Author’s Note
Welcome to another exciting week of marketing! Remember: If you have questions, just hit ‘Reply’. I read every email. Have a great week!
Ask Matchbook
This week's questions from readers:
Q: My agency wants a 6-month contract. Is that normal?
A: Yes, 3-6 months is standard. Agencies need time to test, optimize, and prove results. But make sure the contract has clear performance milestones and an out-clause if things aren't working by month 3. If they're pushing for 12 months upfront with no flexibility, that's a red flag.
Q: Is it normal for my agency to ask me to write the ad copy?
A: No. Writing ad copy is the agency's job. If they're asking you to do it, they're either (a) understaffed, (b) lazy, or (c) not actually good at what they do. You should provide input (offers, messaging, brand voice), but they should be creating the copy. Use the Vendor Scorecard to clarify responsibilities before you sign.
Today you’ll read about:
Small business marketing pricing feels insane until you understand the ranges, the testing runway required, and the hidden cost of doing it halfway.
Competitive channels have real baseline spend ranges, and budgets below them often kill results before campaigns can learn
You’re paying for systems, experience, and decision-making, not just hours worked
Under-testing creates false negatives that make good channels look broken
Cheap marketing usually costs more because incomplete trials lead to churn and resets
The biggest hidden expense isn’t ad spend, it’s vendor turnover and lost momentum
The first time you heard real marketing pricing, you probably assumed the quote was wrong.
That’s because there’s no shared baseline for what marketing is supposed to cost, and most agencies don’t do a great job explaining the math behind their numbers. So the pricing lands without context, which makes it feel arbitrary (and expensive).
This is meant to be a clear look at what normal spend ranges actually look like, so you can evaluate quotes without guessing.
Why the numbers feel disconnected
Most purchases in your business are tied to something concrete (equipment, materials, labor, etc). Marketing is different.
You’re paying for a process that produces outcomes over time, and the work isn’t always visible in a satisfying way. Some months look great. Some look uncertain. That variability alone makes the spend feel riskier than it actually is.
There’s also a structural reality most owners never hear, which is that agencies don’t price purely on hours. You’re paying for experience, systems, testing runway, and decision-making under uncertainty.
What the actual ranges look like
These aren’t meant as universal rules, just normal ranges in competitive markets.
If a quote is dramatically below these numbers, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s bad. It usually means something is being compressed: time, attention, strategy, or testing runway. If a quote is above these numbers, you should expect a clear explanation of why.
Google Ads
Google Ads is intent-driven. You’re showing up when someone is actively searching for what you sell, and you are charged (by Google, not your agency), anytime someone clicks on your ad.
Typical structure:
Ad spend paid to Google: $1,000–$5,000+/month
Management paid to an agency: $800–$2,000/month
This channel gets expensive because you’re bidding against competitors for the same customers. If your budget is too small, your campaigns never have a chance to stabilize. That means they don’t get enough volume to learn what’s working, so decisions get made off incomplete data.
That’s where a lot of “Google doesn’t work” conclusions come from.
Google LSA (Local Services Ads)
This is the “Google Guaranteed” box you see near the top of search results in certain industries.
Instead of paying per click here, you’re typically paying per lead. It’s simpler than traditional Google Ads, but you also have less control over how it runs.
Typical structure:
Lead budget paid to Google: $1,500–$5,000+/month
Management: $300–$800/month
LSA can generate volume quickly, which is great if your team can respond immediately and follow up consistently. If you can’t, the channel feels broken even though the real issue is lead handling. These leads can also get expensive, due to the quality and intent behind clicks and calls driven to your business.
Meta Ads (Facebook / Instagram)
Meta ads (Facebook/Instagram ads) work best when you have a strong offer and a big enough budget to test creative (the image/video/text/etc that show on your ads) and audiences (targeting to determine who sees your ads) instead of guessing once and hoping it sticks.
Typical structure:
Ad spend paid to Meta: $1,500–$6,000+/month
Management: $800–$2,000/month
Most Meta campaigns fail because they’re under-tested, meaning you throw one ad up and hope it performs without experimenting with any others. The real money here is in testing various ads and then doubling-down on any that show strong/above average results.
Local SEO
Local SEO determines how visible you are when people search without clicking an ad.
It influences where your business appears in Google results, how often you show up in map listings, and how trustworthy you look compared to competitors.
Typical structure:
$500–$3,000/month
Realistic runway: 6–12 months
SEO is often slower to yield results, but makes up for it because those results compound. Think of it like building an asset that will generate leads for the long haul independently, rather than paying to flip a switch.
Need more help?
Not sure which channel makes sense for your business? Get a Channel + Readiness Review.
Tried marketing before and it didn't work? Book a Marketing Reset.
Ready to find an agency but don't want to vet them alone? Matchmaking is for you.
Already working with an agency but something feels off? Get an Agency Reality Check.
Bottom line: If these numbers feel high, that reaction is normal. It doesn’t mean you’re behind or naive. It means the industry rarely explains its own economics clearly.
You don’t need unlimited budget. You need enough budget to run a fair test and evaluate it honestly.
That’s the difference between marketing feeling like gambling and marketing feeling like a decision you can stand behind.
Till next time,
