How Much Should a Septic Company Spend on Marketing?

"What should I spend on marketing?" is one of the most common questions we hear from septic company owners. Spend too little and you won't see results. Spend too much without strategy and you waste money.

The answer depends on your goals, market, and current situation—but there are proven frameworks to guide your decision. This article breaks down how to think about marketing budgets for septic companies and provides specific recommendations.

The Industry Benchmark

Across service businesses, the typical marketing budget ranges from 5-10% of revenue for established companies and 10-20% for companies in growth mode.

For septic companies specifically:

• Maintaining current business: 5-7% of revenue
• Moderate growth: 8-12% of revenue
• Aggressive growth: 12-20% of revenue

A company doing $500,000 in annual revenue should expect to spend $25,000-50,000 on marketing to maintain and grow. That's roughly $2,000-4,000 per month.

Goal-Based Budgeting

Rather than picking an arbitrary percentage, start with your growth goals and work backward. This is exactly how we approach budget planning when working with our Google Ads management clients.

Step 1: Define Your Revenue Goal

How much additional revenue do you want to generate from marketing? Be specific.

Example: "I want to add $10,000/month in new recurring pumping revenue."

Step 2: Calculate Required New Customers

Based on your average job value, how many new customers do you need?

Example: At $350 average pumping job, $10,000/month requires about 29 new customers per month.

Step 3: Estimate Lead Requirements

What's your close rate on new leads? Most septic companies close 30-50% of qualified leads. Learn more about optimizing your lead flow in our guide on how to get more septic leads.

Example: At 35% close rate, 29 customers requires about 83 leads per month.

Step 4: Apply Cost Per Lead

What does a lead cost in your market? This varies by channel:

• Google Ads: $150-400 per lead
• Google LSAs: $25-75 per lead
• SEO: Varies widely, but roughly $50-150 per lead once established

Example: At blended cost of $200/lead, 83 leads requires about $16,600/month in marketing spend.

Reality Check

Does the math make sense? In this example:

• Investment: $16,600/month
• New revenue: $10,000/month
• Immediate ROI: 0.6x (negative)

Wait—this looks like a bad deal. But factor in customer lifetime value:

• Average customer uses you 5+ times over 10 years
• Lifetime value: $1,750+
• 29 customers x $1,750 = $50,750 lifetime revenue
• Actual ROI: 3x+

Marketing math requires thinking beyond the first transaction. We dive deeper into this in our article on measuring septic marketing ROI.

Where to Allocate Your Budget

Once you have a total budget, how should you split it across channels?

Recommended Allocation for Established Companies

If you're an established septic company with some existing marketing presence:

• Google Ads: 30-40% - See our Google Ads guide for septic businesses
• Google LSAs: 15-20% - Learn about our Local Services Ads management
• SEO/Content: 20-25% - Explore our SEO services
• Website maintenance: 10-15%
• Review management: 5-10%

Recommended Allocation for New/Growing Companies

If you're newer or prioritizing fast growth:

• Google Ads: 40-50%
• Google LSAs: 20-25%
• SEO/Content: 15-20%
• Website: 10-15%

Paid advertising delivers faster results, so newer companies typically lean heavier on ads while building their organic presence.

The Foundation First

Before spending on advertising, ensure your foundation is solid:

• Professional website that converts - See our web design services
• Optimized Google Business Profile - Read our Google Map Pack guide
• Review generation system - Learn from our online reviews guide
• Call tracking to measure results

Advertising to a poor website or unclaimed GBP is wasteful. Fix the foundation first.

Monthly Budget Ranges by Company Size

Here are practical budget ranges based on company size:

Small Operations ($250K-500K revenue)

Total marketing budget: $1,500-3,000/month

Focus:

• Google Business Profile optimization (DIY or minimal cost)
• Review generation (mostly process, minimal cost)
• Basic Google Ads: $1,000-2,000/month
• Website hosting/maintenance: $100-200/month

Mid-Size Operations ($500K-1M revenue)

Total marketing budget: $3,000-7,000/month

Focus:

• Expanded Google Ads: $2,000-4,000/month
• Google LSAs: $500-1,500/month
• SEO services: $500-1,500/month
• Website improvements: $200-500/month

Larger Operations ($1M+ revenue)

Total marketing budget: $7,000-15,000+/month

Focus:

• Comprehensive Google Ads: $3,000-6,000/month
• Google LSAs: $1,000-2,500/month
• Full SEO program: $1,500-3,500/month
• Content marketing: $500-1,500/month
• Website optimization: $500-1,000/month
• Marketing automation/CRM: $200-500/month

DIY vs. Agency vs. Hybrid

Your budget allocation also depends on who's doing the work. We cover this decision in depth in our article on hiring a marketing agency vs. DIY.

DIY Marketing

Best for: Owners who have time, interest, and willingness to learn

Realistic scope:

• Google Business Profile management
• Review solicitation
• Basic social media
• Simple Google Ads campaigns

Time required: 5-10 hours/week minimum to do it well

Cost: Just ad spend, typically $1,000-3,000/month

Full-Service Agency

Best for: Owners who want hands-off marketing and have budget

Services typically included:

• Strategy and planning
• Google Ads management
• SEO and content
• Website updates
• Reporting and analysis

Cost: Management fees of $1,500-5,000/month plus ad spend

Hybrid Approach

Best for: Most septic companies

Example split:

• Owner handles: Review requests, GBP posts, customer relationships
• Agency handles: Google Ads, SEO, technical optimization

This gives you expert help where it matters most while keeping some marketing in-house.

Red Flags in Marketing Spending

Watch out for these warning signs:

Spending without tracking: If you don't know which leads came from which source, you can't optimize. Always have call tracking and source tracking in place.

Long contracts with no results: Some agencies lock clients into 12-month contracts and deliver nothing. Reputable agencies should show results within 90 days for paid advertising.

All eggs in one basket: Relying 100% on any single channel is risky. Diversify across at least 2-3 channels.

Spending on unproven channels: Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok work for some businesses but rarely drive significant leads for septic companies. Stick with channels proven to work for local services.

Underspending: $500/month in Google Ads won't generate meaningful data or results in most markets. It's better to focus budget on one channel than spread too thin.

Measuring Marketing ROI

Track these metrics to know if your spending is paying off:

Cost per lead: Total marketing spend / number of leads

Cost per acquisition: Total marketing spend / number of new customers

Return on ad spend (ROAS): Revenue generated / ad spend

Customer lifetime value (LTV): Average revenue per customer over their lifetime

LTV to CAC ratio: Lifetime value / cost to acquire. Aim for 3:1 or higher.

Scaling Your Budget

As your marketing produces results, when should you increase spending?

Increase budget when:

• You're hitting your lead goals consistently
• Your cost per lead is at or below target
• You have capacity to handle more work
• Your close rate is strong (25%+)

Don't increase budget when:

• Leads aren't converting to customers
• Cost per lead is too high
• You can't handle current lead volume
• You don't have tracking in place

Scale gradually—increase by 20-30% at a time, measure results, then decide on further increases. For seasonal considerations, check out our guide on seasonal marketing for septic businesses.

The Bottom Line

Marketing spend for septic companies typically ranges from $1,500-15,000+ per month depending on company size and growth goals.

The key is to:

1. Set clear revenue goals
2. Calculate the leads and customers needed
3. Apply realistic cost-per-lead estimates
4. Allocate budget across proven channels
5. Track everything to measure ROI
6. Adjust based on results, not gut feeling

Start conservative, prove ROI, then scale. This approach minimizes risk while building a marketing engine that reliably generates new business.

Frequently Asked Questions