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Where should my next £1,000 of marketing go?

Put your next £1,000 where you can see what it brings: fix the gaps that lose enquiries first, such as missing tracking, a website that does not turn visitors into enquiries or no Google Business Profile, then fund the channel with the shortest path to a customer. This planner splits your £1,000 that way for a business like yours. You get the split, the reason for each line and a range of leads to expect.

A line-by-line split of your budget
Why each line is there
Leads to expect, as a range

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Your business

What you want more of

Your monthly budget

Change it to plan any amount.

What you already have

A website that turns visitors into enquiriesA Google Business Profile20+ recent Google reviewsTracking that shows which ads bring enquiriesA list of past customers to email

Your plan for £1,000

Fix your website and your tracking first, then put the most into Google Ads (search): about 8–26 enquiries a month.

£1,000a month

Fix the website so visitors get in touch20%
Set up conversion tracking10%
Google Ads (search)65%
A review request routine5%

8–26Enquiries a month

£38–£125Cost per result

Fix the website so visitors get in touchone-off£200
If most visitors leave without getting in touch, every pound of ads loses most of its value. Fix this first.
Set up conversion trackingone-off£100
Without tracking you cannot tell which pound worked, so you cannot move money to what does.

In your full report

Google Ads (search): why, and what it brings
A review request routine: why, and what it brings

Rather have a person look at it? We will go through your numbers with you on a free 30-minute call.

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How do you split a small marketing budget?

Start with what wastes money, not with the channel you like best. If you cannot see which pound brought which enquiry, or your website loses most visitors, every channel you add inherits the leak.

Then put most of the rest into the channel nearest to a sale. For a local business that is usually Google search ads, because the person searching already wants what you sell. With £1,000, no tracking and a site that does not convert, the planner puts £100 into tracking, £200 into the website and £700 into Google Ads.

Fix tracking and the website first.
Claim your Google Business Profile and ask every customer for a review.
Put the largest share into the channel nearest to a sale.
Keep every line above its smallest useful month.
Move money each month towards the lines that bring enquiries.

What is the minimum monthly budget for each marketing channel?

Every channel has a level below which it cannot learn or be seen. A £40 month of Google Ads buys a handful of clicks, too few to tell a good search from a bad one.

When a line falls below its minimum, the planner hands that money to the strongest line instead. A B2B firm with £1,000 ends up with all of it in Google Ads, because its £400 LinkedIn share is below the £600 LinkedIn needs.

Smallest useful month by channel
Channel	Smallest useful month
Google Ads (search)	£300
Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram)	£200
SEO	£400
Local SEO and Google Maps	£250
LinkedIn Ads	£600
Content and blog posts	£150
Email to past customers	£50
A review request routine	£50
Conversion tracking set-up (one-off)	£100
Website fix so visitors get in touch (one-off)	£150

Typical UK figures for 2026, the ones the planner uses. Not quotes.

What should £1,000 a month of marketing bring in?

It depends on what a lead costs in your sector, and that can be seven times higher for a B2B firm than for a café. At typical UK costs, £1,000 split across Google Ads, local SEO and Meta ads brings a local service business roughly 14–48 enquiries a month.

The range is wide on purpose. The low end is a weak month in a busy market; the high end needs a site that converts well and cheaper clicks. Your own figures after two or three months replace both.

Typical UK cost per enquiry from Google Ads, by type of business
Type of business	Cost per enquiry
Local services	£25–£80
Trades	£15–£60
Online shops (per sale)	£15–£45
B2B	£60–£220
Hospitality	£8–£30
Professional services	£40–£150

Typical UK ranges for 2026, used by the planner. Not quotes or measurements of your account.

Common mistakes when setting a marketing budget

The most common is spreading a small budget across every channel, so none gets enough to work. The second is judging SEO in its first months, while it is still building the base it will earn from later.

The third is never moving money. A plan is a starting point; once tracking shows which line brings enquiries at the lowest cost, that line should get more.

Five channels on £1,000 a month.
Ads sent to a website that does not convert.
No tracking, so no way to tell what worked.
Judging SEO before month four.
Ignoring past customers, the cheapest sale you can make.

How the tool works

Pick your type of business and what you want more of.
Tick what you already have: a website that converts, a Google Business Profile, reviews, ads running.
The planner fixes the cheapest gaps first, then puts the rest into the channel with the shortest path to a sale for your type of business.
Each line says why it is there and what it should bring back, as a range.

How Scale Oxford helps

Want us to plan and run the split for you?

We look at your numbers, set up the tracking and fix the gaps the planner finds first. Then we run the channels that suit your business and move the money each month towards what brings enquiries.

We check your tracking, website and Google Business Profile before any ad money goes out.
We build the channel plan from your own costs per enquiry, not national averages.
We report each month on what every line brought in and where the money moves next.

Book a free call See our pricing

Case study · BoConceptScale Oxford brought the cost of each online sale from Google Ads down by 43% for BoConcept. The account was counting some sales twice and missing others, so Google was bidding on the wrong numbers. We fixed the tracking before touching a single bid.↓ 43%Lower cost per sale↑ 81%Higher return on ad spend↑ 162%More revenue from Google AdsRead the case study →

Questions people ask

What is the best way to spend £1,000 a month on marketing?

Fix what would waste the rest first. If you cannot tell which ads bring enquiries, the planner puts £100 into tracking; if your website turns few visitors into enquiries, it puts about a fifth of the budget into fixing it. The rest goes to the channels that reach people already looking for what you sell. To work out how much to spend in the first place, use our marketing budget calculator.

Why does the planner put money into my website or Google profile before ads?

Ads send people to your site and your Google listing. If those lose most visitors, every pound of ads loses most of its value. Fixing them first usually raises what the same ad budget returns.

Are the lead numbers a promise?

No. They are ranges from typical UK costs per click and conversion rates for each type of business. Your own figures will differ; the planner says which assumptions it used so you can check them.

Can I plan more than £1,000?

Yes. Type any monthly amount and the split scales, with a minimum per channel so no line is too small to work.

Should a small business spend on ads or SEO first?

For most small businesses, ads first and SEO alongside. Search ads can bring enquiries in the first weeks, while SEO usually takes three to six months to start paying back. Running both means ads cover the wait and SEO lowers the cost per enquiry later.

How often should I change my marketing budget split?

Review it monthly, but only move money once a line has had a fair run: about two to three months for ads and four to six for SEO. Moving money every week reacts to noise rather than results.

What is a reasonable cost per lead for a small business?

One that leaves a profit after winning the customer. If one in four enquiries becomes a customer worth £800 in profit, you can pay up to £200 per enquiry and break even. UK local service businesses typically pay £25–£80 per enquiry from Google Ads.

Should my website be part of the marketing budget?

Yes, if it is losing enquiries. A fix to the contact form, the calls to action and the page speed is paid once and raises what every later pound of ads returns. The planner gives it a slice only when you say your site does not convert.

Do I need an agency to spend £1,000 a month on marketing?

No. At £1,000 a month many owners run one channel themselves, such as Google Ads or their Google Business Profile. An agency makes sense when its fee is small next to the spend it manages, or when your own time is worth more elsewhere.

How do I know which channel brought an enquiry?

Set up conversion tracking: Google Ads and GA4 can count form sends and calls, and tagged links show which email or post sent someone. Asking every new customer how they found you fills the gaps tracking misses, such as word of mouth.

What should I do with a marketing budget under £500 a month?

Put it into the free basics and one channel. A complete Google Business Profile, a review request after every job and a contact page that works cost little or nothing. Then pick the one channel nearest a sale; Google search ads need about £300 a month to learn anything.