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Australian SMEs Winning Work at Under $100 a Deal, UNTMD Benchmark Data Shows

UNTMD

Key Facts:

• Australian growth marketing agency UNTMD has published local advertising benchmarks for small and medium businesses, drawn from over $147,000 of managed ad spend across 20 accounts over 90 days, addressing the absence of Australian-specific data.
• Cost per enquiry varied by sector, ranging from $26.77–$61.32 for construction, $41.25 for solar installation, $53.25 for education services, $53.31 for professional and trade services, $66.79 for direct-to-consumer retail, and $114.85 for luxury direct-to-consumer retail.
• Conversion rates of 27–33% across tracked accounts mean a construction operator paying $26.77 per enquiry could win a job for roughly $90 in advertising spend, with results typically known within three to five weeks.
• The top-performing account spent approximately $42 per day and generated 140 enquiries over the quarter, challenging the common assumption that a substantial budget is required before advertising becomes worthwhile.
• Accounts that maintained an average ad frequency below 3.5 delivered the strongest cost per enquiry, with efficiency declining once frequency exceeded five, suggesting a modest budget spread across a broad audience outperforms a large budget concentrated on a small one.

MELBOURNE, Australia, 3 August 2026: UNTMD, an Australian growth marketing agency, has published advertising benchmarks for Australian small and medium businesses, drawn from more than $147,000 of advertising spend it managed across 20 accounts over 90 days. Construction operators in the data acquired enquiries from $26.77 and converted them to work at rates between 27 and 33 per cent, putting the cost of winning a job under $100.

Australian businesses have had no local reference point for what advertising should cost. The averages in circulation come from global platform reports built mostly on United States data, where audience costs, competition and buying behaviour differ from the Australian market. Operators reviewing their own accounts have been comparing them against figures that do not apply, at a point when many are cutting marketing spend and need to know which cuts are safe.

The UNTMD figures cover the three months to July 2026 and span construction, solar, education services, agriculture, health and beauty, and direct-to-consumer retail. Cost per enquiry by sector:

• Construction: $26.77 to $61.32

• Solar installation: $41.25

• Education services: $53.25

• Professional and trade services: $53.31

• DTC: $66.79

• Luxury DTC: $114.85

Enquiry cost is only half the picture. Across the accounts UNTMD tracks through to sale, between 27 and 33 per cent of enquiries converted to won work, on an average deal cycle of three to five weeks. At those rates, a construction operator paying $26.77 an enquiry is winning a job for roughly $90 in advertising, and knows within about a month whether the spend has returned.

The strongest performer in the set was not the biggest spender. The construction account returning enquiries at $26.77 ran on roughly $42 a day, and produced 140 enquiries over the quarter. Operators are commonly told they need a substantial budget before advertising is worth starting. The data does not support it.

The reason sits in audience reach rather than budget size. Accounts maintaining an average frequency below 3.5, meaning each person saw an ad fewer than four times across the quarter, delivered the strongest cost per enquiry. Efficiency eroded once frequency passed five, as additional budget bought repetition and brand awareness rather than new audience. A modest budget spread across a large enough audience outperforms a large budget concentrated on a small one, and the threshold is one operators can check in their own accounts.

"Australian operators have been measuring themselves against American averages because nothing local existed," said Maria Kathopoulis, founder of UNTMD. "A construction lead in Perth does not cost what a construction lead costs in Texas, and telling a business owner otherwise sends them chasing a number they will never hit. The number that matters is not what an enquiry costs, it is what a won job costs and how long you wait to find out. Most operators will find they are closer to workable than they think."

UNTMD will update the benchmarks each quarter. Figures are aggregated across managed accounts and reported by sector, with no individual business identified.

About us:

About UNTMD

UNTMD (Untamed Marketing) is an Australian growth marketing agency working across SaaS, eCommerce, services and marketplaces. Founded by Maria Kathopoulis, it provides fractional CMO, demand generation and conversion optimisation services, and manages advertising accounts across construction, education, legal, medical, agriculture, solar, property and retail.

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Peter Cayetuna
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UNTMD
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1300 009 111