How much should this practice spend on marketing?
BDO’s benchmark for a general dental practice puts advertising at 3 to 6 percent of gross patient fees (first published 12 August 2019, still stated after the pandemic). Enter your own figures and the estimate updates as you type. All amounts are in Australian dollars.
Estimate
ExampleExample, not a typical practice. On $1,000,000 of gross patient fees, BDO’s 3 to 6 percent advertising band is $30,000 to $60,000 a year. The middle of that band is $45,000, which is 4.5 percent. The $1,000,000 is a round example, not an Australian average. The band is BDO’s, from the note first published 12 August 2019. A goal of 20 new patients a month has no dollar answer until you enter what one new patient costs you.
Share band, a year
- SourcedAdvertising at 3 to 6 percent of gross patient fees: BDO, first published 12 August 2019, still stated after the pandemic. Best fit above $750,000 of fees.
- Sourced4.5 percent is the middle of BDO’s band: arithmetic, not a recommended spend.
- Your figureGross patient fees: $1,000,000, a round example, not an Australian average.
- Your figureNew patients wanted: 20 a month, an example goal.
- Your figureCost of one new patient: not entered.
- Your figure
A model, not a prediction.
The estimate stays on this page.
Compare, split and plan, with your own figures.
Two scenarios you name, a channel split you type, and twelve months of the goal line. The same formulas as the estimate above. No suggested mix and no default cost.
Two scenarios, side by side
Name each case, then enter its figures. Both use the same formulas and rules as the estimate above. Neither one is a recommendation.
Scenario A
Enter this scenario’s figures to see its estimate.
Scenario B
Enter this scenario’s figures to see its estimate.
Split a monthly budget your way
Type what you would put into each channel. The page adds it up. It does not suggest a mix.
Type a budget and how you would split it. The page adds it up and does not suggest a mix.
| Channel | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Total | – | – |
Twelve months of the goal line
From Your figures above, at the same monthly goal. Ad spend only. There is no revenue or return column: this is a model, not a forecast.
Enter a new-patient goal and what one new patient costs you, under Your figures, to see the twelve months.
| Month | New patients wanted | Goal line, ad spend |
|---|---|---|
| 12 months |
Each month is rounded to the dollar. The total is worked out before rounding.
What Save keeps. The figures you typed on this page: Your figures, both scenarios and the channel split, so the twelve months come back too. They stay in this browser on this device. Nothing leaves your device and nothing is sent to us. Reset, or clearing this site’s data, removes them. This is not an account and not a quote.
How is the estimate worked out?
Two lines, so you are not forced into a percent. The share band uses BDO’s range on your fees. The goal line starts from the new patients you want. Both are ad spend only.
Share band
Lowgross patient fees × 0.03
Highgross patient fees × 0.06
Middlegross patient fees × 0.045, the middle of BDO’s range
Goal line
A monthnew patients a month × cost of one new patient
A yearthe month × 12
What-ifthe month with the cost × 0.75 and × 1.25
Your plan
One scalethe goal line a year against the band: below, inside or above it
12 monthsthe goal line a month, each month; the total is the goal line a year
Splityour channel amounts added up, and your budget minus that total
Money is rounded to the nearest dollar. With no cost entered, the goal line shows no dollars: blank is not zero.
| Input | Unit | Needed for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross patient fees, last 12 months | AUD a year | The share band | From practice software or your accountant. Tick “forecast” if it is not last year’s. |
| New patients wanted each month | Patients a month | The goal line | Your goal, including patients you want to replace, if you want that. |
| Cost of one new patient now | AUD per patient | Optional | Last quarter’s marketing spend ÷ the new patients it produced. Blank hides the goal dollars. |
| Patients who left last year | Patients a year | Optional | Shown ÷ 12 as a monthly number to replace. |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Worked example
Example, not a typical practice. On $1,000,000 of gross patient fees, BDO’s 3 to 6 percent advertising band is $30,000 to $60,000 a year. The middle of that band is $45,000, which is 4.5 percent. The $1,000,000 is a round example, not an Australian average. The band is BDO’s, from the note first published 12 August 2019. A goal of 20 new patients a month has no dollar answer until you enter what one new patient costs you.
The method in full. Why a goal beats a percentage, and what the fee covers.
How much should a dental practice spend on marketing?Questions about the estimate
What it includes, what it leaves out, and where the starting numbers come from.
What does this estimate include?
Two lines, both ad spend only.
- Share band. It applies BDO’s 3 to 6 percent advertising range to your gross patient fees. On $1,000,000 that is $30,000 to $60,000 a year.
- Goal line. It multiplies the new patients you want each month by what one new patient costs you now, then by 12 for a year.
You can show the bar per year or per month, and compare two scenarios side by side. You can also type how you would split a monthly budget across channels. The page adds it up and does not suggest a mix.
What does it leave out?
Management fees, which come on top. Shoutout Digital’s are Foundation $1,990, Growth $3,490 and Group from $5,990 a month, plus GST, as of October 2026. Ad spend is paid direct to Google or Meta with no markup.
It also leaves out two things the formula does not price:
- Retention. A goal of zero new patients gives $0, because the formula does not price keeping patients.
- Lifetime value. The page does not turn a budget into a lifetime return.
It is a model, not a prediction of patients or revenue.
Where do the starting numbers come from?
The 3 to 6 percent band is BDO’s benchmark for a general dental practice.
BDO first published it on 12 August 2019 and still states it after the pandemic. BDO says it fits practices above $750,000 of gross patient fees best, and it is not split by state. The middle of the band, 4.5 percent, is arithmetic, not a recommended spend.
The cost of one new patient has no default. Every other number is yours: your gross patient fees, the new patients you want each month and, if you know it, what one new patient costs you now. The $1,000,000 in the example is a round figure, not an Australian average.
Why does a large number ask me to check it?
Large figures still calculate, but the page asks you to check them for a typing slip.
Two limits trigger the check: fees above $20 million a year, and a cost above $2,000 per new patient.
Check the figure against your practice software or your accountant, and correct it if it is wrong. The estimate updates as you type.
Those limits are typing guards, not benchmarks. They say nothing about what a practice should spend, and they do not change the formulas. The estimate uses the number you typed.
Is my result emailed or stored?
No. There is no email gate, and nothing is sent to us. The estimate is worked out in your browser.
If you press Save in this browser, what you typed stays in this browser on this device. That covers your figures, both scenarios and the channel split, so the twelve months come back too. It stays until you press Reset or clear this site’s data.
It is not an account and not a quote. If you want a quote, book a free strategy session and bring the estimate.
Next step: book a free strategy session.
A free 30-minute strategy session, on video or by phone, your pick. Bring the estimate. Or get the free Google Ads account audit, which needs no call at all.