SMB Marketing Budget & CAC Calculator
Answer four questions and get a defensible monthly marketing budget range, an industry-typical channel split, and a CAC payback estimate. Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is sent to us.
Approximately 8–12% of monthly revenue for a home services (hvac, roofing, plumbing, electrical) business targeting 20% growth. Midpoint: $5,000/mo.
- Local SEO & Google Business Profile25% · $1,000–$1,500
- Google Ads + Local Services Ads35% · $1,400–$2,100
- Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram)15% · $600–$900
- Content & Landing Pages10% · $400–$600
- Reviews & CRO15% · $600–$900
At midpoint budget and your current CAC.
Assumes ~$220/mo gross contribution per customer (industry typical).
These ranges are planning benchmarks synthesized from CMO Survey, Deloitte, HubSpot, and Gartner spend-as-percent-of-revenue data plus SkyBlue engagements. Every business is different — for a numbers-back plan built on your actual pipeline, request a free growth audit.
Want this stress-tested against your pipeline?
We'll audit your funnel, CAC, and channel efficiency and hand you a custom plan.
Frequently asked
How much should a small business spend on marketing?
Most SMBs spend 5–12% of revenue on marketing to maintain share, and 12–25% to grow aggressively. The right number depends on industry margin, sales-cycle length, and how much of your revenue depends on new-customer acquisition versus repeat business.
How is CAC payback calculated here?
Payback = current CAC divided by an industry-typical monthly gross contribution per customer. It's a planning benchmark, not an accounting figure. For a precise number, use your own average order value × gross margin × repeat rate.
Where do the channel-mix percentages come from?
They're SkyBlue's synthesis of what performs for a typical business in each vertical — informed by public benchmarks (CMO Survey, HubSpot, Gartner) and hundreds of local-SMB engagements. Treat them as a starting hypothesis to test, not a fixed prescription.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. The only data that leaves your device is the inputs you choose to encode in the URL when you share the results.
Does this include internal salary, tools, or agency fees?
The recommended range is total marketing spend — including agency/consultant fees, ad spend, tools, and content production. It does not include full-time-employee salary unless you count marketing hires in your marketing P&L.
Ready to build the systems behind growth?
Book a complimentary 30-minute strategy call. We'll discuss your goals, current marketing, and where technology can unlock the next stage of growth.