Budget Proposal Template

Q3

Marketing Department

Budget Proposal
Q3 2026

July – September 2026

$85K

Requested

Submitted by Priya Mehta, Head of Content Marketing

Submitted to CFO + CEO

Date Submitted May 2, 2026

Budget Period Q3 2026 (July – September)

Executive Summary

This proposal requests $85,000 for Q3 2026 marketing operations — a $23,000 (+37%) increase over Q2's $62,000 budget. The increase is justified by Q2's performance: every $1 invested in Q2 generated $5.08 in pipeline. Q3's budget targets 350 MQLs, 42 SQLs, and $504,000 in pipeline — a 60% increase over Q2 pipeline generated. The incremental spend is focused on proven channels with demonstrated ROI, not experimental programs.

Q3 Budget Breakdown

Line Item	Amount	% of Total	Primary Justification
Paid Social — Meta + LinkedIn Primary demand gen channel	$28,000	32.9%	Q2 ROAS of 3.8x on LinkedIn. Increasing Meta spend to test B2B retargeting audiences.
Content Production Video, design, copywriting	$18,000	21.2%	4 video case studies + weekly blog design. Video case studies convert 3x better than text in trials.
Events & Field Marketing 2 sponsored industry events	$15,000	17.6%	ContentCon (July) + SaaS Summit (August). Last event generated 28 SQLs at $310 CPL.
SEO Tools + Contractors Semrush, Ahrefs, freelance writers	$12,000	14.1%	2 freelance writers at $300/article (10 articles/mo). Organic traffic up 44% QoQ — accelerating.
Email Platform + Design Tools Klaviyo enterprise + Figma org	$7,000	8.2%	Klaviyo enterprise tier unlocks advanced segmentation. Required for ABM email sequences.
Miscellaneous + Buffer Unexpected opps, overruns	$5,000	5.9%	Reserve for emerging opportunities and unexpected costs. ~6% buffer is conservative.
Total Q3 Budget Request	$85,000	100%

Expected Outcomes

350

MQLs

Up from 210 in Q2 (+67%)

42

SQLs

12% MQL→SQL conversion

$504K

Pipeline Generated

At avg ACV $12,000

Q2 vs Q3 Performance Comparison

Metric	Q2 2026 (Actual)	Q3 2026 (Projected)	Change
Budget	$62,000	$85,000	+$23,000 (+37%)
MQLs Generated	210	350	+140 (+67%)
MQL Cost (CPL)	$295	$243	-$52 (-18%)
SQLs Generated	26	42	+16 (+62%)
Pipeline Generated	$315,000	$504,000	+$189K (+60%)
Pipeline per $1 Invested	$5.08	$5.93	+$0.85 (+17%)

Note: Q3 projections based on Q2 channel performance data, planned spend allocation, and seasonal adjustment (+8% for summer event season). CPL improvement reflects better targeting and audience optimization applied in Q3.

Line-Item Justification

Paid Social — Meta + LinkedIn $28,000

LinkedIn generated a 3.8x ROAS in Q2 with strong performance in the VP Operations and Head of Revenue segments. We're increasing LinkedIn spend by $6,000 and adding $4,000 in Meta retargeting spend targeting users who've engaged with SEO content. Meta's lower CPM makes it effective for top-of-funnel awareness while LinkedIn drives bottom-of-funnel conversion.

Content Production $18,000

Video case studies are our highest-converting trial-initiation asset — internal data shows a 3x improvement in trial starts when prospects have watched a customer video. We're commissioning 4 case study videos at $3,500 each, plus ongoing weekly blog design and social asset production. This covers professional filming, editing, and motion graphics.

Events & Field Marketing $15,000

ContentCon (July 14–16, Austin) and SaaS Summit (August 21–22, Chicago) are both tier-1 events for our ICP. Our Q1 event sponsorship at similar scale generated 28 SQLs at $310 CPL — below our $400 SQL target. Budget covers booth, materials, sponsorship fees, travel for 2 reps, and lead capture tooling.

SEO Tools + Contractors $12,000

Organic search is now our #2 MQL source (+44% QoQ growth). We're maintaining Semrush and Ahrefs subscriptions ($1,200/mo combined) and retaining 2 freelance writers at $300/article for 10 articles/month. Topics are pre-approved and tied to high-intent keyword clusters identified in our SEO audit.

Email Platform + Design Tools $7,000

Upgrading Klaviyo to enterprise tier ($2,400/quarter) unlocks the advanced segmentation and behavioral triggers required for our Q3 ABM email program. Figma org seats ($4,600/quarter) covers all marketing designers. Both are non-discretionary — downgrading would break existing workflows.

Risk Assessment

Risk: Budget Not Approved at Full Request

If the Q3 budget is not approved at the full $85,000 request, the most likely outcome is a miss on the H2 pipeline target of $900,000 by an estimated $200,000 ($504K projected Q3 pipeline vs. $315K Q2 baseline, shortfall lands in H2 totals). Team bandwidth is maxed without additional content production budget — we cannot increase output without contractor support. Sales team is expecting 350 MQLs to hit their Q3 quota; shortfall impacts their attainment.

If partial budget is approved, recommended priority order for cuts: (1) Miscellaneous/Buffer — $5,000. (2) Events — reduce to one event ($8,000). (3) Content production — reduce to 2 case studies ($10,000). Do not cut paid social or SEO — these are the highest-ROI channels.

Additional Notes

All vendor contracts for Q3 are being held pending budget approval. No commitments have been made. If approval is received by May 20, all Q3 programs can launch on schedule for July 1. If approval comes after June 1, ContentCon sponsorship will not be achievable (registration deadline June 5).

Approval

By signing below, the approver authorizes the Marketing Department to proceed with the Q3 2026 budget as outlined in this document. Total authorized spend: $85,000 (or amended amount as noted).

Chief Financial Officer

[ Name ]

Signature Date

Approved amount: $_________

Chief Executive Officer

[ Name ]

Signature Date

Approved amount: $_________

Marketing Department — Q3 2026 Budget Proposal
Submitted by Priya Mehta, Head of Content Marketing. Date: May 2, 2026. Confidential.