The Marketing Expenses You Can Actually Cut Right Now (And What You Should Never Touch): A Marketing Audit Guide by Qallann

Lorraine A
6 days ago
12 min read

An Honest Audit Guide for Kenyan Businesses Trying to Survive (and Thrive) in a Tough Economy

Let's be brutally honest about what's happening right now.

You're in a budget meeting. Revenue is down—or flat when it should be growing. The finance team is looking at every line item like it personally offended them. And marketing, as always, is the first department on the chopping block.

"Do we really need to spend 300K a month on this?"

It's a fair question, especially when you can't immediately point to which marketing expense brought in which customer.

Most marketing agencies won't tell you this, but: Yes, there's probably 30-40% waste in your marketing budget. Not because you're stupid or reckless, but because you've been adding tactics without strategy, platforms without purpose, and tools without proper implementation.

The problem isn't that you're spending on marketing. It's that you're spending on the wrong things, or the right things executed poorly.

So let's do what most agencies are terrified to do: Tell you exactly what you can cut, what you should protect, and why.

This isn't about slashing your budget to zero. It's about making every shilling or dollar work harder so you can weather this storm and come out stronger.

First: The Marketing Audit Framework

Before we cut anything, you need to know what you're actually spending and what it's producing.

Pull up your marketing expenses from the last 3-6 months and categorise them:

1. Acquisition Costs (Getting new customers)

Paid advertising (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
SEO and content marketing
Events and sponsorships
Lead generation tools
Agency/freelancer fees for acquisition work

2. Retention Costs (Keeping current customers)

Email marketing tools
Customer communication platforms
Loyalty programs
Customer success initiatives
Content for existing customers

3. Infrastructure Costs (Tools and systems)

CRM software
Marketing automation platforms
Analytics tools
Design software
Project management tools

4. Content Production Costs

Photography/videography
Graphic design
Copywriting
Website maintenance

5. Brand Building Costs (Long-term equity)

PR and media relations
Thought leadership content
Community building
Brand awareness campaigns

Now, for each line item, answer three questions:

Can I directly connect this expense to revenue? (Even loosely?)
If I cut this, what happens in 30 days? 90 days? 6 months?
Is this expense here because it works, or because "we've always done it"?

If you can't answer these questions, you're spending blindly. And blind spending is the first thing to cut.

What You Can Cut RIGHT NOW (Without Killing Momentum)

✂️ Cut 1: Brand Awareness Campaigns (Temporarily)

What this looks like:

Sponsored posts with no direct call-to-action
"Reach" and "impressions" focused advertising
PR campaigns that don't drive website traffic or leads
Billboards, radio ads, print ads (unless you're tracking conversions)

Why you can cut it: Brand awareness is a luxury. It's the long game. When cash flow is tight, you need short-term results.

Brand campaigns tell people you exist. That's valuable when the market is flush with cash and people are in buying mode. But in a tough economy, existence isn't enough. You need to prove VALUE immediately.

What to do instead: Redirect that budget to bottom-of-funnel activities—retargeting ads, email sequences to warm leads, Google Search campaigns targeting people actively looking for solutions.

Real Example from Qallann: We had a client spending 120K/month on Facebook boosted posts aimed at "brand visibility." Engagement was good - likes, comments, shares. But zero measurable conversions.

We cut it entirely and redirected 80K to retargeting people who visited their pricing page, and 40K to LinkedIn ads targeting CFOs at their ideal customer companies.

Result: 3.5X more qualified leads in 90 days. Same budget.

✂️ Cut 2: Underperforming Paid Advertising Channels

What this looks like: You're running ads on Google, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and maybe Twitter because "we need to be everywhere."

Why you can cut it: Not all channels are created equal for YOUR business.

If you're a B2B service provider and your LinkedIn ads convert at 8% while your Facebook ads convert at 0.5%, why are you spending equally on both?

The Audit: Pull your last 90 days of ad performance. Calculate Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) for each platform.

Example:

Google Ads: 100K spend → 15 customers = 6,666 KES per customer
Facebook Ads: 100K spend → 3 customers = 33,333 KES per customer
LinkedIn Ads: 50K spend → 8 customers = 6,250 KES per customer

In this scenario, you pause Facebook immediately and reallocate that budget to Google and LinkedIn.

What about "testing"? Testing is important, but not when you're in survival mode. You test when you have margin for experimentation. Right now, you double down on what WORKS.

Kenyan Context: We see this constantly with Kenyan businesses trying to crack TikTok or Twitter because it's trendy, while their LinkedIn (where their actual buyers are) sits neglected.

Cut the vanity. Follow the conversions.

✂️ Cut 3: Redundant or Underutilised Tools

What this looks like: You're paying for:

A CRM you barely use (or worse, multiple CRMs)
Marketing automation software that's running zero automations
Three different design tools when you only need one
Analytics platforms you never log into
Social media scheduling tools for platforms you're not active on

The Tool Audit: Go through every software subscription. Ask:

When's the last time we logged in?
Are we using even 50% of the features we're paying for?
Could a cheaper tool do the same job?
Is this tool integrated with anything, or is it a data silo?

What to do:

Consolidate. HubSpot can replace 5 separate tools if you're paying for premium features you're not using. Or conversely, drop HubSpot and use separate free/cheap tools if you don't need enterprise features.
Downgrade. Do you really need the 500K/year Salesforce plan, or would the 150K/year plan do the job?
Cancel unused. That social listening tool you signed up for 8 months ago and checked twice? Gone.

Real Example: A client was paying 85K/month for a marketing automation platform. When we audited, they had:

Zero active automation workflows
Emails being sent manually
No lead scoring set up
Integration with their CRM not configured

They were paying for a Ferrari and using it as a bicycle.

We downgraded them to a 25K/month tool that actually matched their needs, trained their team properly, and saved them 720K/year.

✂️ Cut 4: Agencies or Freelancers Not Delivering ROI

What this looks like: You're paying an agency or freelancer a monthly retainer. They're busy posting content, sending reports, and attending meetings. But when you ask "How many customers did this generate?" the answer is vague.

"We're building brand equity." "We're in the awareness phase." "SEO takes time."

All true statements. Also convenient excuses.

The Hard Conversation: Call your agency/freelancer. Ask them directly:

What are our current marketing metrics? (Leads, conversions, CAC, ROI)
How have these metrics changed since you started working with us?
What specific revenue can you attribute to your work?

If they can't answer with numbers, you have three options:

Restructure the relationship (move from retainer to project-based, pay for results)
Dramatically reduce the scope (keep only what's clearly working)
End the relationship and either go in-house or find someone who can prove their value

Important caveat:

Some marketing work genuinely takes time—SEO, content marketing, brand building. The question isn't "Did it work in 30 days?" but "Can you show me leading indicators that this is heading in the right direction?"

Good agencies will show you:

Organic traffic growth
Keyword ranking improvements
Email list growth and engagement trends
Content performance trending up

If you're seeing NOTHING move, even directionally, it's not working. Also, sometimes the foundations for tracking are not in place. Many businesses hire agencies or freelancers to perform specific tasks, such as posting on social media or boosting posts. However, the tracking mechanisms to connect these efforts to their websites are often not established, resulting in siloed tools that fail to provide a comprehensive view of performance.

✂️ Cut 5: Expensive Content Production That Isn't Converting

What this looks like:

High-end photoshoots that produce beautiful images nobody clicks on
Professionally produced videos that get 47 views
Elaborate graphic design for social posts that get zero engagement
Whitepapers and ebooks that took 40 hours to produce and generated 12 downloads

The Reality: Today, authenticity often outperforms polish. An iPhone video of your CEO explaining a concept can outperform a 200K production if the message resonates.

What to do: Shift to lower-cost, higher-frequency content:

Record videos on your phone (good lighting + decent audio is enough)
Use Canva instead of hiring designers for every social post
Create content in-house instead of outsourcing everything

When NOT to cut: If you're in a premium market where production quality = credibility (luxury goods, high-end services), cutting quality is cutting positioning. In that case, cut frequency, not quality.

✂️ Cut 6: Events and Sponsorships You Can't Track

What this looks like:

Industry conference sponsorships ("It's good for brand visibility")
Networking event expenses with no follow-up system
Trade shows where you collect 200 business cards and follow up with zero
Corporate social responsibility initiatives that feel good but have no business impact

Look, we get it. Networking is important. Relationships matter. This is especially true in Kenya where business is relationship-driven.

But if you're sponsoring an event for 150K and you can't point to a single customer that came from it, that's a donation, not marketing.

What to do:

Pause all events unless you have a SYSTEM for converting attendees to leads
If you must attend, go lean (send one person, not a full team)
Shift event budget to digital where you can actually track ROI

Exception: If you're in an industry where presence at specific events is table stakes (you'll be conspicuous by your absence), then attend but minimise spend.

What You Should NEVER Touch (Even If It Hurts)

Now for the hard part. The things that might seem like easy cuts but will destroy your business if you eliminate them.

🛡️ Protect 1: Customer Retention Marketing

What this includes:

Email marketing to existing customers
Customer onboarding systems
Loyalty programs
Regular check-ins and account management
Customer success content

Why you never cut this: Acquiring a new customer costs 5-25X more than keeping an existing one. In a tough economy, your current customers are your lifeline.

If you cut retention efforts to save 50K/month and lose even TWO customers worth 30K each in lifetime value, you've lost money.

What we see in Kenya: Businesses slash their email marketing tool subscription to save 15K/month. Three months later, they realise their customer churn rate doubled because they stopped staying in touch.

The Math:

Cost of retention marketing: 50K/month = 600K/year
Preventing just 5% churn on a customer base worth 10M = 500K saved
ROI: Positive, even conservatively

Never. Touch. Retention.

🛡️ Protect 2: Website and Conversion Infrastructure

What this includes:

Website hosting and maintenance
Conversion optimisation efforts
Landing pages
Forms and lead capture mechanisms
Analytics tracking

Why you never cut this: Your website is your 24/7 salesperson. If it's slow, broken, or poorly optimised, every other marketing dollar you spend is wasted.

Real scenario: A client wanted to cut their 40K/month website maintenance and optimisation budget. We showed them the numbers:

Current website conversion rate: 3.2%
Monthly website visitors: 5,000
Current leads per month: 160

If conversion dropped to 2% (totally plausible with neglect):

Leads per month: 100
Lost leads: 60/month
Lost revenue (assuming 20% close rate, 50K average deal): 600K/month

That 40K/month expense was protecting 600K/month in revenue.

They kept the budget.

🛡️ Protect 3: Your CRM and Attribution Tracking

What this includes:

CRM software (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, etc.)
Analytics tools (Google Analytics, Tag Manager)
Attribution tracking systems
Conversion tracking pixels

Why you never cut this: In a tight economy, you NEED to know what's working so you can double down on it. Cutting your measurement tools is like flying blind in a storm.

You cannot optimise what you cannot measure.

The False Economy: "We'll save 80K/month by cancelling our CRM."

What you actually did:

Lost all visibility into your pipeline
Can't track which marketing channels bring customers
Salespeople go back to managing leads in spreadsheets and email
Follow-up suffers
Deals slip through cracks

The 80K you saved cost you 500K in lost sales from poor pipeline management.

Minimum Viable Tracking: Even if you're on the tightest budget:

Keep Google Analytics (free)
Keep a basic CRM (even HubSpot free tier)
Keep UTM tracking on all campaigns
Keep conversion pixels installed

These are non-negotiable.

🛡️ Protect 4: High-Performing Paid Advertising

What this includes: Any paid channel that's delivering customers at an acceptable CAC.

Why you never cut this: This is the difference between smart cost-cutting and self-sabotage.

If your Google Ads are spending 100K/month and generating 15 customers worth 50K each in lifetime value, cutting that budget doesn't save you 100K.

It COSTS you 750K in revenue.

The Right Move: Don't cut performing channels. Optimise them:

Pause underperforming keywords/audiences
Reallocate budget to top performers
Improve your landing pages to increase conversion
Reduce waste, don't eliminate the channel

Real Example: Client was spending 250K/month on Google Ads with mixed results. Instead of cutting entirely, we:

Paused 40% of keywords that weren't converting
Reallocated that budget to best performers
Improved landing page (increased conversion by 60%)

New spend: 200K/month New results: 2.3X more customers

We didn't cut the channel. We made it efficient.

🛡️ Protect 5: Content That's Already Working

What this includes:

SEO content that's ranking and driving organic traffic
Email sequences that convert
Social content formats that generate engagement and leads
Evergreen content assets (guides, templates, frameworks)

Why you never cut this: Some marketing is like a fruit tree. It takes time to grow, but once it's producing, it keeps giving with minimal maintenance.

Cutting SEO content that's ranking is like chopping down a tree that's giving you fruit every month because you don't want to pay for water.

What to do instead:

Keep publishing to your highest-performing content types
Repurpose instead of creating net-new (turn one blog into 5 social posts)
Reduce frequency if needed, but don't stop entirely

Algorithms punish silence. If you go dark for 3 months, you lose all momentum and have to rebuild from scratch.

Better to post once a week consistently than to pause entirely.

🛡️ Protect 6: Marketing Leadership (In-House or Agency)

What this includes:

Your head of marketing (if in-house)
Your strategic marketing partner or agency (if they're delivering)
The person/team who actually THINKS about marketing, not just executes

Why you never cut this: Junior people can execute. They can post on social, design graphics, send emails.

But strategy? That requires experience, perspective, and business acumen.

The False Economy: "We'll fire our Head of Marketing (300K/month) and have our junior coordinator (80K/month) handle it."

What actually happens:

Tactics continue, but without strategy
No one's optimising or making tough decisions
Random activities replace strategic initiatives
Performance declines slowly, then rapidly

Six months later, you realise you need to hire someone senior again, except now you've lost 6 months of momentum and you're in a worse position.

The Right Move: If your marketing leader/agency is strategic and delivering results, protect them. They're your guide through this storm.

If they're NOT strategic or NOT delivering, replace them with someone who is. Don't eliminate the role.

The Kenyan Business Reality: What We're Actually Seeing

Here at Qallann, we've guided 50+ Kenyan businesses through budget cuts over the last 18 months. Here's what the numbers actually look like:

Average marketing budget before cuts: 450K/month

After strategic cuts: 320K/month (29% reduction)

Impact on lead volume: -8% (not the 29% you'd expect)

Impact on customer acquisition: +12% (yes, MORE customers with LESS budget)

How is this possible?

Because waste is real. When you cut the fat and keep the muscle, you get leaner and stronger.

What we typically cut:

3-4 underperforming ad channels → Save 80-120K
Redundant tools and subscriptions → Save 40-60K
Expensive content production → Save 30-50K
Events with no tracking → Save 20-40K

What we protect and optimise:

Top 2 performing ad channels (optimised, not just maintained)
CRM and attribution tracking
Customer retention systems
Core content production (lower cost, higher frequency)

Result: More efficient marketing engine that delivers better results for less.

Your 30-Day Cost-Cutting Action Plan

Week 1: Audit and Analyze

[ ] Pull 90 days of marketing expenses (every line item)
[ ] Pull 90 days of marketing results (leads, conversions, revenue by channel)
[ ] Calculate CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) by channel
[ ] Calculate CLV (Customer Lifetime Value)
[ ] List every tool/subscription and last login date

Week 2: Identify Cuts

[ ] Highlight expenses with no measurable ROI
[ ] Identify redundant tools or subscriptions
[ ] Flag underperforming ad channels (CAC > 1/3 of CLV)
[ ] Review agency/freelancer performance
[ ] List "nice to have" vs "must have" expenses

Week 3: Make Decisions

[ ] Cut bottom 20% of expenses (usually low-hanging fruit)
[ ] Consolidate or downgrade tools
[ ] Pause (don't delete) underperforming campaigns
[ ] Renegotiate contracts where possible
[ ] Have honest conversations with vendors

Week 4: Optimize What Remains

[ ] Reallocate saved budget to top performers
[ ] Improve landing pages and conversion points
[ ] Set up better tracking for remaining channels
[ ] Create weekly reporting dashboard
[ ] Plan 90-day optimization sprints

The Bottom Line

Cutting your marketing budget isn't the problem. Cutting BLINDLY is.

Every business in Kenya right now is facing the same pressure. The difference between those who survive and those who thrive comes down to one thing: Strategic cost management.

Cut the waste. Protect the core. Optimise what remains.

And if you can't tell the difference between waste and core? That's the real problem, and it's bigger than budget cuts.

Need Help Auditing Your Marketing Spend?

Look, we get it. This is hard to do objectively when it's your own business.

At Qallann, we do marketing audits for Kenyan businesses trying to make smart cuts without killing momentum. We look at your last 90 days of spend and results, and we show you:

What to cut immediately (with zero impact on results)
What to protect (even if it's expensive)
What to optimise (where small changes = big improvements)
Where to reallocate (move money from low-ROI to high-ROI)

This isn't a sales pitch disguised as an audit. It's a diagnostic. You'll walk away with a clear action plan, whether you work with us or not.

Because honestly? We'd rather see Kenyan businesses make smart decisions than desperate ones.

Drop us an email at info@qallann.com to schedule your marketing expense audit.

Let's make your marketing budget work harder, not just smaller.

About Qallann Marketing Agency

We're a Nairobi-based marketing agency that's been helping Kenyan businesses build predictable revenue systems since 2018. We've guided clients through multiple economic cycles, and we know the difference between cost-cutting and self-sabotage.

We don't do cookie-cutter marketing. We build custom strategies based on your business reality, your market, and your goals.