Marketing Budget Calculator
What actually reaches media after people and tools.
Marketing budget
$144,000
$100,800 of it is media
Only 70% of the budget reaches media once people and tools are paid. Budgets set as a percentage of revenue routinely forget that, and the performance team ends up with a fraction of what was announced.
How the Marketing Budget Calculator works
Only a fraction of a marketing budget reaches media once people and tools are paid. Budgets set as a percentage of revenue routinely forget that, and the performance team ends up with far less than the headline number suggested.
Not financial advice. Marketplace fees change, and they vary by country, plan and seller status. Every rate here is an editable default, not a quoted price — check the platform's current fee schedule before you price a product against it. This is not tax or business advice.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of revenue should go to marketing?
Ecommerce commonly runs 7% to 15% of revenue, higher during growth phases. The right figure follows from contribution margin and growth ambition, not from a benchmark.
How should I split brand and performance?
Performance produces measurable near-term sales; brand makes performance cheaper over time by raising the baseline. Long-run evidence points to a majority on brand for established businesses, though most ecommerce runs the opposite way.
Do salaries count as marketing budget?
They are marketing cost, and any ROI calculation should include them. Whether they sit inside the budget line is an accounting choice; excluding them from ROI is a mistake.
How do I budget during a downturn?
Cutting performance spend cuts sales immediately; cutting brand spend cuts sales later, which is why it gets cut first and why the effect surprises people the following year.