If you are planning to hire external parties to generate content, you should start from 750$ for one piece of content. The piece should be at least 1000 words. Then, you should plan to allocate more money that may reach 2000$ for longer articles as 10x pillars.

Web Design

Your website is the facet of your business. So, it needs to express your brand identity. It must be user-friendly, practical, well-designed, and up-to-date. So, if it has been three years since you designed or updated your website, it's time for a twist. A part of your 2023 budget should go to redesigning your website and refreshing it. You can also research and use data to know what works for your website and what's not. So, allocate some money from your 2023 marketing budget to the tools and resources you'll use to collect data. But this investment will help you reach your marketing and sales goals. One more thing to consider is the amount of money you should allocate to improve your web design. Well, you should at least consider reserving 6000$ for this task.

SEO Optimization

If you haven't been using technical SEO to optimize your website, 2023 is about time. So, allocating part of your budget to SEO optimization is a good decision. This step allows you to increase the visibility of your website in organic search results. First, start with an SEO audit for your website. Then, you can offer your marketers to do it. Otherwise, you can get the help of agencies or freelancers. Either way, we recommend you allocate a budget for your SEO strategy during 2023. But how much should you preserve for your SEO?

We recommend you allocate 3000$ to 10000$ as a budget for SEO Audit. The older your website is, the bigger your budget should be. That's because you have many updates to catch. If you already have an ongoing SEO program and want to give it a niche, Consider allocating 5000$ and more.

Customized Digital Experience for Your Customer

One basic rule for every business: great customer experiences turn into positive reviews. But how to give your customer the best experience that your competitor can't provide? First, you must spend your 2023 marketing budget wisely to provide clients with great experiences. This step will praise your marketing efforts for sure.

Here are a few ways to customize your customer experience to make it perfect for every client's taste.

          1- Personalized Messages on WhatsApp

WhatsApp Platform allows businesses to share customized promotions with their opt-in clients. So, using the WhatsApp solution, you can share product recommendations based on past purchases with clients. Also, you can share tailored offers and promotions, news related to your business, and much more. But how do you know you are sharing an offer that is relevant to that client? With chatbot integration, it's easy to collect customer data and information automatically. Then, you can provide that data to your marketers so they can work on customized campaigns.

To get a complete view of customer information, you can use our platform.

Businesschat.io allows you to find all customer details in one place. We can also help you build a chatbot that answers customers and collect data smoothly and quickly.

         2- Personalized Emails

Use the same questions you gathered from your sales and customer service team to send relevant emails to your clients. Instead of selling in each email, try answering clients' questions when you share an email campaign. Your strategy for personalized emails should add value. Use your emails to send extra information to guide customers through the buyer's journey. That's what makes your business a clear choice and answers your customer inquiries.

        3- Personalized Web Experience

If you know your clients and prospects well, you can provide them with relevant web experiences. A suitable method is to use the stored data of your customers to personalize your website. Here are a few things you can do to create personalized web experiences for your clients.

• Create a web design for customers and another for prospects. But first, make sure your users can define whether they're new or not to get the right page.
• Interact with your customer on your website using their first name whenever possible.
• Work on your landing pages, headers, and CTAs. For example, create different CTAs for people based on their sales funnel stage.

Providing a customized experience to every customer's needs might be expensive. But, it is worth the investment. So, consider what we mentioned above when deciding where to spend your marketing budget. A good content strategy for your up-to-date website with strong email campaigns and enhanced WhatsApp marketing will help you reach better marketing results during 2023. Once you see the results by the end of the year, you won't wonder if you spent your money in good places. But what else can you do or avoid to get a marketing budget that brings you the expected return or even more?

Marketing Budget Dos and Don'ts

To create a reasonable marketing budget, you need to learn all the little tricks, you should follow. Moreover, you should be aware of the blusters you should avoid. So, here are a few dos and don'ts for your marketing budget.

Pro Tips for your Marketing Budget

Creating your marketing budget might be confusing. With all the expenses you need to consider, it's sure a long process. But here are a few tips that may help you master budgeting for the new year.

Use the 70-20-10 Rule

The 70-20-10 helps you allocate your budget effectively. It means you give 70% of your budget to "Now." The "Now" stands for the strategies you have already tried, and you find them working. Then, preserve 20% of your budget for "Next." The "Next" means that 20% of your budget is for discovering new methods or segments that work for your business. As for the remaining 10%, it's left for the "New." This amount is for the new technologies and strategies that may appear during the year. What will you do if a new marketing method appears during 2023 and works so much for your company? Will you miss it because you don't have money? You won't have to if you follow this rule.

Allow Flexibility

Say goodbye to the idea "Set it and Forget it." Instead, remember that you need to modify your budget when necessary. So, always try to allow some fluidity. Your budget should be prepared to go with all changes in consumer behavior. Flexibility is crucial in times of doubt. It enables you to balance your budget. You'll be able to build a balance between short-term investments and long-term value.

Opt For the Investment Mentality

When setting your marketing budget, consider what you spend as an investment. You should opt for the investment mentality and not the spending mentality. So, when you allocate money for your marketing plan in 2023, consider the results you'll have, thanks to that investment. Never think that what you are spending is a waste of money. This way of thinking will help you solidify your marketing efforts.

Align with Your Sales Team

Collaboration between the sales and marketing departments might result in an effective corporate marketing plan. But the marketing staff isn't the only one responsible for putting together a marketing budget. So, is there a need for input from the sales team as well? In this case, It would be best to inquire about what resources your sales staff requires to increase sales. Then, pay attention to what they have to say and adjust your budget accordingly.

If you would like to empower your sales team with a platform that stands best for the agent console, check Businesschat.io.

Set Realistic Expectations

Working with a smaller budget can be challenging, mainly if you've dealt with a larger one in the past. But you need to be realistic about your budget. Therefore, you need to set expectations that align with the financial state of your business. In addition, when working on a tight budget, you should define your priorities. Then, you must allocate the most significant part of your budget to the things that matter most. This way, your marketing team will be able to focus on the most critical activities. Then, all you need to do is adjust your projects to the capital you have in hand.

You need to apply these five tips if you aim for a marketing budget that leads your business to real marketing achievements. But what else should you do? Or maybe don't?

Common Mistakes to Avoid for your Marketing Budget

It isn't easy to anticipate the exact sum you'll be spending during an entire year for your marketing budget. Still, you can get the equation right if you avoid these blunders.

Not Aligning with Your Marketing Goals

Simply investing in marketing isn't enough. You should base your spending on a well-defined and targeted strategy. It's time to stop speculating and start planning. Decide on your goals first, then engage with experienced parties to figure out how to achieve them and how much it will cost to do so.

Spending Your Budget in The Wrong Places

It doesn't matter how big your budget is if you spend it in the wrong places. You need to select the correct method on which you spend your money. For example, you shouldn't invest in a channel your customers don't use. If your customers are millennials, they're probably using WhatsApp. So, you should think about starting WhatsApp marketing.

Contact Businesschat.io now to help you activate the solution for your business and start reaching more customers.

It can be tempting to choose strategies with a high price tag. However, if your money is limited, it's a good idea to think about a more cost-effective approach to attain your goals.

Not Planning Early Enough

It takes time and effort to set goals and pave the route to achieve them. So, start planning your budget 4-6 months before the new year. This step ensures that you have ample time to align your marketing budget with your strategy.

Failing to Evaluate and Adjust

Keep track of your return on investment by setting a monthly and quarterly timeline. The timeline should include touchpoints according to which you assess your budget. It's not at all practical to discover that your Instagram Ads are not bringing you the expected results by the end of the year. Track your budget. For example, if the money you allocated for a particular method is not getting enough ROI, don't hesitate to give it to another technique. It's always time for a good change.

Conclusion

To sum up, your marketing budget is more than a spreadsheet. Your marketing is a pillar that generates massive profits. Strategic distribution of your budget means increased website traffic, conversion rates, and more revenue. Therefore, nailing your marketing budget is about doing the necessary research, preparing the right plans, and following the proper steps.

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