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Ad spend pacing against budget

Track month to date ad spend against monthly budget by campaign. Project month end spend using the calendar day run rate, then flag campaigns that are over budget.

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Someone typed

“compare month to date ad spend to the monthly budget by campaign and project the month end spend”

The agent read it as

Compare month to date ad spend from Google Ads campaign spend to the monthly budget in Google Ads monthly budgets by campaign and project the month end spend, using calendar-day run rate.

What the agent built

4 steps, each one an ordinary Mammoth step you can open and change.

File

Google Ads campaign spend

CSV export · 32 rows

File

Google Ads monthly budgets

CSV export · 8 rows

Step

Project spend by campaign

Step 1

Step

Make campaign key

Step 2

Join

Bring in projected spend

8 of 8 paired

Step

Compare spend to budget

Step 4

Result

Campaign Budget Projection

8 rows · 8 flagged

Schedule

Runs when you say

Proposed

File
Google Ads campaign spend
CSV export · 32 rows
File
Google Ads monthly budgets
CSV export · 8 rows
Step
Project spend by campaign
Step 1
Step
Make campaign key
Step 2
Join
Bring in projected spend
8 of 8 paired
Step
Compare spend to budget
Step 4
Result
Campaign Budget Projection
8 rows · 8 flagged
Schedule
Runs when you say
Proposed

Checked on the sample files: every step ran, 8 rows came out, and the join paired 8 of 8 rows.

Download Google Ads campaign spend sample (32 rows)Google Ads: Campaigns > Date segment > Download
Download Google Ads monthly budgets sample (8 rows)Google Ads: Tools & settings > Planning > Budget manager > Export campaigns

What you get back

The result of that run, the rows to look at first.

Campaign Budget ProjectionSample data8 rows

6 within budget2 over budget

Campaign	MTD Spend	Monthly Budget	Projected Month-end Spend	Difference	Status
northstar_brand_search	3,149.85	6,000	8,590.50	2,590.50	Over budget
promo_pmax	1,317.55	3,500	3,593.32	93.32	Over budget
app_install	334.65	1,200	912.68	-287.32	Within budget
competitor_search	1,035.90	4,500	2,825.18	-1,674.82	Within budget
evergreen_nonbrand_search	697.35	9,000	1,901.86	-7,098.14	Within budget
holiday_launch_video	848.55	2,800	2,314.23	-485.77	Within budget
prospecting_video	942.45	3,000	2,570.32	-429.68	Within budget
retargeting_display	389.30	2,500	1,061.73	-1,438.27	Within budget

8 rows in the result. Sample data: illustrative figures, not business results.

How do you pace ad spend against budget?

Export your Google Ads campaign spend and monthly budget files, then match them by campaign. The workflow compares month to date spend to budget and projects month end spend using the calendar day run rate. It then labels each campaign as within budget or over budget.

How it works

How to use the Campaign Budget Projection workflow

1Get early accessWe invite people in small batches, job by job. You'll land on this workflow, already built and checked on the sample files.
2Swap in your exportsUpload your own files as they come out of your tools. The agent checks the workflow on your rows.
3Change it in words, then turn it onSay what to change and see the new result before anything saves. Then choose when it runs.

Campaign Budget Projection: questions

What export should I use?

Use a Google Ads export for campaign spend and a Google Ads export for monthly budgets. The files should have a campaign name or other campaign key so rows can be matched.

What happens to rows that do not match?

Rows that cannot be matched to a budget or spend record stay unmatched and are not combined with a result for that pair. You can review them separately and decide whether to fix the source data or the matching rule.

How do I change the rules?

You can change the matching key, the fields used for the budget check, and the wording of the status rules. For example, you can switch the campaign key, adjust the comparison columns, or change how over budget and within budget are labeled.