Last month, I sat across from a B2B business owner who’d been running his consulting firm for eight years. Revenue was okay, but had flattened. He’d tried a bit of LinkedIn here, some Google Ads there and a newsletter when he had time. Nothing stuck. He looked at me and said, “I know I need help, but I have no idea what this should actually cost or if it’s even worth it.”
Sound familiar? If you’re running a B2B SaaS or service business you’ve probably asked yourself the same thing.
In this article, I’ll break down B2B marketing agency costs in 2026, what drives pricing, and how to choose the right budget for your growth goals.
What Drives B2B Marketing Agency Costs in 2026
B2B marketing agency pricing, varies based on several factors:
Scope of work. Are you running a single lead generation campaign or building a complete marketing system? The more channels and touchpoints you need, the higher the cost.
Level of expertise. A generalist agency or freelancer charges differently than an agency with specialisation. You’re paying for depth of knowledge, not just hours worked.
Market and industry complexity. If you sell high-ticket services or sales-led software as a service to enterprise clients, you’ll typically need more sophisticated positioning and longer nurture cycles than you would for low-ticket services or off-the-shelf or product led software. More complexity = higher fees.
Retainer vs project-based. With a retainer engagement, you pay a set amount each month for ongoing work. Because the agency stays involved, they can keep improving things over time, and the setup work gets spread across months.
With a project-based engagement, you pay once for a one-off job with a clear start and finish. It’s often more expensive per deliverable because the agency has to do the setup, discovery, and planning upfront every time, without an ongoing relationship to spread that cost.
Agency vs Freelancer vs In-House: What Each Costs
Let’s compare three common options and what they’ll actually cost you in 2026.
Freelancers: $3,000–$10,000/month
Freelance specialists typically work independently and can be great if you need specific things done. You’ll typically hire specialists for different requirements: one for content, another for ads, maybe someone for email marketing. Here’s what market rates look like: content writers charge $50–$600 per article, SEO specialists bill $100–$180 per hour, and digital marketing generalists charge $50–$350 per hour.
If you hire a content writer ($2,000/month), an SEO specialist ($3,000/month), and someone for email campaigns ($2,000/month), you’re at $7,000/month. You’ll need to manage coordination between specialists yourself.
Agencies: $2,000–$20,000+/month (retainer)
Current market data shows hiring a digital marketing agency costs between $2,000–$20,000+/month. Smaller agencies or those newer to the market tend to price at the lower end. Established agencies with specific industry focus typically charge $10,000–$20,000+/month. The model provides integrated strategy, execution, and reporting.
In-house team: $15,000–$35,000/month
Let’s use Australian salary data. According to Seek and Glassdoor salary insights, a Digital Marketing Manager costs $92,000–$135,000 annually ($7,700–$11,250/month). A Content Marketing Manager runs $99,000–$143,000 annually ($8,250–$11,900/month). A Digital Marketing Specialist averages $72,000 annually ($6,000/month).
If you hire a manager and a specialist you’re at $13,700–$17,250/month before superannuation, tools, software, and training. Adding a third person means paying $20,000–$30,000/month.
The real cost comparison
Each model has different trade-offs in terms of coordination, control and cost structure.Base your choice on your specific situation and priorities.
Freelancers can be cheaper upfront, but coordinating multiple people and managing deadlines can take time. Also factor in that their availability can be inconsistent.
In-house teams can be a strong option if you have the budget and enough ongoing work to keep them fully utilised, but they come with fixed costs.
Agencies can work well if you want a team and structured process without hiring internally. They’re typically a bigger monthly investment than a single freelancer and you’ll get the best results when expectations and scope are clear.
Channel-by-Channel Costs: SEO, Content, Paid Ads, LinkedIn, Email
Let’s talk about specific channels and what they cost in 2026.
SEO: $2,000–$10,000/month
Market data shows SEO services range significantly based on scope. Foundational work such as technical audits, keyword research, on-page optimisation, typically runs $2,000–$4,000/month. If you’re in a competitive space and need aggressive content production and backlinks, expect $8,000–$10,000/month.
Content marketing: $2,500–$15,000/month
Content rates vary widely. Articles cost $50–$850 each depending on length and technical complexity. Case studies and whitepapers prices average $500–$2,500 per piece. Many agencies bundle this into retainers at $2,500–$5,000/month for 4–6 pieces. Adding video or design-heavy content raises the cost to $8,000–$15,000/month.
Paid ads (Google, LinkedIn): $5,000–$20,000/month ad spend, plus management.
Management fees are typically 15%–20% of ad spend, with a minimum monthly fee of $2,000–$3,000. So if you’re spending $10,000/month on ads, expect another $2,000–$3,000 in management fees. Total: $12,000–$13,000/month.
LinkedIn outbound: $3,000–$8,000/month
Agencies that run LinkedIn outbound often charge $3,000–$5,000/month for ongoing management. If you add ongoing content (e.g., founder posts, carousels, creatives), total monthly investment commonly moves into the $6,000–$8,000+ range depending on volume and quality of personalisation.
Email marketing: $2,000–$6,000/month
When it comes to email marketing, many agencies bundle services such as nurture sequences, newsletters, segmentation, and automation into retainers at $2,000–$4,000/month. More advanced automation, complex workflows and higher levels of personalisation, can push this to $6,000/month or more.
Reality check
Generally B2B service businesses need 3–5 marketing channels working together to build real growth. If you expect only one activity to do all the work, you may find yourself having mediocre results.
One-Off Campaigns vs Retainers: Which Is Better Value
The right choice depends on your specific needs and current situation.
One-off campaigns typically cost $8,000–$20,000 for discrete projects like a single lead generation campaign. You receive the deliverable, but there’s no built-in optimisation or ongoing refinement.
Retainers cost $3,000–$25,000/month and spread investment over time. The model includes ongoing testing and optimisation. With this model, results often improve over time as strategies are refined based on data. You’re not just paying for execution but for testing and compounding results: month one might generate 10 leads. Month six might generate 40 because the system has been optimised.
This is why nowadays retainers are common because they support ongoing optimisation and compounding gains over time.
Which is better?
If you’re testing an agency or have a one-time need such as a rebrand, website, or event campaign, a single project approach may be the best way to go. If you want to build steady growth, retainers might be the best choice.
How to Choose the Right Budget for Your Growth Goals
A practical approach is to work backwards from business goals rather than starting with a number.
Here’s a simple framework:
- Set your revenue goal
- Calculate how many clients you need
- Estimate your lead-to-customer conversion rate
- Use cost-per-lead benchmarks as a starting point (then sanity-check against your own numbers)
- Calculate the budget required to generate that volume of leads
For example: if you need 20 new clients this year and your close rate is 10%, you’ll need 200 qualified leads. At $300 per lead, that’s $60,000/year (about $5,000/month). Some businesses also use “% of revenue” as a rough guide from 2% to 15%. Benchmarks vary widely by industry and stage. These are guidelines, not rules. Your situation may differ.
A Final Word
I hope that this info helps you evaluate options and make informed decisions about your marketing investment. Remember, the right approach depends on your specific situation: your goals, current stage, budget, and timeline. Aim to choose based on expected outcomes and fit, not just the lowest monthly fee.
