B2B Marketing Budget Benchmarks by Industry from Earnest (2024)

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B2B Marketing Budget Benchmarks by Industry fromEarnest (1)

The Magic Number

Opinions vary as to how much of your revenue you should spend on marketing.

The CMO Survey: Fall 2019 Report from Deloitte found organisations are, on average, spending 9.8% of their revenue on marketing and 12% of their total company budget.

Whilst Gartner’s Annual CMO Spend Survey 2019-2020 puts that figure higher, with 10.5% of overall revenue going to marketing.

And this figure changes again when you compare industries.

Different industries, different budgets

Since 2017, people working in Education, Consumer Services, Consumer Packaged Goods or Transportation typically spend 11% or more of the company’s revenue on marketing.

B2B Marketing Budget Benchmarks by Industry fromEarnest (2)

***

[Header photo:Sharon McCutcheononUnsplash]

The Magic Number
9-10% of company revenue is the average amount allocated to marketing spend, although it varies by industry

Who gets the bigger slice of pie?
Both B2B and B2C are seeing budgets increase and spend in similar ways, but B2C gets the bigger slice of pie

Let’s get digital
Everyone is shifting focus to spend more on digital and, in the B2B marketing space, spend has increased to over 11%

Sources:
Wall Street Journal
CMO Survey Report of Fall 2019 from Deloitte
Gartner Annual CMO Spend Survey 2019-2020
CMO Survey Highlights and Insights Report 2017

***

[Header photo:Sharon McCutcheononUnsplash]

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

So in summary:

The Magic Number
9-10% of company revenue is the average amount allocated to marketing spend, although it varies by industry

Who gets the bigger slice of pie?
Both B2B and B2C are seeing budgets increase and spend in similar ways, but B2C gets the bigger slice of pie

Let’s get digital
Everyone is shifting focus to spend more on digital and, in the B2B marketing space, spend has increased to over 11%

Sources:
Wall Street Journal
CMO Survey Report of Fall 2019 from Deloitte
Gartner Annual CMO Spend Survey 2019-2020
CMO Survey Highlights and Insights Report 2017

***

[Header photo:Sharon McCutcheononUnsplash]

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

Although B2B marketers have less share for their budget, both spend their funds in similar ways.

Let’s get digital

When it comes to media spend traditional media has stabilised or dropped, while digital marketing spend rises – no real surprises there then.

Although the greatest change in digital spend is for B2C services, B2B is not far behind with digital spend increasing by over 11% across the board.

Percent change in traditional advertising vs. digital marketing spend


TraditionalDigital
B2B Product0.58%11.43%
B2B Services-0.87%11.06%
B2C Product-2.34%11.95%
B2C Services3.38%14.47%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

So in summary:

The Magic Number
9-10% of company revenue is the average amount allocated to marketing spend, although it varies by industry

Who gets the bigger slice of pie?
Both B2B and B2C are seeing budgets increase and spend in similar ways, but B2C gets the bigger slice of pie

Let’s get digital
Everyone is shifting focus to spend more on digital and, in the B2B marketing space, spend has increased to over 11%

Sources:
Wall Street Journal
CMO Survey Report of Fall 2019 from Deloitte
Gartner Annual CMO Spend Survey 2019-2020
CMO Survey Highlights and Insights Report 2017

***

[Header photo:Sharon McCutcheononUnsplash]

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

Marketing spending as percent of company revenues

B2B Product10.3%
B2B Services11.0%
B2C Product15.5%
B2C Services14.6%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

Although B2B marketers have less share for their budget, both spend their funds in similar ways.

Let’s get digital

When it comes to media spend traditional media has stabilised or dropped, while digital marketing spend rises – no real surprises there then.

Although the greatest change in digital spend is for B2C services, B2B is not far behind with digital spend increasing by over 11% across the board.

Percent change in traditional advertising vs. digital marketing spend


TraditionalDigital
B2B Product0.58%11.43%
B2B Services-0.87%11.06%
B2C Product-2.34%11.95%
B2C Services3.38%14.47%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

So in summary:

The Magic Number
9-10% of company revenue is the average amount allocated to marketing spend, although it varies by industry

Who gets the bigger slice of pie?
Both B2B and B2C are seeing budgets increase and spend in similar ways, but B2C gets the bigger slice of pie

Let’s get digital
Everyone is shifting focus to spend more on digital and, in the B2B marketing space, spend has increased to over 11%

Sources:
Wall Street Journal
CMO Survey Report of Fall 2019 from Deloitte
Gartner Annual CMO Spend Survey 2019-2020
CMO Survey Highlights and Insights Report 2017

***

[Header photo:Sharon McCutcheononUnsplash]

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

In short, marketers in both B2B and B2C are seeing their budgets grow, but B2C is still receives more – both in terms of percentage of overall revenue and budget.

Excluding B2C Services, marketing budgets for both B2B and B2C are growing across the board. But B2B marketing still receives a lower percentage of overall budget and less marketing spend percentage of company revenues.

Marketing budget as percent of firm budget

B2B Product8.6%
B2B Services8.7%
B2C Product9.8%
B2C Services15.6%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

Marketing spending as percent of company revenues

B2B Product10.3%
B2B Services11.0%
B2C Product15.5%
B2C Services14.6%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

Although B2B marketers have less share for their budget, both spend their funds in similar ways.

Let’s get digital

When it comes to media spend traditional media has stabilised or dropped, while digital marketing spend rises – no real surprises there then.

Although the greatest change in digital spend is for B2C services, B2B is not far behind with digital spend increasing by over 11% across the board.

Percent change in traditional advertising vs. digital marketing spend


TraditionalDigital
B2B Product0.58%11.43%
B2B Services-0.87%11.06%
B2C Product-2.34%11.95%
B2C Services3.38%14.47%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

So in summary:

The Magic Number
9-10% of company revenue is the average amount allocated to marketing spend, although it varies by industry

Who gets the bigger slice of pie?
Both B2B and B2C are seeing budgets increase and spend in similar ways, but B2C gets the bigger slice of pie

Let’s get digital
Everyone is shifting focus to spend more on digital and, in the B2B marketing space, spend has increased to over 11%

Sources:
Wall Street Journal
CMO Survey Report of Fall 2019 from Deloitte
Gartner Annual CMO Spend Survey 2019-2020
CMO Survey Highlights and Insights Report 2017

***

[Header photo:Sharon McCutcheononUnsplash]

Source: The CMO Survey – Highlights and Insights Report 2017, Deloitte

Who gets the bigger slice of pie?

We know marketing budgets differ by industries but what happens when we compare B2B marketing with B2C?

Percent change in marketing budgets


Past 12 MonthsNext 12 Months
B2B Product3.2%7.1%
B2B Services8.3%10.1%
B2C Product4.5%7.5%
B2C Services11.9%11.1%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

In short, marketers in both B2B and B2C are seeing their budgets grow, but B2C is still receives more – both in terms of percentage of overall revenue and budget.

Excluding B2C Services, marketing budgets for both B2B and B2C are growing across the board. But B2B marketing still receives a lower percentage of overall budget and less marketing spend percentage of company revenues.

Marketing budget as percent of firm budget

B2B Product8.6%
B2B Services8.7%
B2C Product9.8%
B2C Services15.6%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

Marketing spending as percent of company revenues

B2B Product10.3%
B2B Services11.0%
B2C Product15.5%
B2C Services14.6%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

Although B2B marketers have less share for their budget, both spend their funds in similar ways.

Let’s get digital

When it comes to media spend traditional media has stabilised or dropped, while digital marketing spend rises – no real surprises there then.

Although the greatest change in digital spend is for B2C services, B2B is not far behind with digital spend increasing by over 11% across the board.

Percent change in traditional advertising vs. digital marketing spend


TraditionalDigital
B2B Product0.58%11.43%
B2B Services-0.87%11.06%
B2C Product-2.34%11.95%
B2C Services3.38%14.47%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

So in summary:

The Magic Number
9-10% of company revenue is the average amount allocated to marketing spend, although it varies by industry

Who gets the bigger slice of pie?
Both B2B and B2C are seeing budgets increase and spend in similar ways, but B2C gets the bigger slice of pie

Let’s get digital
Everyone is shifting focus to spend more on digital and, in the B2B marketing space, spend has increased to over 11%

Sources:
Wall Street Journal
CMO Survey Report of Fall 2019 from Deloitte
Gartner Annual CMO Spend Survey 2019-2020
CMO Survey Highlights and Insights Report 2017

***

[Header photo:Sharon McCutcheononUnsplash]

Source: The CMO Survey – Highlights and Insights Report 2017, Deloitte

And when we take a look at marketing budgets as percentages of a company’s overall budget, those in the Consumer Packaged Good sector allocate almost a full quarter of theirs, whilst the Consumer Services and Tech Software/Biotech industries allocate 15%, and Communications/Media and Mining/Construction each put 13%.

B2B Marketing Budget Benchmarks by Industry fromEarnest (3)

Source: The CMO Survey – Highlights and Insights Report 2017, Deloitte

Who gets the bigger slice of pie?

We know marketing budgets differ by industries but what happens when we compare B2B marketing with B2C?

Percent change in marketing budgets


Past 12 MonthsNext 12 Months
B2B Product3.2%7.1%
B2B Services8.3%10.1%
B2C Product4.5%7.5%
B2C Services11.9%11.1%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

In short, marketers in both B2B and B2C are seeing their budgets grow, but B2C is still receives more – both in terms of percentage of overall revenue and budget.

Excluding B2C Services, marketing budgets for both B2B and B2C are growing across the board. But B2B marketing still receives a lower percentage of overall budget and less marketing spend percentage of company revenues.

Marketing budget as percent of firm budget

B2B Product8.6%
B2B Services8.7%
B2C Product9.8%
B2C Services15.6%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

Marketing spending as percent of company revenues

B2B Product10.3%
B2B Services11.0%
B2C Product15.5%
B2C Services14.6%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

Although B2B marketers have less share for their budget, both spend their funds in similar ways.

Let’s get digital

When it comes to media spend traditional media has stabilised or dropped, while digital marketing spend rises – no real surprises there then.

Although the greatest change in digital spend is for B2C services, B2B is not far behind with digital spend increasing by over 11% across the board.

Percent change in traditional advertising vs. digital marketing spend


TraditionalDigital
B2B Product0.58%11.43%
B2B Services-0.87%11.06%
B2C Product-2.34%11.95%
B2C Services3.38%14.47%

Source: CMO Survey August 2019

So in summary:

The Magic Number
9-10% of company revenue is the average amount allocated to marketing spend, although it varies by industry

Who gets the bigger slice of pie?
Both B2B and B2C are seeing budgets increase and spend in similar ways, but B2C gets the bigger slice of pie

Let’s get digital
Everyone is shifting focus to spend more on digital and, in the B2B marketing space, spend has increased to over 11%

Sources:
Wall Street Journal
CMO Survey Report of Fall 2019 from Deloitte
Gartner Annual CMO Spend Survey 2019-2020
CMO Survey Highlights and Insights Report 2017

***

[Header photo:Sharon McCutcheononUnsplash]

B2B Marketing Budget Benchmarks by Industry from Earnest (2024)

FAQs

What is the benchmark for B2B marketing spend? ›

Marketing Budget as a Percentage of Revenue

As a general rule of thumb, B2B companies should spend between 2-5% of their revenue on marketing, and B2C companies sit a little higher at 5-10%.

What is a typical B2B marketing budget? ›

If you aren't sure where to start, consider these B2B budget benchmarks: Gartner says the average B2B marketing budget is about 11.2% of a company's revenue. BDC reveals B2B companies should spend 2-5% of their revenue on marketing.

How do you allocate a B2B marketing budget? ›

Break your budget into clear categories: content, email marketing, operations, social media, SEO, ads, events, and admin. This simplifies tracking and resource allocation. Efficiency is key. Distribute funds based on goals, strategy, and expected impact.

How to benchmark marketing ROI B2B? ›

While the ideal B2B content marketing ROI varies, the baseline is a minimum of 100%. Surpassing this figure means your content initiative generated more revenue than it cost. Below 100%? You've overspent.

What is benchmarking in B2B marketing? ›

Here are some B2B benchmarks for lead generation: 86% of B2B marketers use their website as a prospect communication channel. 38% of B2B marketers state that email marketing is their top lead generation channel. 33% of B2B marketers state that search engine optimization (SEO) is their top lead generation channel.

What is a good conversion rate for B2B marketing? ›

What is a Good Conversion Rate for B2B? An acceptable average conversion rate should be somewhere between 2%-5%. The ideal conversion rate for some industries could be around 10% or more. Conversion rates vary based on your industry and which product or service your company is selling.

What is a reasonable marketing budget? ›

In the simplest terms, your marketing budget should be a percentage of your revenue. A common rule of thumb is that B2B companies should spend between 2 and 5% of their revenue on marketing. For B2C companies, the proportion is often higher—between 5 and 10%.

What is the marketing budget for B2B vs B2C? ›

B2B marketing budgets are usually larger than B2C marketing budgets, as businesses have more money to spend on products and services.

What do B2B companies spend on marketing? ›

B2B product companies put their average marketing budget as a percentage of revenue at 7.9% – that's about half of what their peers in B2C product companies spend. About 40% of respondents (N = ~126) to this edition of the survey are from B2B product companies.

How do you structure a B2B marketing department? ›

To establish a successful B2B marketing team, you need to identify what type of organizational structure is right for your company, find marketing professionals to fill foundational rolls, and determine a plan for scaling your existing marketing team as your company continues to expand.

What is the B2B benchmark bounce rate? ›

It depends on your industry, where your traffic comes from, and what type of page it lands on. According to HubSpot, the average bounce rate for most websites is anywhere from 26% to 70%. Moreover, the average bounce rate for a B2B website is 56%, while the average bounce rate for a B2C website is 45%.

What is a good ROI for B2B? ›

You can measure your ROI on B2B marketing with the following formula: (Revenue – Investment) /Investment * 100. If your company generates $200,000 in digital marketing revenue, for example, and invests $65,000 into digital marketing, you would achieve a B2B marketing ROI of 208%.

How do you measure B2B marketing success? ›

A: Some important B2B marketing KPIs to measure include customer acquisition cost (CAC), marketing qualified leads (MQLs), sales qualified leads (SQLs), conversion rate, churn rate, bounce rate, and customer lifetime value (CLV).

What is the benchmark for marketing spend revenue? ›

The average marketing spend as a percentage of the total budget is 11.7%. The average marketing spend as a percentage of the total revenue is 14.6%.

What is a good CTR in B2B marketing? ›

B2B (Business-to-Business) Industry: CTRs in the B2B sector typically range from 0.46% to 2.41%. These industries often have niche audiences, and the success of campaigns depends on delivering relevant and valuable content to engage decision-makers and professionals.

What is KPI in B2B marketing? ›

What are B2B marketing KPIs? Key performance indicator (KPI)—a metric used to measure the performance of an initiative. Key performance indicators are metrics, such as conversion rate or number of sales qualified leads, that help you evaluate whether you met your SMART goals and measure your progress toward those goals ...

What is a good percentage to spend on marketing? ›

In the simplest terms, your marketing budget should be a percentage of your revenue. A common rule of thumb is that B2B companies should spend between 2 and 5% of their revenue on marketing. For B2C companies, the proportion is often higher—between 5 and 10%.

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