It's November. While your competitors are "waiting until after the holidays" to think about next year, you've got a 45-day window to build a marketing plan that'll have you booked solid by February. Creating a marketing plan and, more importantly, a marketing budget doesn't have to be overwhelming.
Every service business owner needs to answer three questions before January 1st:
- What marketing moves will actually drive growth?
- How much should I invest in marketing?
- Can marketing really deliver the revenue I need?
Last year, Andres, the owner of an exterior lighting company, couldn't answer any of these. His marketing "plan" was throwing $1,000s a month at Facebook ads and hoping for the best - converting on less than 1% of these ads. This year, he's using the framework I'm about to share—and he's already booking Q1 jobs at 30% higher prices.
But before we dive into these questions, we need to fix something fundamental about how you think about marketing money.
The Backwards Budget Problem
Quick exercise: How did you decide your marketing budget this year?
If you're like most service businesses, it went something like this:
- "What can we afford after we pay everything else?"
- "What did we spend last year, plus maybe 10%?"
- "I heard you should spend 7-10% of revenue on marketing"
- "Let's try $1,000 a month and see what happens"
This is completely backwards. And it's why your marketing feels expensive instead of profitable.
You're treating marketing like an expense—something that costs money. Like your truck payment or insurance. Money goes out, nothing comes back.
But marketing isn't an expense. It's an investment that should return multiples of what you put in.
The right question isn't "What can we afford to spend?" It's "What return do we need to get?"
Let me show you the difference.
Tom's Landscaping used to budget "whatever's left over" for marketing. Usually about $500/month. Barely enough for some yard signs and a few Facebook boosts. Results? Maybe a job or two.
Then Tom did the math backwards. First, he figured out what revenue he actually needed. Not wanted—needed. He looked at his fixed costs (truck, insurance, equipment: $15K/month), his salary needs ($8K/month), and his growth goals (hiring one crew: $6K/month). Total: he needed $29K/month in revenue minimum, or about $350K/year just to maintain. To grow and hire that crew? $500K.
Now Tom knew his target: $500K in revenue.
How to Figure Out YOUR Revenue Target
If you've never done this exercise, here's the simple version:
Survival Mode: What do you need to keep the lights on?
- Fixed costs (trucks, rent, insurance, equipment)
- Your minimum salary to pay your bills
- This is your floor—you need at least this much
Growth Mode: What do you need to level up?
- Everything above PLUS
- Funds to hire that next person
- Money for new equipment
- Buffer for slow months
- This is your growth target
Exit Mode: Building to sell?
- Service businesses typically sell for 2-4x annual profit
- Want to sell for $1M? Need $250-500K in profit
- That means $1-2M in revenue depending on margins
- This is your exit target
Pick which mode you're in. That's your revenue target. Now work backwards.
Question 1: What Marketing Moves Will Actually Drive Growth?
Before you spend a dollar, you need to know what advantages you have that others don't.
I'm not talking about "we do quality work" or "family-owned since 1985." I'm talking about real advantages you can exploit for growth.
Your Marketing Advantages
Here are the advantages that actually matter:
Local Authority: You're THE plumber everyone knows. Your truck's been in the neighborhood forever. Mrs. Johnson recommends you to everyone at church.
Referral Network: Other contractors send you business. The real estate agents have you on speed dial. The property managers call you first.
Specialty Expertise: You do what others won't or can't. Historic homes. Emergency-only. Green pool recovery. That one type of commercial HVAC nobody else will touch.
Speed Advantage: You answer in 10 minutes while others take days. You quote same-day. You can start tomorrow.
Trust Signals: Five-star reviews everywhere. A-rated BBB. Licensed since before your competitors were born.
Which ones do you have? Really have, not wish you had?
Because your best marketing investments accelerate advantages you already have. Everything else is just noise.
Your 3-5 Big Bets for 2025
Once you identify your advantages, you choose 3–5 big bets for the year—not small tweaks, but moves that change the trajectory of the business
Real examples of big bets that worked:
Sarah's Cleaning Service (Referral Network advantage): Launched an Airbnb host program, becoming the exclusive cleaner for short term rentals at a condominium in her area. One partnership with a property management company. Went from $400K to $1.1M in one year. Marketing cost: $500/month in relationship building.
Pete's Plumbing (Speed advantage): Guaranteed 10-minute callback from the time a service request form was submitted, or the first hour is free. Reorganized the entire operation around speed. Charges 40% premium. Customers love it.
Elite Electric (Specialty expertise): Stopped doing "everything electrical", focusing only on EV charger installation. They became THE recommended installer for three car dealerships. Revenue doubled, marketing spend cut in half.
Question 2: How Much Should I Invest in Marketing?
Now that you know WHAT you're investing in, let's figure out HOW MUCH.
Most service businesses have never calculated their marketing efficiency. Let's fix that right now.
Step 1: Find Your Basic Numbers
You need three numbers. If you don't have them exact, estimate:
Average Job Value: Total revenue last year ÷ number of jobs Example: $300,000 ÷ 150 jobs = $2,000 per job
Customer Lifetime Value: Average job × times they use you per year × years they stay Example: $2,000 × 2 times × 3 years = $12,000
Current Cost Per Booked Job: Marketing spend ÷ jobs booked from marketing Example: $24,000 spent ÷ 60 jobs = $400 per job
Step 2: Calculate Your Marketing Efficiency
Forget CAC ratios and complex metrics. Here's what matters:
Marketing Efficiency = Revenue from Marketing ÷ Marketing Spend
- Good = 3:1 (every $1 generates $3)
- Great = 5:1
- Amazing = 10:1+
If you're below 3:1, something's broken. Fix it before you spend more. If you're above 5:1, you're probably underspending. Time to scale.
Channel Reality Check
Where should this money go? Here's what actually works for service businesses:
| Channel | Expected Return | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | $1 → $3-4 | Emergency services, competitive markets |
| Local SEO/GMB | $1 → $10+ | Every service business |
| Referral Programs | $1 → $8+ | Most underused channel |
| Content/Education | $1 → $12+ | Long-term authority building |
| Reviews/Reputation | $1 → $15+ | Trust multiplier |
| Direct Mail | $1 → $2-3 | Certain home services markets |
| Facebook/Social Ads | $1 → $2-4 | Specific audiences |
Question 3: Can Marketing Really Deliver the Revenue I Need?
Your boss (even if that's you) wants $750K next year. Can marketing deliver?
Let's build a bottom-up forecast to find out.
Path 1: Commercial/B2B Services
Start with target accounts and work forward:
- 500 businesses in your service area
- 100 you can realistically reach (20%)
- 30 will take a meeting (30%)
- 12 become customers (40%)
- Average account value: $20K
- Revenue: $240K
Path 2: Residential/B2C Services
Start with your market and work forward:
- 10,000 households in your area
- 500 will become aware of you (5%)
- 50 will inquire (10%)
- 25 become customers (50%)
- Average customer value: $3,000
- Revenue: $75K
Need more? Time to increase awareness, improve conversion, or expand services.
Your 45-Day Implementation Plan
Enough theory. Here's exactly what to do:
Days 1-15: Discovery
- Email your 10 best customers: "Quick question - why did you choose us over other options?"
- Calculate your real marketing efficiency (revenue from marketing ÷ spend)
- List your advantages (be honest about what you actually have)
- Look at last year's numbers (jobs, revenue, marketing spend, sources)
Days 16-30: Strategy
- Pick your 3-5 big bets for 2025
- Calculate your marketing budget range (all three methods)
- Build your bottom-up forecast
- Identify the ONE metric that matters most (usually leads or booked jobs)
Days 31-45: Setup
- Set up call tracking and website analytics
- Create one "quick win" campaign before year-end
- Document your plan in one page
- Share it with your team (or spouse if that's your team)
Make Your Plan While Others Make Excuses
Your competitors are about to do what they always do: coast through the holidays, panic in January when it's slow, then throw money at random marketing hoping something sticks.
You're going to do something different. You're going to use these 45 days to build a real marketing plan—one based on YOUR advantages, YOUR math, and YOUR market.
Here's the truth: Planning isn't about predicting the future. It's about being intentional with your investments. It's about knowing WHY you're spending money and WHAT you expect back.
Start with Question 1. Find your real advantages. Not what you wish you had, but what you actually have. Build from there.
Because marketing without a plan is just expensive gambling. And your business deserves better than that.
