“How much should I spend on paid media?” is the most repeated and the worst-framed question. There is no universal figure: the answer comes from three of your own variables, customer value (LTV), sales-cycle length and the number of meetings you need per month. This guide gives you the method to size your B2B paid budget, how to split it across channels and when to scale without burning money.
The operating minimum: below this, nothing learns
Before optimising anything, algorithms need conversion volume to learn. As a reference, the practical floor per platform:
- Google Search: 1,000 to 1,500 € a month to accumulate the conversions the algorithm needs.
- Meta: 800 to 1,200 € a month for each ad set’s learning phase.
- LinkedIn: from 1,500 € a month upward, given its high CPCs.
- TikTok: cheap media, but enough budget to produce several creatives a month.
The hard rule: if you cannot meet a platform’s minimum, concentrate everything on one instead of spreading crumbs across several. A scattered budget learns nowhere.
Working backwards: from goal to budget
The right method is not “I have X, what do I do?” but “I want Y meetings, what does it cost?”. You calculate it backwards:
- Start from the qualified meetings you need per month. Say 20.
- Apply your lead-to-meeting rate. If it is 20%, you need 100 leads.
- Multiply by your realistic cost per lead. It is the figure we worked through in how much it costs to generate B2B leads.
- Add a 20 to 30% learning margin for the first months, when the system is not yet optimised.
That number is your starting budget based on goals, not on what is “left over”. And the barrier that validates everything: CAC must stay below a third of your LTV. If it does not clear there, the problem is not budget, it is unit economics.
Channel split: by stage, not in equal parts
Budget is not divided by platforms, it is divided by funnel stages. An indicative split for mid-to-high ticket B2B:
| Stage | Main channel | Indicative weight |
|---|---|---|
| Decision (capture) | High-intent Google Search | 40-55% |
| Demand generation | Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn | 25-40% |
| Specific accounts (ABM) | LinkedIn Ads | 10-20% |
| Retargeting | Meta and Display | 10-15% |
The exact split depends on whether there is demand to capture or you have to create it. The logic of when each platform weighs more is developed in Google Ads vs Meta Ads, in LinkedIn Ads for B2B and in TikTok Ads for B2B.
In-house or agency?
Below roughly 3,000 € a month of spend and with time to learn, you can run it in-house. Above 5,000 €, with several platforms or in a hurry, a specialist pays for itself: configuration mistakes, broken tracking and recycled creative cost more than any fee. This is how we run B2B paid media, with strategy, creative and measurement connected to your CRM end to end.
When to scale and when not to
Scaling budget without signals is the fastest way to raise your CAC. Increase spend only when the three conditions hold at once:
- CAC is stable across several weeks, not a one-off spike.
- Lead quality holds: meetings are still your ICP, not cheap leads sales discards.
- Closing follows: there are real opportunities in the CRM, not just forms.
When they hold, scale in 20 to 30% increments and watch: sharp jumps reset the learning phase and spike cost.
The budget mistakes that cost the most
- Splitting equally without testing: start, measure CAC and quality, and scale the winner.
- Measuring clicks or cheap leads: the cheapest lead is usually the worst. Optimise for the deepest event possible.
- Judging in a week: give it at least 15 days with optimisation before moving budget.
- Forgetting retargeting: winning back people who already know you is among the most profitable spend and almost always underfunded.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum budget to start in B2B paid?
Between 1,000 and 1,500 € a month on a single platform, usually high-intent Google Search, is a reasonable starting point. With less, the data means nothing.
What percentage of revenue should go to paid?
There is no magic percentage: what rules is keeping CAC below a third of LTV. If unit economics clear, the limit is your capacity to handle the pipeline, not a fixed percentage.
Does media spend include the agency fee?
No. Media spend (what you pay the platforms) is separate from the management fee. It is the most common confusion when sizing the budget.
Conclusion: budget by goals, not by leftovers
A B2B paid media budget is not set by a percentage or by what is free: it is calculated backwards from the meetings you need, split by funnel stage and scaled only when CAC, quality and closing follow at once. Do it this way and you will stop buying clicks and start buying pipeline, as our results show.
