How to Spread the Ad Budget Across the Year
Spending the same amount every month is convenient to administer and rarely the best choice. How to think about allocation.
Splitting the annual budget into twelve equal parts is the easiest thing to manage. It's also the approach that ignores the fact that demand isn't evenly distributed.
Start from demand, not the accounting calendar
Every business has periods when people search more and periods of quiet. The first thing to look at is when enquiries have historically arrived, not when it's convenient to spend.
Peaks cost more
When demand rises, so does the number of competitors advertising, and with them the cost. A budget sized for the quiet period, applied during the peak, buys far less than expected.
The quiet period has a purpose
Cutting spend to zero in slow months looks prudent and often isn't: it's when getting known costs least, and when you build the audience to re-engage once demand returns.
Keep a reserve
An unallocated share, around a tenth of the total, lets you respond to what couldn't be predicted: an opportunity, a competitor going quiet, a campaign performing better than expected and deserving more room.
Sources and Further Reading
Official documentation and guidelines cited or useful for going deeper.