In 2026, small businesses pay a marketing agency $1,000 to $7,000 a month, depending on scope. What the fee really buys is a named person responsible for making your marketing happen.
- By scope: simple local marketing runs about $1,000 to $3,000; full growth marketing, $3,000 to $7,000.
- Ads-only agencies: flat fees from about $499 a month, often 10 to 20% of ad spend once budgets grow.
- Setup fees: $300 to $2,000 on published US rate cards, sometimes with a minimum term.
- Before signing: ask whether they're hands-on, ask to see their work, ask how much ad spend they've managed.
- Industry experience: matters less than ad spend managed. A good advertiser learns your market in a few calls.
Whoever you hire, get the ad accounts in your name, in writing.
Published by Bytown: what a marketing agency costs a small business in 2026, from 10 real rate cards. Agencies charge $1,000 to $7,000 a month.
The spread is scope: roughly $1,000 to $3,000 for simple local marketing, $3,000 to $7,000 for full growth marketing. Agencies that only run ads publish flat fees from about $499 a month, then switch to a percentage of your ad spend once it passes a threshold.
I co-founded an ad agency in 2016, so I've been on the other side of this invoice. Here's what the fee actually buys, what the published rate cards say, and the 3 questions I'd ask before signing anything.
What the retainer actually buys
Believe it or not, most of an agency's hours go to reporting. That surprises owners, but it isn't the real product anyway.
A small business isn't really buying tasks. It's buying a person who is responsible for making the marketing happen, and the relationship with that person.
The meetings, the building, the optimizing and the reports all follow from that. So does the expertise: someone who has done this many times, so you see results without learning every lesson yourself.
At the top of the range, a $5,000 to $6,000 retainer usually buys access to a whole team: a media buyer, a copywriter, a strategist, a social media marketer and an email marketer, all inside one fee.
So what does that mean for you? Judge an agency on the person you'll work with, not on the list of services.
What US agencies publish, 2026
These are the agencies that publish their prices, quoted from their own pages. Most don't publish at all.
| Agency | How they charge | What they publish | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| WebFX | Flat tiers, then % of spend | "$975 / month or 15% of ad spend, whichever is higher" | Not stated on the package page |
| LYFE Marketing | Flat plans | "Starts at $650"; initial term of 3 months | $300 |
| Third Marble | Flat tiers | From $499 a month to a $2,000 partner plan; month to month | $399 onboarding |
| Emprise Digital | Flat, then % of spend | $1,000 a month; 10% of spend once spend tops $10,000 | $2,000 |
| Just Lead Market | Flat, then % of spend | $997 to $1,997 flat up to $25,000 in spend, then 6 to 8% | Not stated |
| Lotiva | Flat | $500 to $750 a month; 6 or 12 month terms | $500, waived on longer terms |
| Hook Agency | Retainer | $2,000 a month, scaling with scope and spend | Not stated |
Prices as published on each agency's site, checked September 2026.
What Canadian agencies publish, in CAD
| Agency | How they charge | What they publish (CAD) | Setup (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unalike Marketing | Flat by scope, then 12% above CA$10,000 spend | From CA$500 a month for 1 Search campaign to CA$1,500 for a full paid program | CA$1,000 |
| CatMo Media | % of spend | "between 15% and 20% of your monthly ad spend" | $500 to $1,500 |
| Mayank Chopra | Monthly or % of spend | CAD $1,500 to $3,500 a month, or 10 to 20% of ad spend | $500 to $2,500 |
Spot the pattern?
The pattern is the same on both sides of the border: a flat fee while your budget is small, a percentage once it grows, a setup fee, and a minimum term where one is stated.
How the pricing models change your bill
The model matters more than the headline number. Here's the math at 2 budgets, using the published terms above.
| Model | At $3,000 a month in ads | At $15,000 a month in ads |
|---|---|---|
| Flat fee ($1,000) | $1,000 | $1,000, if the agency keeps it flat |
| 15% of ad spend | $450, often lifted to a minimum fee | $2,250 |
| Flat, then 10% above $10,000 (Emprise) | $1,000 | $1,500 |
Here's the uncomfortable part. A percentage-of-spend fee pays the agency more when you spend more, whether or not the extra spend works.
That doesn't make every percentage agency dishonest. It does mean the incentive points the wrong way, and you should know it before you sign.
3 questions to ask before you sign
- Are you hands-on? Some people talk very well and can't execute. I'd rather hire someone who can do the work, even if they can't sell what they do eloquently. Ask who, by name, will build and change your campaigns.
- Can I see your work? Ask for a portfolio: real ads, real accounts, before and after. It's easy to see whether the examples are professional.
- How much ad spend have you managed? Not "do you know my industry". This is the biggest mistake owners make. A good advertiser learns what matters in your market from you in a few calls. The best ones decide on the data they see in accounts over and over, whatever the industry. Newcomers to an industry often do better, because they aren't anchored to what everyone else copies.
Then get one thing in writing: the ad accounts are yours. Every campaign, audience and year of history should sit in an account you own, with the agency added as a user. If you leave, you take it all with you.
When an agency is the right call
If you want someone else to run every part of it, and you want a named person accountable for the results, an agency is a reasonable choice. Budget $1,000 to $3,000 a month for simple local marketing, more for a full program.
If you're spending $500 to $3,000 a month on ads, there's now a cheaper setup that I think works better: AI does the mechanical work without mistakes, and a human approves the budgets and the critical decisions and keeps an eye on strategy. Less labour, more of your money in the market.
Case in point:
One private school that moved from a $5,000-a-month agency to Bytown now pays 5.5 times less in management fees, and its enrolment is up about 18%.
That's how Bytown is priced. 1 flat fee, never a percentage of your ad spend:
| Bytown plan | What you get | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | AI runs 1 ad platform; you approve every change | $199 a month; $139 for the first month |
| Max | Every platform: Google, Meta, LinkedIn and ChatGPT Ads | $449 a month; $314 for the first month |
| Advisors add-on | A dedicated human expert: 2 hours of coaching a month plus priority email | +$199 a month |
| Done for you | Bytown's marketers run the account for you | From $799 a month |
No setup fee and no contract on any of them. Bytown bills in US dollars.
Common questions
How much does a marketing agency cost for a small business?
$1,000 to $7,000 a month in 2026. Roughly $1,000 to $3,000 buys simple local marketing and $3,000 to $7,000 buys full growth marketing. Agencies that only run ads publish flat fees from about $499 a month and often switch to 10 to 20% of ad spend as budgets grow.
Is it worth hiring a marketing agency for a small business?
It can be, if you want a named person accountable and you can afford $1,000 a month or more on top of your ad budget. What you're really buying is that person and the relationship. At $500 to $3,000 a month in ads, an AI tool with a human checking the big decisions usually costs far less.
Do marketing agencies charge a percentage of ad spend?
Many do once spend passes a threshold. Published examples include 15% of spend at WebFX and 10% above $10,000 at Emprise Digital. In Canada, CatMo Media publishes 15 to 20% of monthly ad spend.
What should I ask a marketing agency before signing?
Ask whether they're hands-on and who will do the work, ask to see their portfolio, and ask how much ad spend they have managed. Then confirm in writing that the ad accounts are yours.
Should I hire an agency with experience in my industry?
It matters less than experience with ad spend. A good advertiser learns your market from you in a few calls and decides on the data in the account. Newcomers to an industry often do better because they don't copy what everyone else does.
Sources
- Agency rate cards, each agency's own page, checked September 2026: WebFX, LYFE Marketing, Third Marble, Emprise Digital, Just Lead Market, Lotiva, Hook Agency
- Canadian rate cards: Unalike Marketing, CatMo Media, Mayank Chopra
- Bytown pricing: bytown.co/pricing
Want someone to run it for you?
Bytown's Done for you puts our marketers on your account from $799 a month. 1 flat fee, never a percentage of your ad spend, and the accounts stay yours.
See Done for you Rather run it yourself? Compare plans.