How to split an advertising budget
04 September 2026
· 1 min
Putting everything into one channel is the most common mistake.
With a small budget the first instinct is to put it all into Instagram. Sometimes that is right; often it is not.
The 70-20-10 rule
Seventy per cent to the channel you know works. Twenty to a second channel that looks promising. Ten per cent for testing — a new format, a new audience.
Without that ten per cent you never find new opportunities. Your competitor does.
What decides the channel
Price and decision time. Cheap, impulse purchases suit social media. Expensive, considered purchases suit search advertising, because the person is already looking.
When to change
If a channel misses target for two consecutive months, reduce its budget. But do not decide on one week — the numbers fluctuate.