The Inbound Marketing Budget is a general guide to estimate the average amount of time and resources necessary for each activity within each plan. Whether these activities are done by internal or external resources the costs are real and should be budgeted and accounted for. Business goals such as lead qualification, lead capture, sales process, nurturing, and brand improvements to your sales cycles or customer service are just a few examples that will be the foundation for determining return on investment (ROI).
| Activity | Starter | Executive | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing Plan & Editorial Schedule Management | Strategy and schedules for Content Marketing and related activities 5 hours per month |
Strategy and schedules for Content Marketing and related activities 10 hours per month |
Strategy and schedules for Content Marketing and related activities 15 hours per month |
| Review and Strategy | Weekly review, strategy and planning meetings 4 hours per month |
Weekly review, strategy and planning meetings 4 hours per month |
Weekly review, strategy and planning meetings 4 hours per month |
| Blog Site Support and Maintenance | Weekly updates to call-to-actions and landing pages 3 hours per month |
Weekly updates to call-to-actions and landing pages 5 hours per month |
Weekly updates to call-to-actions and landing pages 15 hours per month |
| Blog Post Management | 1 post per week 4 hours per month |
3 posts per week 12 hours per month |
6 posts per week 15 hours per month |
| Lead Nurturing / Marketing Automation | List Management, Autoresponders, email content, templates 6 hours per month |
List Management, Autoresponders, email content, templates 8 hours per month |
List Management, Autoresponders, email content, templates 11 hours per month |
| Email Marketing | 4 newsletters per month call-to-actions, custom design, content 8 hours per month |
4 newsletters per month call-to-actions, custom design, content 8 hours per month |
4 newsletters per month call-to-actions, custom design, content 8 hours per month |
| Infographics | 3 per year 2 hours per month |
1 per quarter 3 hours per month |
6 per year 4 hours per month |
| Whitepapers/Ebooks | 2 whitepapers per year 5 hours per month |
4 whitepapers per year 10 hours per month |
5 whitepapers + 1 ebook per year 20 hours per month |
| Social Media | Share blog posts 5 hours per month |
Share blog posts, monitor, and build reach 10 hours per month |
Share blog posts, monitor, and build reach 15 hours per month |
| Monthly Budget Services | 25 hours $3,000 |
45 hours $5,000 |
108 hours $10,000 |
| Cost to Hire Avg. $4,000 – $7,000 per employee + benefits |
2 employees @ $4,000/ea. $8,000/month |
3 employees @ $4,000/ea. $12,000/month |
6 employees @ $5,000/ea. $30,000/month |
| Savings in HR costs | $5,000 per month $56,000 per year |
$7,000 per month $84,000 per year |
$20,000 per month $220,000 per year |
| 3rd Party Monthly Email Distribution | .01 per email | .01 per email | .01 per email |
| Total Monthly Budget with AscendWorks Plan | $3,000 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Total Annual Budget | $36,000.00 + email | $60,000.00 + email | $120,000.00 + email |
| Average ROI including HR savings, new leads, sales, increased brand awareness, shorter sales cycles | 100% | 140% | 200% | Purchase | Purchase | Purchase |
