How Much do Small Businesses Spend on Advertising?





Small businesses are spending more on their marketing budget numbers. In fact, advertising expenses have gone up almost 4% in 2023 from the previous two years. Deloitte reports advertising budgets will make up about 13.6% of the total for these enterprises this year.



What is The Average Marketing Budget for a Small Business?

According to Salesforce, B2C companies should spend 15% of their revenue on campaigns. Hubspot reports the average spend for a business was 8.7% of total revenue last year.

What Marketing Costs Need to be taken into Account?

Small businesses have two different marketing and advertising budget costs. These can be subdivided for a target audience that prefers online marketing, or offline small business tools.

Online Advertising Budget

Content marketing is a big part of the efforts that go into a budget. Online advertising costs are different for B2B and B2C businesses.

Digital advertising had an estimated worth of $210 billion by 2022.

Offline Advertising Budget

As you might expect, not everyone has an ad spend geared exclusively toward digital advertising. Traditional advertising also has a role and a budget process to get repeat business.

how much do small businesses spend on advertising



1. Online Advertising: Marketing Budgets for Small Businesses

Last year alone, around $616 billion USD was spent on digital advertising globally. The following are some of the best investments in that space.

Google Ads

This is a fairly simple way to draw in potential customers. It is Google’s online advertising tool. Your business needs to choose keywords that align with your goals. This option is also called Google Adwords.

Social Media Marketing

Simply put this is about creating content that promotes your product and services. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket — many businesses use a variety of platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

Search Engine Optimization

SEO is about optimizing content and websites so they rank on search engines through nonpaid or organic searches. Internal and external links make a difference to land new customers.



Digital Marketing

This is the art of using different online channels to attract customers to your target market. Small business advertising ideas in this space include messages and email marketing. Pay-per-click and content marketing are other choices.

Pay Per Click Advertising

PPC is a strategy whereby advertisers pay when users click on their ads. In 2022, selecting a PPC campaign brought in $2 for every $1 spent.

Facebook Page

These are good tools for small businesses, a smart part of a USA spend. Little things matter to a customer base here. A profile picture should be a headshot for a freelancer. Adopt social media statistics to gauge the campaigns.

Email Marketing

Small businesses generally spend somewhere between $9 dollars to $1,000 a month on this strategy. Places like Mailchimp offer A/B testing.



TikTok Advertising

TikTok advertising is a competitive landscape. This advertising for business offers instant forms that load faster than landing pages. A recent survey found 24% of professionals use this to increase sales.

Amazon Advertising

One of the big tips to be successful and make more money with Amazon advertising is to craft clear product detail pages. These are good marketing investments.

Content Marketing

This is one of the more popular methods for good reason. Two out of three consumers like branded content better than conventional advertising. These types of online ads are all about sharing social media posts, blogs, articles, and videos. Hire freelancers here to save on your marketing strategy.



2. Offline Advertising: How Much Small Businesses Spend

This is any technique that is used to increase brand awareness that’s not Internet-based. Last year the spend on print ads and other mediums was $207.6 Billion.

Local Newspapers

A business should consider ads in local papers. Images need to line up with each other. This can be an effective omnichannel strategy that includes social media platforms.

Trade Publications

These publications are an excellent place for strategy development if you’re looking to boost sales with limited funds. Here’s a resource guide to get started.

Business Cards



Taking advantage of print mediums for better sales can include business cards. Consistency is key. Use the same logo on the card and in other areas like your website for these marketing campaigns.

The Average Marketing Budget of Small Businesses by Industry

Any successful advertising spend varies by industry. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the costs involved and marketing methods. Businesses allocated 8.7% of their revenue to marketing last year.

  • Real estate agents and brokers spend about 3.84%.
  • Furniture stores about 4%.
  • Beverage production is about 2.73%
  • Restaurants and other dining establishments 1.93%

What Factors Would Decide The Marketing Budget for a Small Business?

Any business plan needs to incorporate a marketing budget. Here are a few things that you need to include.

  1. Alignment is important. That means that you should have goals that align with marketing and sales.
  2. The age of your company is one of the other factors that you need to look at. Startups rarely have enough money to do everything, but they need to market.
  3. The metrics you use make a difference. That depends on the industry or any accounting methods that you employ.

How Much Do Small Businesses Spend on Advertising and Marketing?

Adopting a good plan means understanding some numbers.



How Much Does Advertising Cost for Small Businesses?

The US small business administration recommends 7% or 8% of gross sales.

The average size of the marketing budget of small enterprises

Ten to fifty thousand dollars.

Average Advertising Costs for Small Businesses

If the business makes $100,00 annually, the budget should be $7000 to $8000 dollars.

Why do small businesses need advertising?

To reach potential customers.



Common Small Business Marketing Budget Costs

Here are a few costs that should be included.

Website Design Development

For 8 to 16 pages you’ll pay $2000 to $9000.

Online ad costs: how much does it cost to advertise on Google?

The average is $2.32 per click.

Content Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

In the USA, you’ll pay $100 to $250 per hour for this service.



What types of advertising does a small business owner need to focus on?

A combination works well that includes email marketing, search ads, and flyers and brochures.

Entrepreneur Insights on a Good Marketing Budget for Small Businesses

Following are a few more insights that can make a difference. Here are some expert insights on digital marketing tools you can use.

Want to invest more in your marketing efforts?

Knowing your competitors and audience helps.

Online advertising costs infographics

Design services cost $30 to $120 per hour.



Content ? marketing (texts, photos, videos)

You can spend up to $10,000 a month.

Mobile Ads

These can appear on websites and apps.

Set Growth Goals

Use small business SEO statistics as references.

Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)

Company size makes a big difference to cost. There are many advertising marketing channels that offer this option.

How much does email marketing cost?

The average cost is $300 to $500 per month.

The Bottom Line: How Much Should a Small Business Advertising Budget Be?

A good benchmark from SalesForce is 10% to 20 % of your gross income.

Advertising Spend FAQs

How Much Should a Small Business Spend on Advertising?

You should split the cost into different stages through the sales funnel.

How Much do Small Businesses Spend on Marketing per Year?

Some estimates are as high as $180,000 per year.

How Much Does Advertising Cost for a Small Business per Month?

The average is 8.7% of company revenue in 2022.

How Much do Startup Companies Spend on Advertising?

These numbers are higher. Startup statistics report that spend 30% to 50% of their advertising funds.

Should Small Business Owners Spend Money on Online Advertising?

Yes, it drives growth.

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Rob Starr Rob Starr is a staff writer for Small Business Trends. Rob is a freelance journalist and content strategist/manager with three decades of experience in both print and online writing. He currently works in New York City as a copywriter and all across North America for a variety of editing and writing enterprises.

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