Stop Guessing and Start Growing
I’ve sat down with hundreds of business owners across Brisbane—from electricians in Coorparoo to boutique law firms in the CBD—and the most common question I get isn't about "brand awareness" or "engagement." It’s always: "How much do I actually need to spend to get more customers?"
Most business owners feel like they’re throwing money into a black hole. You pay for some Facebook ads, maybe a bit of SEO, and a monthly fee to a guy who says he's 'optimising' things, but you don't actually know if those dollars are turning into jobs on the books.
Look, I’ll be blunt: most of what you read online about marketing budgets is rubbish written for big corporations with millions to burn. You don’t have that luxury. You need your marketing to work like a vending machine—you put $1 in and get $5 out.
In this guide, I’m going to break down the real-world costs for Australian small businesses. No jargon, no fluff—just the numbers you need to grow your business profitably.
The "Rule of Thumb" for Small Business Budgets
If you ask a big-city agency, they’ll tell you to spend 10% of your gross revenue on marketing. For a tradie making $500,000 a year, that’s $50,000. For most of the blokes I know, that sounds bloody terrifying.
Here is the reality for a Brisbane SME:
If you want to maintain where you are: Spend about 3% to 5% of your turnover. This keeps the phone ringing enough to replace the customers you lose through natural churn. If you want to grow aggressively: You’re looking at 7% to 12%. This is for the business owner who wants to put another van on the road or open a second location in Chermside.
But here’s the kicker: it’s not just about the total amount. It’s about how much should you spend to acquire a single new customer. If it costs you $50 in ads to get a $500 plumbing job, you do that all day long. If it costs you $400 to get that same job, you’re going broke.
Where Does the Money Actually Go?
Let’s look at the three main buckets where your money goes. I’ve seen businesses waste thousands by putting their money in the wrong bucket at the wrong time.
1. The "Digital Shopfront" (Your Website)
Cost: $3,000 - $10,000+ (One-off)Your website is your hardest-working salesperson. It works 24/7 while you’re asleep. If your website looks like it was built in 2005, or it doesn't work on a smartphone, you are flushing money down the toilet.
I’ve seen a landscaper in Samford spend $2,000 a month on ads, but his website was so slow and confusing that nobody called him. He thought the ads were broken. The ads were fine; the shopfront was locked.
What to expect: A basic, professional site for a local service business should start around $3,000. If you need something more complex with booking systems, expect $7,000 to $12,000. Avoid: Anyone offering a "free" website that comes with a $500/month lock-in contract for three years. You’ll end up paying $18,000 for a $2,000 site.
2. "Buying" Customers (Paid Ads)
Cost: $1,000 - $5,000+ per monthThis is Google Ads and Facebook Ads. This is the fastest way to get the phone ringing.
Google Ads: You pay when someone searches for "emergency plumber Brisbane." This is high-intent. They need help NOW. Expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $50 per click depending on how competitive your industry is. Facebook/Instagram: This is for showing people what you do before they know they need you. Great for renovations, landscaping, or retail.
The Trap: Many owners try to spend $300 a month on ads. In a city like Brisbane, that won't even get you out of the driveway. You need enough "fuel" for the engine to start. Minimum spend for most local businesses is $1,000 to $1,500 a month just on the ads themselves, plus a fee for someone to manage them.
3. Being Found for Free (SEO)
Cost: $1,000 - $3,000 per monthSearch Engine Optimisation (SEO) is just a fancy way of saying "making sure Google likes your site so it shows it to people for free."
This is a long game. If you need sales tomorrow to pay the mortgage, don't start with SEO. But if you want to stop paying for every single click in two years' time, you need SEO. I usually tell my mates to give SEO at least 6 to 9 months before expecting a major influx of calls. It’s like planting a fruit tree—you have to water it for a while before you get an apple.
How to Know if You’re Getting Ripped Off
I’ve seen too many Brisbane business owners get burnt by "marketing gurus" who promise the world and deliver a 20-page report full of graphs that mean nothing.
If your marketing person is talking about "impressions," "reach," or "engagement," ask them one question: "How many new leads did we get this month?"
To really grow, you need to track what actually makes money. If you don't know which phone calls came from Google and which came from a flyer in a letterbox, you can't make smart decisions about your budget.
Red Flags to Watch For:
1. Guaranteed #1 Ranking on Google: Nobody can guarantee this. It’s a lie. 2. No Access to Your Own Accounts: If an agency won't give you the login to your Google Ads or your website, run. They are holding your business hostage. 3. Long Contracts: Avoid 12-month lock-in contracts for digital marketing. A good agency should keep you because they’re making you money, not because a piece of paper says you have to stay.A Realistic Budget Example: The Brisbane Tradie
Let’s say you’re a sparky in Morningside. You want to grow from 1 van to 3 vans. Here’s what a results-focused budget might look like:
Google Ads Spend: $1,500/month (To get immediate calls for switchboard upgrades and emergency work) Management Fee: $750/month (To have an expert make sure those ads aren't showing up for people looking for 'free electrical advice') Local SEO: $1,000/month (To start ranking for "Electrician Morningside" and "Electrician Brisbane" naturally) Total: $3,250 per month.
The Outcome: If that $3,250 generates 30 leads, and you close 15 of them at an average job value of $800, that’s $12,000 in revenue. After your costs, you’re making a healthy profit and your business is growing.
If you find that your marketing is making you money at that rate, you don't see it as a cost anymore. It’s an investment.
Common Mistakes That Waste Your Money
I see these three mistakes more than anything else, and they are total budget killers.
1. Spreading the Peanut Butter Too Thin
You have $1,000 a month and you try to do Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads, SEO, and a local magazine ad. You’re spending $200 on each. It’s not enough to move the needle anywhere. It’s better to put all $1,000 into one channel (like Google Ads) and dominate it, then move to the next one once that's profitable.2. Not Answering the Phone
This sounds stupidly simple, but I’ve seen it happen. A business spends $5,000 on a massive campaign, the phone starts ringing, but the owner is on a job and doesn't answer. Or the receptionist is rude. If you’re going to spend money to make the phone ring, you’ve got to be ready to pick it up and sell.3. Focusing on the Wrong Numbers
I knew a cafe owner in West End who was obsessed with getting more "Likes" on Facebook. She spent $500 a month on a social media manager. She had 5,000 followers, but the cafe was empty on Tuesday mornings. We shifted that money into a simple Google Map strategy so people searching for "breakfast near me" actually found her. The followers didn't increase, but the till did.How Long Until You See Results?
Marketing isn't magic. It takes time for the data to settle and for the "machine" to start working.
Google Ads: You should see phone calls within the first week. However, it takes about 3 months to really dial it in so you aren't wasting money on bad clicks. Facebook Ads: Similar to Google, you’ll see interest quickly, but it takes time to find the right "offer" that makes people click. SEO: 6 to 12 months. This is a marathon, not a sprint. If you stop after 3 months, you’ve just wasted 3 months of money.
What Should You Do First?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, here is the order of operations I recommend for 90% of Brisbane small businesses:
1. Fix your website. Make sure it works on a phone and has your phone number in big letters at the top. 2. Claim your Google Business Profile. It’s free. Get as many 5-star reviews as you can. This is the most powerful free tool you have. 3. Start with Google Ads. It’s the most direct way to get customers who are ready to buy right now. 4. Track everything. Use a different phone number for your ads so you know exactly how many calls they produced.
The Bottom Line
Marketing shouldn't be a mystery. It's a business expense that should produce a measurable return. If you're spending money and you can't point to a customer and say "that person came from this ad," then you're just guessing.
At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about fancy awards or technical jargon. We care about whether your phone is ringing and your bank account is growing. We’ve helped businesses all over South East Queensland stop wasting money and start finding customers.
Ready to stop guessing and start growing?
Give us a yell. We’ll take a look at what you’re doing and tell you straight—no sugar-coating—what’s working and what’s a waste of your hard-earned cash.
Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s get your marketing working as hard as you do.