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Thanh, our Digital Media Manager, looks at how to plan spend on Paid Social Ads…

One of the most common questions I’m asked is: “How much should I spend on paid social ads?”.

The reality? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The right budget depends on your goals, target audience, platform choice, and industry competition.

Here are the key factors that shape your spend:

• Campaign objectives: brand awareness, lead generation, or traffic all require different budget allocations.

• Target audience: niche audiences are more costly to reach (think LinkedIn vs. Meta).

• Platform choice: Meta might deliver cheaper clicks, but LinkedIn can generate higher-quality leads.

• Industry competition: the more competitive your sector, the more you’ll need to invest.

A useful rule of thumb:

Marketing budget = 7 – 8% of annual revenue

Advertising = 15 – 20% of that marketing budget

At Mostly Media, we guide businesses in finding the sweet spot – a budget that balances spend and impact, so you get the results you’re aiming for.

Credit: Thanh Nguyen, Digital Media Manager