CAC by Channel – 2026 Benchmarks

Last updated November 4, 2026

The following report was compiled from client data and research on 122 of our agency’s accounts from December 2021 through October 2026, covering customer acquisition cost (CAC) across 21 marketing channels.

CAC by channel shows which lead generation channel earns its budget. An LTV-to-CAC ratio of 3:1 is generally healthy, meaning a company pays $1 to make $3 in revenue. These CACs represent a five year average, which typically includes a 4 to 6 month learning period where CAC is much higher. The benchmarks were achieved in high-performing campaigns carried out by our agency, so they may run below what a typical company sees. In the sections below, we break down CAC by channel, compare organic and inorganic averages, and rank the lowest cost channels.

CAC by Marketing Channel, Organic and Inorganic

In the table below, we break down B2B and B2C CAC for each organic and inorganic channel in our dataset.

CAC by Marketing Channel, Organic and Inorganic, 2026

Marketing Channel	B2B CAC	B2C CAC
ORGANIC MARKETING CHANNELS
Thought Leadership SEO	$686	$316
E-mail Marketing	$541	$304
Social Media Marketing	$697	$225
Content Marketing	$1,254	$890
Basic SEO	$1,893	$1,273
Podcasts	$1,472	$363
Informal Networking	$711	$472
Webinars	$603	$251
Public Speaking	$518	$472
Industry Trade Shows	$1,390	$535
Video Marketing	$815	$301
Average for All Organic Channels	$962	$491
INORGANIC MARKETING CHANNELS
PPC / SEM	$778	$281
PR	$1,720	$379
Account Based Marketing (ABM)	$4,664	N/A
Direct Mail	$864	$347
Outdoor Advertising	$1,690	$301
SDRs	$1,980	N/A
LinkedIn Ads	$1,041	N/A
Facebook Ads	N/A	$223
Radio Ads	$2,430	$375
TV Ads	$2,028	$306
Average for All Inorganic Channels	$1,911	$316

Our researchers took three main points from this data:

• We found Account Based Marketing the most expensive channel at $4,664 for B2B companies.
• Our data showed Basic SEO the most expensive organic channel for both audiences, at $1,893 and $1,273, while thought leadership content costs far less at $686 and $316.
• We found B2C CACs below B2B CACs on every channel with data for both.

Average CAC for Organic and Inorganic Marketing Channels

In the table below, we compare the averages for organic and inorganic channels. The graphs beneath it plot each channel from the main table.

Average CAC for Organic and Inorganic Marketing Channels, 2026

Channel Type	B2B CAC	B2C CAC
Organic	$962	$491
Inorganic	$1,911	$316

Our team drew three conclusions from this data:

• We found inorganic channels costing about twice as much as organic channels for B2B companies, at $1,911 against $962.
• Our data showed the reverse for B2C companies, where organic channels average $491 and inorganic channels $316.
• We suspect Basic SEO and Content Marketing lift the B2C organic average, since most other organic channels sit below $500.

Lowest CAC Marketing Channels

In the table below, we rank the five lowest cost channels for B2B and B2C companies.

Lowest CAC Marketing Channels, 2026

Rank	B2B Channel	B2B CAC	B2C Channel	B2C CAC
1	Public Speaking	$518	Facebook Ads	$223
2	E-mail Marketing	$541	Social Media Marketing	$225
3	Webinars	$603	Webinars	$251
4	Thought Leadership SEO	$686	PPC / SEM	$281
5	Social Media Marketing	$697	Outdoor Advertising and Video Marketing	$301

Three findings stood out to our team:

• We found every channel in the B2B top five to be organic.
• Our data showed Facebook Ads and Social Media Marketing within $2 of each other at the top of the B2C ranking.
• We found Webinars ranking third for both audiences.

If you want to lower your CAC, a strong SEO strategy is a good place to start. For more on this topic, see our reports on average CAC by industry, average CAC for SaaS businesses, the SaaS LTV to CAC ratio, and average customer lifetime value.

Requesting a Copy of This Report

If you’d like to request a PDF copy of this report or learn more about our agency, you can reach out here.