Marketing Budget Planning

Decide how much to spend on marketing overall — the question that comes before how to split it across channels. The answer is set by stage, model, growth ambition, and cash runway, expressed as a percentage of revenue and then divided across functions.

When to use

The user needs a total marketing budget or wants to check whether their current spend level is reasonable for their stage and model.

Before you start

1. Read the brand/product context (.agents/product-marketing.md / .agents/aaj-brand.md) for model and stage, if present.
2. Gather: business model (B2B SaaS / ecommerce / services / marketplace), stage (pre-seed → mature), annual revenue (ARR or revenue), and growth ambition (conservative / balanced / aggressive).
3. Have unit economics handy. A budget is only affordable if the implied CAC clears LTV:CAC — run the unit-economics skill if unsure.

Method

Marketing spend as a share of revenue is highest early and falls as you scale (you're buying growth and learning), and varies by model (SaaS and marketplaces spend more than services). Growth ambition flexes it up or down; runway caps it. This produces a budget; affordability is confirmed against unit economics.

Run the engine