Budget Control

The Budget Control tool is designed to help you avoid overspending by automatically monitoring your campaign budgets and pausing campaigns once the limit is reached. This tool ensures that your spending stays within the predefined limits, even if errors occur while setting up budgets in the Campaign Manager. In addition, Budget Groups allow more streamlined campaign management, which helps you manage and organize multiple campaign groups under a single budget. A Budget Group acts as a “folder” containing multiple campaign groups, allowing you to set an overall budget for the collection of campaigns. You can then monitor spending across all campaign groups and manage them efficiently.

Key Features of the Budget Control Tool: #

• Budget Control for Ad Accounts and Campaign Groups:
  • The monthly budget is set at the ad account level or for specific campaign groups, with the ability to create a budget group that combines multiple campaign groups.
  • The budget is tracked for the entire calendar month.
• How Budget Control Works:
  • When setting a budget in the middle of the month, the system checks the amount already spent. For example, if you set a $500 budget on March 15, the system will check how much has been spent up to that point and will continue running campaigns if the total spending is less than $500.
  • Variance Setting: You can set a variance to allow for fluctuations in spending. The default variance is 10%, but 0% is also allowed for stricter control.
  • Automatic Pausing: Once the monthly budget + variance is reached, all active campaigns will pause automatically.
  • Decreasing Budget: If the budget is reduced, campaigns are paused once the new budget is hit.
  • Increasing Budget: If the budget is increased after campaigns have been paused, they will resume automatically.

Notifications from the Budget Control Tool: #

You will receive email alerts to keep you informed about your budget status:

1. Notification #1: Budget Might Be Exceeded
   • The system checks the forecasted spending vs. the budgeted amount. If it predicts overspending, you will be notified.
   • You can choose to either increase the budget or adjust spending in LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager.
2. Notification #2: Budget Limit Reached – Campaigns Paused
   • Once the budget limit is reached, all active campaigns will be paused.
   • Campaigns will remain paused until the budget is increased. If the budget is increased, paused campaigns will resume automatically.

Creating a Budget Group #

Budget Groups are an essential feature for managing multiple campaigns. This feature allows you to group multiple campaign groups under one budget, providing better organization and control over your ad spend. To create a Budget Group:

1. Go to the Budget Control tab: In the platform interface, click the button Create New Budget Group.
2. Name the Budget Group: When prompted, give the budget group a meaningful name to align with your structure.
3. Add Campaign Groups: Add the relevant campaign groups to the budget group. For instance, if you’re managing campaigns for different stages of the funnel, you might include a “Top of Funnel” group, a “Middle of Funnel” group, and a “Bottom of Funnel” group.
4. Set the Monthly Budget: Enter the overall monthly budget for the group. 
5. Set Variance (Optional): You can also set a variance to adjust for fluctuations in spending.

Once the budget group is created, it will appear in your budget group list. Below, you’ll find a detailed overview of how to use Budget Groups to manage your campaigns efficiently.

Managing a Budget Group #

• Adjusting the Total Budget: If needed, you can update the budget at any time. Simply go back to the budget group and modify the total budget figure.
• Setting Individual Campaign Group Budgets: While the total budget covers all campaign groups in the budget group, you can also set individual budgets for specific campaign groups. For example, if you want to limit one campaign group to $500, you can adjust the budget for that group, and once it hits the limit, the campaign group will pause automatically.
• Pausing Campaigns: When the budget for the entire budget group is exhausted, all campaign groups within that budget group will automatically pause. Similarly, if any individual campaign group hits its allocated budget, it will pause.
• Optional Campaign Group Budgets: Setting a budget for individual campaign groups is optional. You can choose to leave some campaign groups without a separate budget and only manage the overall budget.
• Multiple Budget Groups: If you have numerous campaigns across different audience segments or seasonal campaigns, you may need to create multiple budget groups. For example, you could create a separate budget group for top-of-funnel campaigns and another for bottom-of-funnel campaigns. This gives you more granular control over how budgets are allocated.
• One Budget Group Per Campaign Group: A campaign group can only be included in one budget group. So, if you want to include the same campaign group in multiple budget groups, you will need to duplicate the campaign group first.

Budget Groups provide flexibility and better control over managing campaigns for clients with multiple campaign groups. By setting up budget groups, you can ensure that your campaigns stay within the allocated budget and avoid overspending. Whether you’re managing a few campaigns or dozens, budget groups help streamline your workflow and make campaign management more efficient.

Frequently Asked Questions #