Two different kinds of cost get called "marketing budget," and confusing them is why owners cannot tell whether it works. Here is the split, and what each part buys.
Module 5 of the Castells Media academy for contractors: Marketing basics.
Two costs, not one
Who should own the ad account
The three things marketing has to do, in order
Why "leads" alone is the wrong number
What a budget cannot buy
What a booked job actually cost you. Compare that with what you keep from a job. If a job leaves you $200, this month lost money; if it leaves you $900, it made money. That single comparison decides the budget, and almost nobody runs it.
Do this next: Ask whoever runs your marketing for two separate numbers this month: what went to the platforms, and what went to the work. If they cannot separate them, that is the first thing to fix.
Written by Castells Media, a marketing agency at 1298 Antelope Creek Drive, Roseville, California, working with home service businesses across the US.
Castells Media Inc, 1298 Antelope Creek Drive, Roseville, California