Media plan & unit economics
- Price
- from $1,500
- Timeline
- 1–2 weeks
- Experience
- 100+ projects · 10+ years · 9+ countries
We calculate what you can afford to pay per customer and split the budget across channels
How much to spend on ads and where is a question of economics, not gut feeling. We calculate what a customer costs you and what they bring in, and build the media plan on that.
The model shows at which numbers advertising pays off and helps you quickly see which channel to scale and which to cut.
What’s included
- Unit economics: customer acquisition cost and lifetime value
- Target cost per lead and per sale by channel
- Budget allocation and a results forecast
- Growth scenarios and break-even thresholds
- A spreadsheet you can update with your own data
When the budget is split by gut feel
We set the ad budget at last year's figure plus a bit
We work backwards: how many sales you need, conversion at each funnel step, how many leads and clicks that takes. The budget follows from the plan, not from habit.
We don't know how much we can pay per lead and still profit
We take margin, average order, repeat purchase rate and lead-to-deal conversion. Out comes a ceiling on cost per lead for every product and channel.
One channel keeps getting pricier, but shifting money feels risky
The model shows the cost increase at which a channel stops paying off. Moving money becomes a decision at a threshold, not after a month of losses.
Our CFO doesn't trust marketing's forecast
Every assumption sits in its own cell with a source: your data or a market estimate. You can debate a specific number instead of the whole forecast.
Products with different margins get advertised the same way
We calculate economics per product group or service. Often part of the range is worth promoting and part is better left to cross-sells.
Who the model is built for
A good fit if
- You already advertise in two or more channels and have sales data
- You plan to grow ad spend and want to know where the ceiling is
- You sell several products with different margins and sales cycles
- You need to defend the marketing budget to the owner or board
Not a fit if
- No sales yet, so nothing to calculate — start with a go-to-market strategy
- One channel with a small test budget — a forecast at paid ads setup is enough
- You can't share margin and revenue data — we'll build the model as a template you fill in yourself
Numbers over gut feeling
Your data, not averages
We model on your real conversions and revenue. Industry benchmarks are only a fallback while you don’t have data of your own.A transparent model
Every formula is visible and explained: you see where each number comes from and can challenge the assumptions.Honest about risk
We show not only the optimistic scenario but also the thresholds beyond which a channel stops paying off.
How we work
- 01
Sales data
1–2 daysWe gather average order value, margin, repeat purchases and lead-to-sale conversion.
You get A sales input sheet with sources for every figure - 02
Unit economics
2–3 daysWe calculate lifetime value per customer and the cost per lead and per sale you can afford.
You get A unit economics model with your maximum cost per lead and per customer - 03
Channel forecast
1–3 daysFor each channel we estimate cost per click, conversion rate and the volume it can deliver.
You get A lead and sales forecast by channel in three scenarios - 04
Media plan
1–2 daysWe split the budget across channels and months and agree on the numbers that trigger a plan review.
You get A spreadsheet media plan you can recalculate as new data comes in
The numbers we'll need
- Revenue, margin and average order for your main products
- Ad spend by channel for the last six to twelve months
- Lead and deal counts for the same periods from the CRM
- Sales cycle length and repeat purchase rate, if you track them
- A goal for the year: revenue or number of customers
A data review call
In half an hour we look at which numbers you have and which are missing. After the call we send a model outline, a timeline and an estimate.
How much can you
pay for a customer?
We’ll calculate your customer acquisition cost and lifetime value, then split the ad budget across channels using your own data.
Average order value, repeat purchases, funnel conversion rates and current marketing spend. Where something is missing we use estimates and refine them as data comes in.
From $1,500. The total depends on the number of channels in the plan, how complete your funnel and repeat-purchase data is and whether the model covers several products or regions. We send an estimate after a call where we see what data you already have.
Monthly: we compare plan to actuals and reallocate the budget.
Yes, accounting for long sales cycles and multiple touchpoints.
Yes, it’s a spreadsheet with clear inputs that you update yourself.