The 70-20-10 rule is a simple way to decide how to divide your marketing effort, whether that's budget, time or content. It isn't a law, and different people use slightly different versions, but the idea behind it is useful for businesses of any size.
The basic idea
- 70%: what you know works. The proven, reliable activity that brings in customers today.
- 20%: building on what works. Variations and improvements on proven ideas: new angles, new audiences, new formats.
- 10%: new experiments. Things you haven't tried, which might fail but could become your next 70%.
The point is balance. Put everything into proven activity and you never discover anything better. Put too much into experiments and you risk the work that pays the bills.
Applying it to a marketing budget
For a local business, that might look like this:
- 70% on the channels already bringing in enquiries, for example your best-performing Google Ads campaigns and your Google Business Profile.
- 20% on extending them: a campaign for a related service, a new area you've started covering, or retargeting people who visited your website.
- 10% on something new: a short video ad, a different platform or a new type of offer.
Applying it to social media content
The rule also works well for planning posts:
- 70% dependable content your audience already responds to: recent work, useful tips, answers to common questions.
- 20% variations: new formats for the same topics, such as short videos instead of photos, or customer stories instead of tips.
- 10% experiments: trends, polls or behind-the-scenes content you've never tried.
Making it useful rather than theoretical
The rule only helps if you know what your "70%" actually is. That means measuring results: enquiries, bookings and sales, not just likes. Review each month what worked, and let successful experiments graduate into your core activity over time.
A worked example
Imagine a Lisburn landscaping business spending a set amount each month on marketing.
- 70% goes on what's already working: a Google Ads campaign for "landscaper Lisburn" and "garden design Lisburn", which reliably brings in enquiries, and keeping the Google Business Profile active.
- 20% extends that: a campaign for patios and driveways, a related service with steady demand, and posts showcasing finished patios.
- 10% tests something new: a short Facebook video ad showing a garden transformation, aimed at homeowners within a few miles.
After three months, the business reviews the results. If the video ads brought in good enquiries at a sensible cost, they move into the 20% or even the 70%. If not, the business tries a different experiment.
A word of caution for small budgets
If your total budget is small, 10% may be too little to learn anything from. In that case, run experiments one at a time, for long enough to judge them fairly, rather than spreading money thinly across several.
If you'd like help working out what your 70% should be, a free marketing check is a good place to start.
