Creating a Content Budget: A Short Guide

It's not a fun topic, but money is a crucial part of content production.

Earth to reader: things cost money. Especially the good ones.

Before setting out on a content plan, you need to think about money: how much you have of it and where it should go.

Your budget should cover production costs (writers, designers, video production), distribution, measurement tools, and potentially paid promotion to reach your target audience.

Here’s a typical content budget breakdown for B2B software companies:

• Overall Marketing Budget: Companies generally allocate 7-10% of revenue to marketing, with 25-30% of that going to content marketing.
• Small to Mid-sized Companies: Typically spend $5,000 to $10,000 per month on content like blogs, whitepapers, and videos.
• Large Enterprises: May allocate $20,000 to $50,000+ per month, supporting higher-quality production and a broader range of formats. 

Factors Affecting Content Budget:

• Content Types: Short content like blog posts are affordable, while videos and case studies cost more.
• Internal vs. External Resources: External agencies may increase costs but bring specialized expertise and can work faster than in-house training. A hybrid approach—combining in-house teams with external partners—balances budget, brand knowledge, and cross-pollination of expertise.
• Paid Promotion: You can make great content but if no one sees it. it's useless. You'll want to reserve 10-20% of your content budget for distribution.

Dealing with the reality of limited budget isn't anyone's favorite task, but having a good plan will set you on the path that's right for you.

Here at GDS, we're happy to be a part of your content plan. Reach out to see how we fit into your content budget for this year.