To ensure your behavioral health marketing budget meets both operational and strategic needs, run it through this checklist of key categories that should be included:
1. Advertising Costs
| 🔲 Digital Ads: Search ads, display ads, streaming and video ads. |
| 🔲 Traditional Ads: Print, radio, billboards, TV (if relevant). |
| 🔲 Retargeting & Programmatic Ads: Ad campaigns to nurture leads. |
| 🔲 Social Media Ads: Paid campaigns across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. |
2. Content Creation & Marketing
| 🔲 Blogging: Costs for creating educational and engaging content. |
| 🔲 Video & Graphic Design: Production of pamphlets, testimonials, and infographics. |
| 🔲 Landing Pages: Optimized pages for lead capture, make sure to include budgets for A/B testing. |
3. Website & SEO
| 🔲 Website Development & Maintenance: Domain hosting, content updates, system updates, mobile responsiveness, HIPAA compliance, and more. |
| 🔲 Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Keyword research, link building, technical SEO, local SEO, and more. |
| 🔲 User Experience Optimization (UX) & Updates: Enhancing client journey and ease of use. |
4. Software and Tools
| 🔲 CRM & Marketing Automation: HubSpot, Salesforce, or other HIPAA-compliant CRMs. |
| 🔲 Analytics: Google Analytics, SEMrush etc. – Again, check for HIPAA compliance. |
| 🔲 Social Media Management: Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social for scheduling and tracking. |
| 🔲 Creative Suite: Adobe, Canva, video editing tools, etc. |
| 🔲 Client Engagement Software: HIPAA-compliant communication tools like Updox or Telehealth. |
5. Talent and Creatives
| 🔲 Internal Team Salaries: Marketing staff, strategic leaders, social media managers etc. |
| 🔲 Agency or Consultant: Strategy, SEO, advertising, and graphic consultants/vendors. |
6. Public Relations (PR)
| 🔲 Press Releases: Writing and distribution to healthcare and mental health media outlets. |
| 🔲 Crisis Management & Reputation Building: Agency or consultant fees. |
| 🔲 Event Sponsorship & Public Speaking: Costs for sponsoring industry or local events etc. |
7. Events & Partnerships
| 🔲 Webinars & Workshops: Hosting virtual or in-person educational events. |
| 🔲 Conferences & Trade Shows: Attending or exhibiting at industry-specific events. |
| 🔲 Referral Networks: Building relationships with local physicians etc. (referral campaigns). |
8. Compliance & Legal Fees
| 🔲 Legal Review: Legal counsel for ad content, testimonials, and patient stories to ensure compliance with regulations. Ensuring all marketing materials are HIPAA-compliant. |
9. Branding
| 🔲 Brand Identity: Updating or maintaining the brand’s visual identity (logos, color schemes etc.). |
| 🔲 Reputation Management Tools: Software to track and manage online reviews. |
10. Version of Budget for Leadership
|  🔲 C-Suite Overview: A simplified, high-level version of the budget for easy approval by CEOs and organizational leadership. This should include major spend categories and the expected return on investments (ROI). |
11. Miscellaneous & Contingency
| 🔲 Unexpected Costs: Set aside 10% of your budget for unforeseen expenses like emergency campaigns or last-minute opportunities |
| 🔲 Innovation & Experimentation: Budget for testing new platforms, tools, or marketing channels. |
A Free Resource, Because We Believe in Your Mission
We understand that those working in behavioral health are driven by more than profits—they’re fighting for the well-being of individuals and communities. That’s why we’ve made this resource completely free. There’s no paywall, no tricks. We believe that access to strategic planning tools should be available to everyone working to support people suffering from addiction and mental health challenges.
More Free Resources for 2025 Budgeting
In addition to the 2025 Budget Master Template, we’re offering three other free resources to help you build your 2025 marketing budget effectively:
- A Budget Allocation Guide – Written by our strategists and project managers, this guide will walk you through the nuances of resource distribution for behavioral health marketing.
Learn More - 2025 Behavioral Health Marketing Budget Master Template – Built by our team specifically for behavioral health groups to make your budgeting easy and simple. This sheet is completely free and both Excel and Sheets compatible. Download below to get started!
Download the Guide - A Free Hour Consultation – Our CEO is offering a complimentary hour-long consultation to review your budget, offer recommendations, and, if requested, provide direct estimates for key projects.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
At A-Train Marketing, we’ve worked with more than 150 practices nationwide, helping behavioral health organizations build their strategies and optimize their budgets. We know what works, and we’re committed to helping you succeed in your mission.
By: Tim Zercher
Award winning CEO of A-Train Marketing specializing in comprehensive health marketing solutions.
