Blackstone Media publishes 2027 budget guide for London small businesses

Blackstone Media has published a pricing guide for small businesses planning 2027 marketing budgets, with starting fees for social media management, local SEO and Google Ads in London. Founder Ash Aziz is also pushing owners to ask agencies four budget questions before signing a contract.

Why it matters: - Small businesses often need clear, upfront pricing before they commit to agency work. - Blackstone Media is positioning its own fees and terms as a planning tool for owners building 2027 marketing budgets. - The guide is aimed at helping businesses choose one channel first, rather than spreading limited budgets too thin.

What happened: - Blackstone Media published a channel-by-channel budget guide for small businesses in London. - The guide covers social media management, local search engine optimisation and Google Ads management. - Founder and Director Ash Aziz said small business owners should demand written clarity on starting price, ad spend and minimum term before signing anything. - Blackstone Media says its social media management starts from £300 a month, excluding VAT. - The social media pricing page is available here. - Blackstone Media says local SEO starts from £500 a month, excluding VAT. - Blackstone Media says Google Ads management in London starts from £1,000 a month, excluding VAT. - Blackstone Media says adding Meta advertising on Facebook and Instagram as a second platform starts from £1,499 a month, excluding VAT. - Blackstone Media says advertising spend is billed separately and paid directly to the ad platform. - The Google Ads fees and terms page is available here.

The details: - Blackstone Media says its starting prices are minimum monthly fees, and the final fee depends on the work involved. - For Google Ads accounts, Blackstone Media requires a minimum advertising spend of £500 a month, a minimum term of three months and one month's notice. - Blackstone Media quotes larger Google Ads accounts, above about £5,000 a month in advertising spend, individually. - Aziz said owners should start with one channel done properly rather than trying to split a small budget across several channels. - Aziz said social media management is often the best first channel for small businesses because it has the lowest starting fee of the three options and gives customers a steady presence to review before buying. - Aziz said Google Ads management costs include both the management fee and the ad spend. - Aziz said owners should budget for the full minimum term, not just the first month, and should know the notice period before signing. - Aziz recommends asking an agency whether the starting price is published on the agency's website, whether VAT is included and when the page was last updated. - Aziz also recommends asking about minimum ad spend, minimum term and notice period. - Aziz wants owners to check an agency's most recent Google reviews. - Aziz says owners should ask who will run the account day to day and whether that person specialises in the channel being bought.

Between the lines: - Blackstone Media is using the guide to make pricing transparency part of its pitch. - The message also reflects a wider agency pain point: hidden costs can make budgets harder for small businesses to trust and to compare. - By steering owners toward one channel first, Blackstone Media is framing social media as the lowest-friction entry point for smaller budgets. - The emphasis on written terms suggests contract details remain a key source of confusion in agency buying.

What's next: - Blackstone Media says the guide is for owners planning 2027 budgets, so the pricing and terms are likely to be used as reference points in early budgeting conversations. - Aziz is encouraging business owners to get direct answers before they commit funds, which could shape how agencies are evaluated going into 2027. - Blackstone Media also offers a free initial consultation through its website.

The bottom line: - Blackstone Media is betting that clear, published pricing will help small businesses choose and budget for digital marketing with fewer surprises.