How to Build a Marketing Budget for Your BC Small Business
Practical guide to creating an effective marketing budget for small and medium businesses in British Columbia.
By Ali Sedighi, MBA · June 1, 2025
Building a marketing budget is one of the most important financial decisions a BC small business owner makes. Too little investment and growth stalls. Too much and cash flow suffers.
A practical approach to marketing budgeting includes: 1. Start with revenue percentage (typically 5-15% for SMBs) 2. Allocate based on channel performance and potential 3. Include both fixed costs (tools, software) and variable costs (ad spend) 4. Reserve 20% for testing new channels and strategies 5. Build in measurement and tracking infrastructure 6. Review monthly and adjust based on ROI data
For most BC service businesses, a marketing budget of 8-12% of revenue provides sufficient investment for steady growth while maintaining profitability.
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Written and reviewed by Ali Sedighi, MBA, founder and principal of Vancouver.Agency. Content is updated regularly to reflect current best practices and market conditions.