Move Dollars Around
Strategies for reallocating marketing budget across different channels and campaigns. How to move money around through the year and not get lost
The board and finance team don't dig into how you move dollars between line items monthly or quarterly. They care about hitting revenue growth targets while keeping the total budget stable.
You have the Budget Movement Freedom
Money planned is money for investment where return is expected. Your success metrics are:
- Hitting revenue targets
- Spending the allocated budget effectively
- Delivering expected growth
Key Rules for Budget Movement
Stay Within Budget Totals
Keep both quarterly and annual spending at approved levels. Within these boundaries, you can move dollars between individual line items, categories, and even cost centers.
Here are some common scenarios for moving dollars around:
- From a LinkedIn campaign to Google Search Ads
- From Google Ads market 1 to Google Ads market 2
- Reallocating event sponsorship to paid media
- Headcount to contractor (e.g. if you cannot hire full time to agency or freelancer)
- From February to March, if the campaign preparation gets delayed
Track Budget Variances
Track each budget variance with these key fields. For automated tracking of these variances, refer to chapter 6.1: Automate Actuals Tracking.
Field | Options/Purpose |
---|---|
Variance Reason | • Planned Overspend • Planned Underspend • Unexpected Internal Event • Unexpected External Event • Budget pulled in (budget rescheduled) |
Budget Reallocation Needed | Yes/No |
Status of Reallocation | Pending/Completed |
Comment | Add explanation for: • Reason for variance • Impact on performance • Reallocation plan |
Customers acquired earlier weigh more in ARR