What Increases the Price of Marketing and What Decreases the Price of Marketing (for Small Business Owners)
By DREW LARISON
Founder and CEO, Larison Media
Marketing Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All — And Neither Is the Price
If you’re a small business owner, you’ve likely wrestled with the question: "Why does marketing cost what it does — and what causes that price to change so much?" Whether you're trying to attract more leads, boost visibility, or build a stronger brand, understanding what affects marketing costs is key to making smart, scalable decisions.
Think of it like any other service you pay for. If you’ve ever built out a new space, hired professional services, or even upgraded your IT systems, you know the price varies based on complexity, time involved, and level of customization. Marketing is no different.
In this article, we’ll break down what drives marketing costs up—and what can help bring them down—so you can make more informed investments in your business’s growth.
The Biggest Factor – Scope of Work
What It Means:
Scope of work refers to the services you’re hiring a marketing partner to deliver. Are you asking for a new website? A multi-platform ad campaign? Monthly blog content? SEO optimization? Video production?
Why It Increases Cost:
Each additional service layer adds time, expertise, and production value. Just like hiring a general contractor for a basic kitchen update vs. a full home renovation—the more involved the project, the higher the cost.
Common Services That Affect Scope:
Website design and development
Local and national SEO
Paid media management (Google, Meta, YouTube)
Content creation (blogs, landing pages, case studies)
Video production and editing
Email marketing automation
Brand development and strategy
Example: A basic local SEO package might cost $1,000/month. Add content marketing and video, and you're likely looking at $3,000–$5,000/month depending on goals.
What Lowers Cost:
Some agencies, like Larison Media, bundle services for better efficiency. Bundling reduces the number of disconnected vendors you have to manage—and often leads to lower per-service costs. The more cohesive your strategy, the more value you get.
Paid Ad Budget – The Platform Spend
What It Means:
This is the money you spend directly on ad platforms like Google Ads, Facebook/Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn—not the fee you pay your agency to manage them.
Why It Increases Cost:
The more reach and volume you want, the more you'll need to spend. Ad cost is also affected by how competitive your industry is, the size of your service area, and who you're trying to reach.
Variables That Influence Ad Spend:
Geographic targeting
Industry competitiveness
Desired lead volume
Audience targeting sophistication
Example: A local law firm in a small town may get by with a $750/month ad budget. That same firm in a metro area like Denver or Seattle may need $2,500/month just to stay competitive.
What Lowers Cost:
Smarter targeting, great creative, and optimized landing pages. Your goal isn’t just to spend—it’s to convert. A strong strategy can lower your cost-per-lead dramatically.
Custom vs. Templated Services
What It Means:
Custom marketing strategies are tailored to your brand, goals, and target audience. Templated strategies reuse the same structures, designs, or messaging across multiple businesses.
Why It Increases Cost:
Custom work involves deeper research, original content, bespoke design, and tailored automation flows. You’re paying for strategic thinking and creative execution that fits you.
Analogy: It’s the difference between a stock website template and a professionally designed brand experience that makes you stand out.
What Lowers Cost:
Templated approaches are quicker and cheaper—but you trade off uniqueness and potentially performance. While they can be a good starting point, they rarely scale well.
Contract Length
What It Means:
How long are you partnering with your agency? Month-to-month? Quarterly? Annually?
Why It Increases Cost:
Shorter contracts come with more risk and upfront cost for the agency. A lot of strategic work is front-loaded—audits, brand alignment, platform setup—so shorter timelines compress cost into fewer months.
Example: A three-month website and SEO sprint will almost always cost more per month than a 12-month partnership with the same deliverables spread out strategically.
What Lowers Cost:
Longer engagements allow the agency to optimize over time—and reward your commitment with better pricing and performance efficiency.
Industry-Specific Expertise
What It Means:
Some agencies specialize in your industry—restaurants, legal, trades, SaaS, etc. Others are generalists. Industry experts come with more proven frameworks and data-backed strategy.
Why It Increases Cost:
You’re paying for less trial and error, faster time-to-results, and the confidence that your vendor has done this before. That often commands premium pricing.
What Lowers Cost:
Generalist agencies or low-cost providers may offer cheaper monthly fees—but can burn time on the learning curve or produce underperforming results.
Bonus Section: How Marketing-Ready Is Your Business?
What It Means:
Are your digital assets already set up and performing? Or are you starting from scratch?
Why It Increases Cost:
If you need foundational pieces—like a website, content strategy, or CRM integration—your project starts at square one. That increases timeline and cost.
What Lowers Cost:
If you’ve already invested in branding, a solid website, and tracking infrastructure, an agency can plug in and accelerate faster.
Final Thought: Price Matters, But ROI Matters More
At the end of the day, the best marketing decision isn’t always the cheapest—it’s the one that delivers the most long-term value. The right partner will help you see not just where your money is going—but how it’s working to grow your business.
At Larison Media, we believe in building smart, creative, and scalable marketing systems tailored to your goals, your budget, and your industry.
Curious what your business actually needs—and what you could be saving or optimizing? Schedule a Free Marketing Clarity Call.