Ever feel like marketing is the part of your SaaS business where money disappears into a black hole?
You’re not alone.
Some companies throw 50% of their revenue at marketing. Others barely touch 10%. So... what’s right for you?
In this guide, we’re going to clear up the confusion and show you:
What most SaaS companies actually spend on marketing
How your growth stage should influence your budget
Real benchmarks, proven breakdowns, and common mistakes
How to turn your spend into long-term value—not just short-term leads
This piece is part of our ongoing series: The Ultimate Guide to Scaling SaaS Marketing: From Startup to Unicorn
According to the 2024 SaaS CFO Benchmark Report, here’s how companies at different stages allocate their marketing budget:
| Company Stage | % of Revenue on Marketing |
| Early Stage (<£8M ARR) | 40–60% |
| Growth Stage (£8M–£40M) | 20–40% |
| Enterprise (£40M+) | 8–15% |
Well, it’s simple. Your marketing budget isn’t just a number—it’s a growth lever.
If you're early-stage, you're buying speed. If you're scaling, you're buying efficiency.
💡 Think of your marketing budget like jet fuel—the more thrust you need, the more you’ll burn.
Match your marketing investment to your company stage:
Pre-product market fit: Focus on research, retention, and learning.
Post-PMF, growth phase: Double down on acquisition, content, and brand awareness.
Scaling phase: Prioritise inbound engines and revenue efficiency.
🧠 Example: Atlassian famously spent very little on traditional marketing. Instead, they leaned into PLG (product-led growth), onboarding loops, and community evangelists.
A quick health check:
Your growth rate + profit margin should be at least 40%.
Growing 60% with -20% margins? Still solid.
Growing 20% with 25% margins? You’re efficient.
This rule helps you stay focused on sustainable growth, not just flashy metrics.
Here’s a proven breakdown used by top SaaS brands:
| Channel/Function | Typical Budget Allocation |
| Paid Ads (Google, Meta) | 25–40% |
| SEO & Content Marketing | 15–25% |
| Community & Events | 10–15% |
| Sales Enablement & Tools | 10–20% |
| Brand & Creative | 5–10% |
| Experiments & Testing | ~5% |
🎯 Pro Tip: If you're under £4M ARR, lean heavily on content and SEO—it's slow to start, but compounds beautifully over time.
Track CAC by channel. If you’re not measuring CAC per source, you're flying blind. Tools like HubSpot, Dreamdata, or Triple Whale can help.
Invest in compounding assets. Things like blog posts, pillar content, and video demos keep delivering long after you publish.
Align with sales. Marketing and sales need to work as one team, not two silos.
Avoid These Budget Traps
Notion kept marketing lean by betting on:
Beautiful design and viral features
Public templates
Evangelist community
They let their product (and users) do the heavy lifting—proof that how you spend matters more than how much.
Marketing spend isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. But there is a smarter way to think about it.
✅ Early-stage? Expect to spend big (40–60%).
✅ Scaling? Start optimising for efficiency (15–30%).
✅ Focus on CAC payback, compounding content, and building brand trust.
If you want a roadmap for scaling smarter, not just faster—this is your playbook: 👉 The Ultimate Guide to Scaling SaaS Marketing: From Startup to Unicorn