How to Budget for Aviation Marketing: Expert Tips from AERPOWER

Are you struggling with how to allocate your aviation marketing budget? You’re not alone. At AERPOWER Aviation Marketing, the #1 question we hear is, “How do I budget for marketing in the aviation industry?” We want to share our best tips to help you succeed.

Ready to make every marketing dollar count in your aviation business? Let’s dive in.

Understanding Aviation Marketing Budgets: Start with Your Business Goals

Before we talk numbers, let’s focus on what really matters – your business objectives. Are you aiming to:

Increase market share in the private jet sector?
Launch a new aircraft maintenance service?
Expand your avionics products into new regions?

Your aviation marketing budget should be a strategic tool to achieve these goals. At AERPOWER, we want to align every marketing dollar with your business ambitions.

Crafting Your Aviation Marketing Strategy

Once we’ve nailed down your objectives, it’s time to map out your marketing plan. This strategy will guide your budget allocation:

Identify your target audience (e.g., commercial airlines, private jet owners, aviation maintenance professionals)
Choose the most effective marketing channels for reaching them
Determine the key messages that will resonate with your aviation industry customers

Aviation Marketing Tactics: From Strategy to Action

Now, let’s get tactical. Your aviation marketing budget needs to cover specific actions like:

Creating compelling content that positions you as an aviation industry expert
Distribution of this compelling content, because crafting content is only part of the equation
Exhibiting at major aerospace trade shows
Launching targeted digital ad campaigns for aviation decision-makers
Implementing PR strategies to get featured in top aviation publications

Grab a copy of our Marketing Calendar to plan out your tactics here.

Prioritizing Your Aviation Marketing Budget

We categorize marketing activities into two groups:

Must-Have Items: Essential for your aviation marketing success
Nice-to-Have Items: Beneficial but not critical for immediate goals

This approach ensures your core aviation marketing needs are met, even with budget constraints.

CRITICAL TIP: Stakeholder Expectations in Aviation Marketing

Consider the perspectives of C-suite executives, board members, and investors when crafting your aviation marketing budget. You need resources to be successful in your marketing execution, and understanding stakeholder expectations will help you get the tools you need.

For instance, if your CFO understands how a larger budget could lead to measurable ROI in the competitive aviation industry, they’re more likely to approve additional funds. It’s about translating marketing goals into business outcomes that resonate with decision-makers.

Tip: Before your next budget meeting, prepare a one-page summary of how your marketing initiatives align with overall business goals. This concise document can be a powerful tool for securing stakeholder buy-in for your aviation marketing plans.

Remember, effective communication with stakeholders isn’t just about getting budget approval – it’s about building long-term support for your aviation marketing strategies. By consistently demonstrating the value of your marketing efforts, you’ll create a more supportive environment for future initiatives.

2024 Aviation Marketing Budget Trends

At AERPOWER, we like studying data. And for organizations that haven’t built a data history yet, it’s great to look at larger industry trends to gain some understanding as to how we can allocate for this spend. Let’s look at some industry insights from Gartner’s recent CMO Spend Survey:

Average B2B marketing budgets, as of May 2024, are around 7.7% of overall company revenue.
Digital channels account for 54.9% of marketing budgets in the B2B space.
Paid media allocation focused on brand awareness is at 28.6% of marketing budgets.

These benchmarks can help you gauge your aviation marketing budget against industry trends.

Maximizing Your Aviation Marketing ROI

To get the most from your marketing budget:

Focus on data-driven decision making
Continuously monitor and adjust your marketing efforts
Invest in aviation-specific marketing expertise

Ready to achieve your business goals?

Creating an effective aviation marketing budget isn’t about guesswork – it’s about strategic planning tailored to your unique business needs. At AERPOWER Aviation Marketing, we specialize in helping aviation businesses like yours.