Where these benchmarks come from
Every percentage the calculator uses, the range it sits in, and the source it came from. Nothing here is an audited industry average.
Read 19–20 August 2026. These are working planning benchmarks. Where no Australian industry-specific figure was available, the range is a documented proxy drawn from Australian SME benchmarks, broader B2B-services benchmarks, or sector-specific guidance — the Benchmark type column says which. Benchmarks move; check the source before relying on any figure.
| Industry | Range | Benchmark type | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and business advisory | 2%–5% | Conservative Australian working range | Australian accounting firms often spend relatively little on marketing. | PJ Camm & Associates |
| Architecture | 5%–7% | Industry-specific working range | Practical mid-single-digit percentage of turnover benchmark. | Sounds Like Design |
| Buyers' agency | 5%–10% | B2B services proxy | Best treated as an expertise-led service business. | Rocket Agency |
| Commercial construction | 1.5%–4% | Low-marketing-intensity working range | Construction tends to sit at the lower end of marketing intensity. | CMO Survey 2025 |
| Commercial and industrial property | 3%–6% | Planning range / proxy | Use as a moderate property-services planning range. | Rocket Agency |
| Financial planning | 5%–10% | Industry-specific working range | Financial advisory guidance commonly recommends budgets in this range. | Investopedia |
| Legal | 2.5%–8% | Industry-specific working range | Lower averages are common; growth-oriented firms may spend materially more. | Lift Legal |
| Mining services | 1.5%–4% | Low-marketing-intensity working range | Mining and construction tend to sit at the lower end of marketing spend. | CMO Survey 2025 |
| Mortgage and finance broking | 5%–10% | Industry-specific working range | Established referral-led firms may sit toward the lower end. | Halo Programs |
| Property development | 2%–5% | Planning range / proxy | No robust Australia-specific developer-only percentage identified. | Marketing Angels |
| Real estate | 5%–10% | Planning range | Real estate is generally more marketing-intensive than construction. | CMO Survey 2025 |
| Recruitment | 4%–8% | Professional-services proxy | Use a professional-services / B2B-services proxy. | Rocket Agency |
| Security and industrial services | 2%–5% | Australian SME / B2B proxy | Best treated as B2B industrial / services. | Marketing Angels |
| Software and SaaS | 8%–15% | High-growth planning range | SaaS and growth-oriented technology businesses are typically more marketing intensive. | Rocket Agency |
| Other | 2%–5% | General Australian SME range | Not industry-specific. Marketing Angels reports Australian SME spend typically falls between 2% and 5% of gross revenue. | Marketing Angels |
General references
Used for the cross-industry picture and for the proxies above.
- Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey
- Australian SME marketing spend benchmark — Marketing Angels
- Marketing budget benchmarks — Rocket Agency
- CMO Survey 2025, industry breakdown
- Mortgage broker marketing budget guidance — Halo Programs
- Financial adviser marketing guidance — Investopedia
- Australian accounting-firm marketing commentary — PJ Camm
- Australian law-firm marketing budget guidance — Lift Legal
- Architecture marketing budget guidance — Sounds Like Design
- Manufacturing content-marketing research — CMI
- Technology / SaaS content-marketing research — CMI