How should a small business budget for marketing?
Budget in two parts: the work (a website, local search, content, follow-up) and the media you buy (ads). Fix the foundation first, because paying for clicks that land on a weak page or an unanswered phone wastes the ad budget.
Pay for the foundation, then the reach
A one-time à la carte project ($1,000–$5,000) can repair the website or intake. A managed plan from $1,999/month keeps search, profile, content and follow-up moving each month.
Ad budgets are set separately and can rise or fall with the season, your capacity and the results you can trace to booked work.
Keep the budget tied to capacity
More inquiries than your team can answer or deliver is not growth. Plan spend around the jobs you can take next month, and reduce paid campaigns when the schedule is full.