How to Spend a $2,000 Monthly Marketing Budget

If you can invest $2,000 a month in marketing, good news: You’re in a solid spot. That’s $24K per year, which is ahead of 47% of other small businesses.

The most challenging part is deciding exactly where to invest your money for the best results.

“It’s a respectable budget for most small- to mid-sized businesses, depending on your industry and goals,” says Michele Potts, sales director for Zoe Marketing & Communications. “You can diversify your spending a bit without sacrificing too much.”

We’ve pinpointed seven tactics worth exploring for $2K per month or less based on our 15+ years of experience. You can likely mix and match about 2-3, depending on your focus:

1. Google Ads/search engine marketing ($800+/month)
2. Social media ads ($600+/month)
3. Retargeting ads ($300+/month)
4. Solid SEO services ($1,000+/month)
5. Solid social media management ($1,000+/month)
6. Basic targeted email marketing ($1,000+/month)
7. Limited content marketing ($1,000+month) 

The good news is that if you’re looking for support, you may be able to work with a marketing agency at this price point. However, a few other tactics will still be out of range.

Whatever path you choose, you’ll feel more empowered about where to invest your $2K monthly marketing budget.

7 marketing tactics within reach of a $2,000 marketing budget

You’ll find more flexibility at the $2K level compared to a $1K budget or $500 investment. Again, this level unlocks some “for-hire” support, and you’ll likely be able to use a few tactics effectively.

“You can ramp up your ad spend, which is huge for visibility,” Potts says. “You can also build up key areas like SEO and social media — and start with some targeted emails and content.”

1. Google Ads/search engine marketing ($800+/month)

If you want people to find the solutions you offer on your website, SEM, or search engine marketing, is a sound place to spend. By investing at least $800, you’ll unlock a broader reach.

• Cost: $1-$2 per click; plan on $800 per month.
• Strategy: Target more comprehensive keywords; build impressions, clicks and positioning; enhance your ad copy; tap into more A/B testing, display ads and advanced analytics. (Note: Plan to add a 35% management fee for professional services.)
• Expected results: 400-800 clicks with a 3.75% conversion rate can mean 15-30 monthly conversions.

For example, Potts managed marketing for a gym with a $1,000 SEM budget. “In a month, their campaign got 40 signups at $35 per conversion,” she says. Keep in mind that costs are higher for more reach, competitive keywords or certain industries like law or insurance.

2. Social media ads ($600+/month)

Social media ads are another wise investment due to their extensive reach — especially on Facebook and Instagram. LinkedIn can help you reach other businesses, but it often costs more.

• Cost: Around $1 per click; plan on $600+/month.
• Strategy: Create around three monthly campaigns focusing on key demographics and regions. Increase ad frequency and use multiple ad formats (carousel, video, story, interactive, etc.), experiment with A/B testing, lookalike audiences and retargeting. (Note: Plan to add a 35% management fee for agency support.)
• Expected results: 600+ clicks. With a 9% conversion rate, you could see 50+ conversions.

Returning to Potts’ gym example, this client also spent $1,000 on Facebook ads (bringing their total budget to $2K). This earned 28 more signups — for a total of 68 new members — in one month.

“With $2K you can see success, but always optimize and review to improve future campaigns,” she says. “Plus, be sure to compare your results against key benchmarks.”

3. Retargeting ads ($300+/month)

If someone visits your website through an SEM or social ad but doesn’t fill out your form, buy your service, etc. — which is inevitable! — use retargeting ads to reach them again. 

• Cost: $300+ per month.
• Strategy: Use retargeting in your SEM and/or social ads to reach interested potential clients. Tap into multiple ad options, advanced A/B testing and personalization options. (Note: Plan to add a 35% management fee for agency support.)
• Expected results: A higher-than-usual 10% conversion rate.

“It’s a relatively small spend to remind people who show interest that you’re there for them,” Potts says. “And they’re more likely to think of you when they’re ready to buy.”

4. Solid SEO services ($1,000+/month)

Ensure you show up for the right people as they search the web using SEO, aka search engine optimization. An investment of at least $1K per month with an agency gives you steady support in building your SEO and visibility 

• Cost: $1,000+ per month for expert support.
• Strategy: You’ll get some help in boosting on-site SEO (tags, titles, keyword optimizing, etc.), off-site SEO (building backlinks from credible websites) and technical SEO (site speed, mobile optimization, security, etc.). Ask about extra local SEO too, like managing your Google Business Profile and listings in online directories.
• Expected results: SEO takes at least 6-12 months to build results, including better search rankings, awareness and traffic to your site/location.

Investing half a $2K budget into SEO builds a strong foundation for long-term organic traffic and improves your search visibility. Potts says, “That leads to increased credibility, higher click-through rates and sustainable lead generation.”

5. Solid social media management ($1,000+/month)

Social media has many moving pieces, which is why over half of companies pay monthly fees of up to $5,000 to manage it. And, at a rate of $1,000, you can begin to unlock solid for-hire help.

• Cost: $1,000+/month for expert support.
• Strategy: Comprehensive content creation and scheduling, frequent posting (around 3-5 times/platform/week), steady audience engagement, detailed reporting and some platform-specific strategizing. May also include community management or other tactics.
• Expected results: Improved brand visibility and loyalty. Businesses often see a 20-30% engagement boost over several months.

By leveraging an agency, you can focus on what you do best while your social media builds people’s awareness of you.

6. Basic targeted email marketing ($1,000+/month)

Targeted email marketing goes beyond the “first-party” emails you send to current customers. While those are important too (plan on at least $100), targeted email can expand your reach.

“Consider this to drive high-value conversions,” says Potts. “It’s a bigger investment — $1K typically covers one email — but it effectively engages a broader audience and nurtures leads.” 

• Cost: $1,000+/month for one email reaching about 50K people (includes agency costs).
• Strategy: Focused list segmentation, personalized and compelling content, attention-grabbing subject lines and strong calls-to-action. Includes advanced analytics to track engagement and refine future emails.
• Expected results: 20-30% open rates, 15-25% click-through rates and a 10-15% increase in qualified leads and potential sales.

7. Limited content marketing ($1,000+month) 

Content marketing includes creating effective web pages, blogs and videos. Quality content builds trust, engages your audience and drives organic traffic.

“It’s also more expensive due to the time, expertise and resources it takes to make high-impact content,” Potts says. “Consistency also matters, so keep this in mind before you begin.”

• Cost: $1,000+/month (this may cover 1-3 pieces of content).
• Strategy: Develop high-quality SEO-optimized pages, blogs and videos that address your audience’s needs. Focus on consistent posting, engaging storytelling and keywords to boost search rankings. Use analytics to measure performance and improve strategies.
• Expected results: Over 6-12 months, see web traffic grow by 10-20%, search engine rankings lift an average of 5-10 slots, and a 5-10% conversion boost.

Invest in content marketing if your primary goal is long-term brand authority and organic traffic. If you’re more focused on immediate sales and leads, allocate more to ads.

4 important marketing tactics you can’t get at $2,000/month

It’s worth repeating: While these seven tactics are possible with $2K, you’ll need to choose 2-3. Depending on your needs, your costs may be higher. And, either way, you’ll likely be priced out of several things at this price point:

• Comprehensive content marketing: Multimedia content, in-depth research and strategy, and higher content volume (2-6 pieces) costs $2,000+.
• Extensive targeted email: Extensive campaigns, including retargeting emails and multiple email options to reach broader audiences, generally run $2,000+.
• Full-service marketing: Integrated strategies covering various channels and deep analytics often start at $3,000/month.
• High-level influencer marketing: Partnering with top-tier influencers (at least 500K followers) can run $2,500+ per campaign.

Next steps for effective marketing on a $2,000 budget

A $2,000 monthly marketing budget opens more doors than $1K or $500. That said, you’ll still need to make some choices based on your top business goals. 

Looking for more insight? Talk to us. Zoe Marketing & Communications’s plans start at $3,000 per month, but we help clients with various budgets make the right decisions.

Plus, these bogs will help you plot out your marketing budget and answer some key questions:

• Q&A: Common questions about digital marketing costs
• Why the cost of marketing varies so much: 5 straight answers