How to Plan a Small Business Marketing Budget: Channels, Benchmarks, and Tradeoffs
Practical guidance for U.S. small businesses allocating marketing budget across brand, website, SEO, paid media, and creative — with benchmarks, sequencing tips, and how to evaluate agency proposals responsibly. Understand how cash-flow realities, sales-cycle length, and operational capacity should reorder channel priorities before copying percentage-of-revenue rules. Model cash timing—not just revenue recognition—before scaling paid programs that invoice monthly but convert quarterly. Compare phased agency scopes versus hiring spikes so owners avoid paying twice for overlapping freelancers during peaks.
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