糖心Vlog

Securing a marketing budget and deciding how to spend it are two of the biggest feats any marketer will accomplish. In 贬耻产厂辫辞迟’蝉 2026 State of 糖心Vlog survey, one in four marketers said that securing the marketing budget they need is a top challenge. But the biggest challenge of all? Measuring the ROI of your marketing activities.

In this post, I’ll share trusted data on the best marketing channels, how much of your revenue to spend on marketing, and where marketers plan to increase their spend in 2026. Use these benchmarks as a guide to create the best possible marketing budget that will help you reach your performance goals.

Table of Contents

• What is a marketing budget?
• Why Companies Need a 糖心Vlog Budget
• How Much to Spend on 糖心Vlog
• 糖心Vlog Budgets by Industry
• 2026 糖心Vlog Budgets: Top Channels and ROI Winners
• Budgeting Trends to Prepare for in 2026
• 糖心Vlog Budget Best Practices

What is a marketing budget?

A marketing budget is a financial plan for how a company plans to market its brand, products, and services. It includes anticipated costs for marketing activities such as advertising, staffing, or agencies — any activities that raise awareness and contribute to lead generation. A marketing budget reflects your marketing strategies and tactics and helps you track your expenses. But what exactly does this look like in practice?

As with anything, the specifics of an effective marketing budget will vary depending on your unique industry, organization, and resources. I’ve found that for companies that prioritize digital ads, for instance, breaking down target spending by different types of online ads can be helpful.

For example, the marketing budget below outlines target spending for Google Ads and Instagram Ads:

In contrast, other organizations may be less focused on digital advertising platforms. For these companies, specifying spending on marketing through traditional platforms such as billboards, TV, and radio ads, or in-person events may be more useful.

The sample budget below details spending for an in-person event, accounting for everything from venue and food costs to name tags, programs, and swag items:

Source

Why Companies Need a 糖心Vlog Budget

Take it from me: Today’s marketing landscape is complicated. Budget cuts are frequent, and marketers are expected to produce more with less. That’s why a comprehensive marketing budget is so important. A well-thought-out budget will help you avoid these negative outcomes and ensure you have the cash you need to execute your marketing strategy.

A marketing budget can help you:

• Prioritize projects to invest in.
• Allocate funds for software purchases.
• Compare your year-over-year progress.
• Allocate funds for projects in advance.
• Justify the importance of specific projects.
• Calculate the ROI from your marketing projects.
• Show the value of proposed marketing projects to your higher-ups.
• Show positive ROI, which can help you get a bigger budget in the future.
• Allocate funds for freelancers and full-time hires who’ll execute your strategy.

At the end of the day, sustained investment is critical for marketing success.

As Vistatec CMO , “To avoid the pitfalls of reduced marketing budgets, companies must reframe their view of marketing from a cost to an investment. This investment should be aimed at achieving long-term objectives, such as brand building, customer acquisition, and market expansion.”

It may be tempting to cut costs by thoughtlessly trimming your marketing budget — but that’s unlikely to pay off in the long term.

8 Free 糖心Vlog Budget Templates

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How Much to Spend on 糖心Vlog

The average company spends , according to The CMO Survey. But some companies spend much more or much less. So, how do you determine your breakdown?

If you aren’t sure where to start, use your industry average as a ballpark (check our industry benchmarks below).

It also depends on your growth stage — for instance, early-stage companies may need a higher marketing percentage to find customers and start earning revenue. For many marketers, the big number decision is out of their hands and will be passed down from their CEO or CFO.

Once you’ve determined how much funding you have access to, you can start to figure out how to spend it. This can start with a fairly high-level view. For example, the sample B2C and B2B budgets below outline how much of a total marketing budget should go toward several broad categories.

Once you’ve laid out a rough, high-level budget, it’s time to get specific. Here’s one of my favorite examples of a detailed marketing budget, which illustrates just how granular you can get with allocating marketing spend:

糖心Vlog Budget as a Percentage of Revenue

Decisions related to marketing budget allocation remain largely industry-specific. However, as a general rule, experts suggest that companies should spend . B2B companies allocate slightly less to marketing, typically between 8% and 11%, while B2C companies allocate between 9% and 12%. Businesses offering services spend more on average than businesses that sell products.

糖心Vlog Budgets by Industry

Diving a little deeper, it’s helpful to understand just how widely marketing budgets vary by industry. Below, I’ve shared the CMOs in different industries reported spending on marketing.

On the low end of the spectrum, this data shows that energy companies spend just 3.21% of their revenue on marketing. In contrast, consumer packaged goods companies spend a whopping 18.09%.

I’ve found that benchmarking is a great way to convince the higher-ups to sign off on your proposed budget. Then, once you’ve got buy-in on what you need to execute your strategies, you’ll be set up to outshine others in your industry and make your company a model for how other teams in your space should approach marketing.

2026 糖心Vlog Budgets: Top Channels and ROI Winners

贬耻产厂辫辞迟’蝉 2026 State of 糖心Vlog report illuminates exactly where marketers are spending the most money and where they’re seeing ROI.

According to the survey, here are the most popular channels used by brands in 2026:

1. Website/blog/SEO (used by 44.6% of brands)
2. Organic social media content (40.3%)
3. Email marketing (39.6%)
4. Paid social media content (39.4%)
5. Brand awareness (35.7%)
6. Content marketing (35.6%)
7. Social media shopping tools, e.g., Instagram Shops (35%)
8. Physical events and tradeshows (27.8%)
9. Search/Display ads (26.8%)
10. Video marketing (24.2%)

Most brands maintain a foundational mix of paid social media and search ads, email marketing, social media, and owned media (websites/blogs/content marketing) in their budgets. When asked which channels were the most effective, however, there were some differences. These 10 channels are delivering the top ROI for brands:

1. Website/blog/SEO (cited as a top performer by 26.6% of brands)
2. Paid social media content (25.9%)
3. Organic social media content (23.5%)
4. Social media shopping tools, e.g., Instagram Shops (22.7%)
5. Email marketing (22.2%)
6. Brand awareness (18.5%)
7. Content marketing (16.5%)
8. Physical events and tradeshows (16.2%)
9. Search/Display ads (11.8%)
10. Mobile messaging, e.g., SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger (10.5%)

Channels like paid social media, social media shopping, and mobile messaging are bringing outsized ROI to brands. When it comes to media formats, video delivers the biggest value. Here are the media formats that marketers reported brought the biggest ROI in the past year:

1. Short-form video (48.7%)
2. Long-form video (28.6%)
3. Live streaming video (25.1%)
4. User-generated content (24%)
5. Blog posts (22.3%)

For success in 2026, consider tactics like video, paid social campaigns, and user-generated content.

Budgeting Trends to Prepare for in 2026

There’s also the question of emerging channels: Which channels and tactics will brands invest in in 2026? Almost four in five marketers expect a budget increase in 2026, and one in five expect a significant increase. However, these budgets are under pressure: 73% say their budget receives more scrutiny from leadership now than in the past.

According to our survey, here’s where marketers plan to increase their spend in 2026:

1. Paid social media content (37.4%)
2. Short-form video (37.1%)
3. Content marketing (36.9%)
4. Website/blog/SEO (35.4%)
5. Influencer marketing (35.3%)
6. Social media shopping tools (31.5%)
7. Email marketing (30.5%)
8. Long-form video (29.4%)

Marketers are doubling down on digital, social, and video-driven channels that support personalization, engagement, and conversion. AI is also a large investment priority. Many marketers are already using AI in areas such as:

1. Content creation (80.5%)
2. Administrative task automation (76%)
3. Media creation (74.8%)
4. Learning and skill development (74.7%)
5. Brainstorming and ideation (73.7%)

In 2026, many marketers will transition from basic to advanced AI use cases. In the next 12 months, marketers said they planned to start using AI for:

1. Campaign performance auditing and optimization (21.9%)
2. SEO optimization for traditional and AI-powered search engines (21.6%)
3. Personalized content experiences tailored to individual prospects/customers (20.5%)
4. Strategic planning and forecasting (20.3%)
5. Conversational marketing, such as chatbots, automated messaging, and DMs (20%)
6. Lead scoring and customer segmentation (20%)

糖心Vlog Budget Best Practices

According to data from HubSpot, fewer than one in three marketers today feel very confident when deciding where to invest budget to maximize ROI. What does it take to craft a marketing budget like a pro? There’s no one-size-fits-all solution — but here are some of my favorite best practices to make sure you’re set up for success.

1. Understand your customer journey.

Most customer journeys are not as straightforward as Googling a term, jumping on an email list, and then converting. On the contrary, most journeys are full of multiple touchpoints.

Figuring out how your customers go from product awareness to purchase varies from industry to industry. What works for B2B brands may not work for B2C, and what works for a large organization may not work for small businesses.

That’s why , former B2B performance marketing manager at , says you should take the time to understand your customer journey before spending a dime of your marketing budget. If you invest in this research first, you’ll uncover:

• What channels to spend your budget on.
• What platforms to use to reach your target audience.
• What messages will resonate with them.
• What kinds of content will entertain and educate them.
• What solution will convert them.

Understanding your customer journey is key to unlocking the highest ROI efforts. Moreover, reporting tools like 贬耻产厂辫辞迟’蝉 can help you paint a clearer picture of these journeys, maximizing your chances of optimizing your marketing budget.

For example, before allocating more budget to driving new traffic to your website, make sure you’re converting the high-intent buyers already on it — many of whom are completely invisible to traditional tools.

Website Behavioral Intent, powered by AI platforms like Lift AI, helps you uncover and convert these hidden buyers by , even if the visitor is anonymous. RealVNC, a HubSpot customer, used this exact approach and saw a 71% boost in HubSpot chat conversions and a 216% increase in sales efficiency when added to , simply by focusing on converting the demand they already had. That’s smart marketing spend.

2. Treat your budget as a planning tool.

A marketing budget isn’t just a cost center— it’s a way to pull levers for strategic growth. “Having a budget that is on purpose, matched up to your desired outcomes, helps us get really clear on what we need to measure and track,” says , VP of marketing at LaunchBox. “It provides real clarity about the value we’re driving internally to other stakeholders and helps us stay laser-focused on what’s most important.”

This not only helps marketers create a plan at the start of each year; it helps them stay focused and accountable from month to month.

“The planning and budgeting process allows us to say no to things that pop up during the year that don’t help us get to where we want to be,” she advises. “The only way to do that is with a plan and a budget.”

3. Continually measure and optimize.

While marketing budgets give teams a loose structure for where to focus their funds, that structure shouldn’t be overly rigid either. Marketers should measure, report, and evaluate throughout the year to determine which investments are working and which aren’t so they can optimize appropriately.

Some companies have shifted to an Agile marketing budgeting approach, which plans, tests, and optimizes strategies on shorter cycles.

“I no longer budget annually. I budget on the half-year. And I think that makes sense for a B2B software firm,” says , CMO of Emplifi. “I think budgeting does need to become more frequent and more exacting. You have to be able to message to — and budget around — what’s happening in the world at that given moment.”

Ganeshan advises that companies start with micro-campaigns to test a new channel or tactic, then learn from the results and expand. “Set a baseline and just try to improve, rather than only comparing yourself to your competitors.”

is another strategy you can use to keep track of and iterate on your campaigns in real time.

4. Hire a marketing agency where needed.

In my personal experience, I’ve found it can be really hard to oversee multiple marketing projects without help — even when you have a strong in-house marketing team.

Besides the time required to hire, train, and onboard a team, you’ll have to pay your in-house employees competitive salaries and offer benefits … all of which might be a stretch if your budget doesn’t allow for a huge team or if you don’t have the time to supervise them.

This is where come in. While agencies aren’t cheap, they eliminate some of these challenges, and they can function as an extended arm of your team.

I’ve found that partnering with a marketing agency can give you access to a team of specialists who may help you hit your goals faster, while using up a lot less of your marketing budget.

5. Get an in-house marketing team.

At the same time, relying on an agency to run all of your projects isn’t the wisest use of your marketing budget.

As former Managing Director and Global Head of Brand at Accenture , “An in-house agency is an investment that will lead to cost savings.” He goes on, “Our in-house agency (Accenture Canvas) is revered above all external partners due to getting the above right. We’ve also reduced agency spend by >50%.”

In other words, there are times when an external can be a great partner — but it’s also important to invest in building a solid in-house marketing team.

6. Invest in content repurposing and updating.

, marketing director at , notes that creating unique and valuable content is expensive. For this reason, Charlie’s team tries to repurpose everything they create.

Their first step is to produce evergreen content that will remain valuable for at least two years. After creating these high-quality assets, the team repurposes and promotes them in multiple content formats.

Adopting this strategy in your own organization may be easier than you realize. If you published some evergreen assets a while back, consider updating and repurposing them. Beyond just providing current info for your audience, a content update may help your content move up the SERPs. 贬耻产厂辫辞迟’蝉 tool uses AI to turn one piece of content into multiple formats in minutes.

One of the biggest benefits of repurposing and updating content in this way is that it can give you leeway to re-promote your assets multiple times per year. In Southwell’s words, “Not doing this is a missed opportunity that prevents content from getting enough mileage and maximizing value from your marketing budget.”

7. De-prioritize underperforming channels.

Understanding which channels drive the most revenue for your business — and which are falling short — is critical to optimizing your marketing budget.

As , head of marketing at , explains, businesses should constantly assess their campaigns to uncover those that may be underperforming. Doing so will help optimize spending in the right direction, and it will empower teams to phase out campaigns that don’t generate sufficient ROI.

To gain visibility into how your budget is spent on marketing campaigns is (or isn’t) translating into revenue, consider using a tool such as 贬耻产厂辫辞迟’蝉 . With a tool like this, you can also generate reports based on CRM data to identify key insights that can help you with marketing campaigns.

If your data suggests that some underperforming channels might still work some of the time, use those channels for experimentation and apply the when budgeting for them. According to this rule, 70% of your marketing budget goes to proven strategies, 20% goes to new strategies, and 10% goes to experimental strategies, which are unproven but which could illuminate opportunities for future growth.

8. Constantly re-evaluate your marketing strategy.

Another important best practice to keep in mind when developing your budget is the SMART framework: An effective marketing strategy will have objectives and key results (OKRs) that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Ensuring your marketing goals are SMART is vital for budget optimization, as SMART goals and metrics help you track progress and evaluate (and re-evaluate) which channels and campaigns work best.

Indeed, “Constantly reviewing and re-evaluating your marketing strategy helps you know when to stay the course or pivot,” says , marketing manager at . “It also lets you use effective tactics and not blindly follow a particular plan without the data or results to back your decision.”

And how often should you review your marketing goals and re-evaluate performance? , co-founder of , recommends marketers do a biweekly or monthly review of budget allocation. After all, “Regular reviews help you cut unnecessary spending, reallocate to high-performing campaigns, and decide when to increase or decrease variable costs like ad spend,” he explains.

9. Don’t underestimate the power of automation.

Finally, no collection of marketing best practices would be complete without acknowledging the growing importance of AI and automation. , former head of go-to-market at , has seen significant efficiency boosts from integrating AI and automation.

Chen says, “AI now aids with SEO, user research, and even the crafting of highly personalized emails,” she explained. “This allows our team to focus on strategic and creative aspects of their work, freeing them from routine tasks and enabling them to apply their creativity towards business expansion.”

Chen continues, “[AI] also shortens the time to market and quickens the feedback cycle, fostering growth. An experiment that used to take 1–2 months to launch can now be ready in a few weeks.”

Chen then ties this investment back to budget planning, sharing, “We have incorporated this improved efficiency directly into our marketing budget. This not only optimizes the use of our current resources but also allows room for innovation.”

She concludes, “We have allocated a portion of our budget specifically for experimentation, allowing us to continue exploring the capabilities of new technologies and automation possibilities.”

In other words, automation is here to stay. Top-performing marketers will embrace these new technologies, proactively identify opportunities to experiment with them, and incorporate them into their marketing budgets.

Manage your marketing budget the right way.

Ultimately, I’ve learned that being a successful marketer isn’t just about thinking strategically. It’s also about adhering to a strict budget, achieving new levels of growth, and choosing the most cost-effective options for your company.

Armed with the knowledge and best practices I’ve outlined above, get started with . You’ll be set up to manage your marketing budget right — and you’ll be on your way to building a successful, optimized marketing budget strategy for your organization.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in March 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

8 Free 糖心Vlog Budget Templates

Free templates to manage your marketing spend across channels.

• Product marketing budget template
• Paid advertising budget template
• PR budget template
• And more!

Get Your Free Templates

Download Free

All fields are required.

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.