The short answer
Most small businesses pay somewhere between a few thousand dollars for a consultant-led plan and $25,000 or more for an agency research project. The price follows how much research is done, how many working sessions you get and how much you receive in writing. Our Strategy First is a flat $5,000: a ten-part strategy and 90-day plan, built in 30 to 45 days and three working sessions.
Owners ask what a marketing strategy costs because the answers they get are all over the place. One consultant quotes $2,000, an agency quotes $30,000, and a third firm says the strategy is free if you sign a retainer. All three call it a strategy.
They are rarely selling the same thing. This guide covers the price ranges you will see, what should be inside a strategy whatever you pay, what moves the number, and the warning signs that you are buying a pitch rather than a plan.
What you are actually paying for
A marketing strategy is a set of decisions written down: who your best customers are, what you promise them, how they find you and come to trust you, and what you will do first. The price pays for three things.
- Research. Audits of your website, search visibility, reviews and competitors, and sometimes conversations with your customers.
- Senior thinking time. Someone experienced has to turn that research into choices, and has to be willing to tell you what to stop doing.
- Working sessions with you. A strategy you were not part of building is one your team will not follow.
If a proposal is light on any of the three, the price should be lower. If it is heavy on all three, expect to pay more.
Typical price ranges
These are rough ranges from what we see in the market, not quotes. Scope varies a lot inside each one.
| Option | Typical cost | What you usually get |
|---|---|---|
| Templates and DIY | $0 to $500 | A framework to fill in yourself. Useful if you have the time and the discipline. |
| Freelance consultant | $1,500 to $5,000 | A plan built from interviews and light research. Quality depends heavily on the person. |
| Fractional CMO, fixed fee | $5,000 to $15,000 | Audits, positioning, customer journey and a 90-day plan, from someone who can also run it. |
| Agency strategy project | $15,000 to $50,000+ | Deeper research and brand work, often tied to the agency's own services. |
Price on its own tells you little. A $4,000 plan you act on is worth more than a $40,000 deck that sits in a drawer.
What a good strategy should include
Whatever you pay, you should come away with these in writing:
- An honest audit of where your marketing and online presence stand today.
- A clear description of your ideal client, including what sends them looking for help.
- A core message: the promise that makes you the obvious choice, in your buyers' words.
- The customer journey, from first hearing your name to buying again and referring others. We use the Marketing Hourglass for this.
- A short list of growth priorities, ranked.
- A 90-day calendar of what happens first, and who does it.
If the deliverable is mostly a list of tactics, such as ads, posts and a new website, with no decisions about who you serve and what you promise, it is a plan for activity, not a strategy. That is how businesses end up with random acts of marketing.
What drives the price up or down
How much research is included
Customer interviews, competitor studies and search research take time. Some businesses need all of it. Others already know their customers well and need help making decisions.
The size and complexity of the business
One service in one city is simpler than several services, locations or audiences. Every extra audience needs its own message and journey.
Whether brand work is bundled in
Naming, logos and visual identity are design projects. Some agencies fold them into the strategy price, which is one reason their numbers run high.
Whether the provider will also run it
A firm that can execute has a reason to make the plan practical. A firm that only writes strategy has a reason to make it impressive. Neither is wrong, but ask which you are buying.
Warning signs
- The strategy is free with a retainer. Then it is part of the sales process, and it will tend to recommend whatever the seller sells.
- Every recommendation matches the provider's services. A real strategy sometimes tells you to do less.
- You don't own the result. You should keep the strategy and the working documents whether or not you hire anyone afterward.
- There is no 90-day plan. Without one, the strategy has no first step.
What $5,000 buys at The fCMO Agency
Strategy First is a flat $5,000. In 30 to 45 days and three working sessions, you get a ten-part strategy: a marketing and brand audit, a total online presence audit, ideal client personas, a core message, your customer journey, a content strategy, a one-page strategy framework, ranked growth priorities, a 90-day execution calendar and your options for running it.
It is yours whatever you decide next. Our fractional CMO can run the plan, lead your team through it, or hand it over for your team to run themselves.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a small business spend on a marketing strategy?
Most small businesses can get a solid written strategy for a few thousand to roughly $15,000, depending on research and complexity. Agency projects that include brand work often cost more. Our Strategy First is a flat $5,000.
Is a marketing strategy the same as a marketing plan?
Not quite. The strategy is the set of decisions: who you serve, what you promise and how customers find and trust you. The plan is what you do, in what order and by when. A good engagement gives you both, ending in a 90-day calendar.
How long does it take to create a marketing strategy?
A focused strategy for a small business usually takes four to eight weeks. Strategy First takes 30 to 45 days and three working sessions with you.
Can I write my own marketing strategy?
Yes, if you have the time and can be objective about your own business. The hard parts are the honest audit and choosing what not to do, which is where an outside view helps most.
What happens after the strategy is finished?
You decide who runs it. With us that means our team runs it, your fractional CMO leads your team, or your team takes the 90-day calendar and runs it alone.
Stephen Conley
Founder of The fCMO Agency and Gisteo, and a Certified Duct Tape Marketing advisor.
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