Is this marketing budget template free?

Yes. Enter your email and we’ll send you the CSV instantly — it imports straight into Google Sheets, Excel, or Numbers at no cost.

How should I split my marketing budget across channels?

There’s no universal split, but a common starting point is 60–70% to proven paid channels, 15–25% to content/SEO, and 10–15% reserved for testing new channels and creative. Use the template’s ROAS columns to rebalance toward what actually performs.

What is budget pacing and why does it matter?

Pacing is how fast you’re spending relative to plan. Spending too fast risks running out mid-period; too slow leaves results on the table. The template’s live Variance column (Planned − Actual) shows over/under-spend per channel so you can correct early.

Can I use this for both monthly and annual planning?

Plan annual spend per channel in the sheet — the TOTAL row rolls it up live. For monthly phasing, divide a channel’s planned budget across the months, or use the companion Marketing Budget Calculator, which shows annual and monthly figures side by side.

How often should I update the budget?

Log actuals weekly and rebalance planned allocations monthly. Marketing budgets are living documents — the value is in keeping spend aligned to performance.

Free Marketing Budget Template (Google Sheets & Excel) | Plan + Track Ad Spend - budget_planning Template

Overview

Plan and track your full marketing budget by channel in a single spreadsheet that compares planned spend to actuals, computes variance with live formulas, and gives you a place to track ROAS.

What's Inside

One row per channel with Planned and Actual spend, plus a live Variance formula (=Planned − Actual).
A TOTAL row that rolls up Planned, Actual, and Variance with live =SUM formulas — no manual maths.
Channel rows spanning paid, owned, and earned (Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, email, content/SEO, influencer), plus agency/retainer, tooling, and a creative-testing reserve.
Performance columns — impressions, clicks, conversions, revenue, CPA, and ROAS — to tie spend to outcomes.
Imports straight into Google Sheets or Excel; the Variance and TOTAL formulas recalculate as you type.

How to use this template

How to use the marketing budget template:

Make a copy. Open the CSV in Google Sheets (File → Import) or Excel, then save your own working copy.
Set Planned per channel. Enter each channel’s planned spend; the TOTAL row rolls them up automatically with a live =SUM formula.
Allocate by channel. Distribute spend across Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, email, content, and SEO. Start from last period’s mix or a top-down split (e.g. 60% paid, 25% content, 15% tooling/agency).
Phase it (optional). For monthly phasing, divide a channel’s planned budget across the months, or use the companion Marketing Budget Calculator’s monthly view.
Log actuals weekly. As spend lands, fill the Actual column. The live Variance formula (Planned − Actual) flags any channel running hot or underspending.
Track performance. Add impressions, conversions, revenue, CPA, and ROAS per channel so budget decisions are tied to outcomes, not guesses.
Rebalance monthly. Shift budget from underperforming channels to your best ROAS lines, and update planned numbers as you learn.

Pro tips

Budget vs. actuals: Update actuals at least weekly — pacing drift is cheapest to fix early in the month.
Hold a test reserve: Carve out 10–15% as a testing line so new channels and creative don’t cannibalise proven budget.
Tie spend to ROAS: Rank channels by ROAS each month and move marginal budget toward the top of the list.
Separate working vs. non-working: Split media (working) from agency, tooling, and production (non-working) so leadership sees true media efficiency.

Example uses

Ecommerce DTC brand — $250k/yr

Heavy paid-social allocation (Meta + TikTok) with seasonal Q4 weighting, a 12% creative-testing reserve, and ROAS tracked per channel.

B2B SaaS — $1.2M/yr

Balanced across Google Search, LinkedIn, content, and events, tracked on CPA and pipeline rather than last-click ROAS.

Works with

Google SheetsMicrosoft ExcelApple Numbers