Too often, they get spent in a rush, and that is where the trouble starts.
As businesses approach their financial year-end, marketing and communications teams often start looking quickly at what they have left to spend.
We’ve seen it plenty of times: a big project will suddenly come in with a tight deadline because there’s budget left to spend. Or a prospect gets in touch and essentially says: “I’ve got £X left in the budget. What can we do with it?” And don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make good use of money that’s already been allocated. But the problem starts when the budget spending deadline becomes the reason for the campaign.
Rushed marcomms rarely (or dare I say ever) produce the best output.
Good campaigns need a clear purpose and clear planning. Who are you trying to reach? What do you want them to think, feel or do? Is the opportunity genuinely timely? And, importantly, does your internal team actually have the capacity to brief, review and approve another project before financial year-end?
Without those answers, it’s all too easy to end up creating content that doesn’t quite fit the wider strategy, launching a campaign at the wrong moment or rushing through an idea that could have delivered far more value with a little more time. The problem often isn’t the idea. It’s the artificial deadline.
This is something we’ve been thinking about at BlueSky PR. What if you could use the budget you have available now to secure PR, content or communications support, but actually use that support when it makes sense?
That could be next month. It could be when an opportunity lands that you weren’t expecting. It could be when your internal team is stretched. Or it could be when a crisis emerges and you need experienced communications support at short notice.
So instead of thinking: “What can we get done before financial year-end?” the real question should be “What would genuinely be useful to us over the coming months?”
That might be thought leadership, PR support, content, a research project, training, or simply an additional resource when your own team needs it.
And, importantly, you’re not rushing something out simply because there’s money left in the pot.
That thinking is behind something new we’re working on: BlueSky On Demand.
The premise is simple. You secure a block of PR, content, or communications support with the budget you have available now, without having to rush to use it.
We’ll be sharing more about BlueSky On Demand soon.
But in the meantime, get in touch if December is your year end and you want to discuss.
Stephanie King is Managing Director of BlueSky PR, setting the agency’s direction and leading its recruitment PR work. She has spent well over a decade winning headlines for some of the sector’s biggest names, from global staffing firms to the trade bodies that shape the industry, and is the person clients call when a story has to land.
Don’t spend it just to spend it. Decide what would genuinely be useful over the coming months, then commit the budget to that rather than to an artificial deadline.
Because the deadline becomes the reason for the campaign. Rushed work rarely fits the wider strategy or lands at the right moment, and the same budget often delivers more with a little more time.
A more flexible way to use your budget. You secure a block of PR, content or communications support with the budget you have now, and use it when it makes sense rather than rushing to spend before year-end. We’ll be sharing more soon.