Free tool ยท Budget reality check
What will it really take
to hit your revenue goal?
Enter your revenue goal, what a customer is worth, and what you plan to spend. We check your numbers against real ad benchmarks and tell you straight whether the math works. No email required.
What will it really taketo hit your revenue goal?
Answer 4 quick questions about your goal and your budget. We check your numbers against real ad benchmarks and tell you straight whether the math works, and what it would take if it does not.
How much new revenue do you want to add this year?
New sales from marketing, on top of what you already make.
Enter a revenue goal to continue.
What is a typical new customer worth to you in their first year?
What one customer usually pays you in their first 12 months.
Enter an amount, or choose I don’t know.
How much do you plan to spend on ads each month?
Ad spend only, not what you pay someone to run them.
Enter an amount, or choose I don’t have an ad budget yet.
Where do you plan to spend it?
Not sure is fine.
| Channel | Cost per lead | Monthly ad spend needed |
|---|
Estimates use industry-wide averages: Google Ads $70.11 per lead and Meta $27.66 per lead (WordStream by LocaliQ, 2025 benchmarks), LinkedIn $202 per lead (Metadata 2026 B2B Paid Media Benchmark), and 3 to 6 of every 100 leads becoming customers, based on B2B pipeline research. Your numbers will differ. Ad spend excludes the cost of someone to run the ads. SEO and content are not included because they usually take months to start producing leads.
How this works
Four numbers,
one honest answer.
Most marketing budgets are set by guessing. This calculator works backward from the result you want instead:
- Customers needed. Your revenue goal divided by what one customer is worth in their first year.
- Leads needed. Assumes 3 to 6 of every 100 leads become customers, based on B2B pipeline research.
- Cost per lead. Industry averages for the channel you pick.
- Monthly ad spend. Leads needed times cost per lead, spread over 12 months, compared with what you plan to spend.
Meta ads
$27.66
Average cost per lead on Facebook and Instagram, per WordStream 2025 benchmarks.
Google Ads
$70.11
Average cost per lead on Google search ads, per WordStream by LocaliQ 2025 benchmarks.
LinkedIn ads
$202
Median cost per lead for B2B advertisers, per the Metadata 2026 B2B Paid Media Benchmark.
The numbers are averages, not promises. Strong offers and good follow-up beat them, and weak ones fall short. Use the result as a reality check before you commit a budget.
What your result means
Five possible answers,
and what to do with each.
- Realistic. Your budget covers the goal even at a typical close rate. Focus on execution.
- Realistic, if you convert well. The math only works if your sales process beats average. Fix follow-up before you spend.
- Stretch. You are short, but within reach. Raise the budget or adjust the goal.
- Not realistic. The gap is too big for budget changes alone. The plan itself needs to change.
- Missing a key number. You need to know what a customer is worth before any budget can be judged.
Not sure who should run the campaigns once you have a budget? Try the do it yourself or hire assessment.
FAQ
Questions owners ask
before they set a budget.
How much should a small business spend on marketing?
A common rule of thumb comes from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which has suggested about 7 to 8 percent of revenue for businesses doing under $5 million a year with net margins around 10 to 12 percent. That is a starting point. Working backward from a revenue goal, like this calculator does, tells you what your specific goal actually needs.
Why does the calculator ask what a customer is worth?
Because it decides everything else. A $500,000 goal takes 50 customers at $10,000 each, or 500 customers at $1,000 each, and those need very different budgets. If you do not know this number, start there before you spend anything.
Where do the cost per lead numbers come from?
Google Ads ($70.11) and Meta ($27.66) come from WordStream by LocaliQ 2025 advertising benchmarks. LinkedIn ($202) comes from the Metadata 2026 B2B Paid Media Benchmark. They are industry-wide averages, so your real costs may be higher or lower.
Does the ad spend include agency or freelancer fees?
No. The calculator only covers the money you pay the ad platforms. Paying someone to set up and run your campaigns is a separate cost on top of that.
Why is SEO not included?
SEO and content usually take months before they produce steady leads, so they rarely help hit a goal for this year. They are worth investing in for the long term, just not as the plan for this year’s number.
What should I do if my result says not realistic?
You have four levers: raise the budget, lower or stretch out the goal, increase what each customer is worth, or improve how many leads turn into customers. Change one number at a time and rerun the calculator to see which lever moves your result most.
Do I need to give my email to see my result?
No. Your result shows on this page as soon as you answer the last question.
Your next step
Want someone to check
the numbers with you?
Try our other free tools to decide whether to do it yourself or hire help, or to find the channel to start with. Have a question? Get in touch.