Marketing ↔ Finance Collaboration Guide

Why This Collaboration Matters

Marketing is often one of the biggest discretionary spend areas in a business. Finance ensures that those dollars are generating meaningful returns. But this relationship isn’t just about budget approvals—when these two teams collaborate well, Marketing becomes more accountable and Finance becomes more strategic.

Finance helps Marketing make better decisions about where to invest, and Marketing provides the performance data Finance needs to understand ROI, CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost), and payback periods. Together, they align brand-building with business outcomes.

Benefits of Strong Collaboration

  • Budget clarity and agility: Marketing spends confidently within a clear financial framework.

  • ROI visibility: Finance gains insight into campaign effectiveness and marketing funnel economics.

  • Improved planning: Marketing investments are aligned with financial goals and growth stages.

Perils of Misalignment

  • Marketing can't justify spend, leading to budget cuts—even on high-performing channels.

  • Finance views marketing as a cost center, not a growth engine.

  • Decisions are delayed due to lack of shared reporting or inconsistent data.

Monthly Meeting Agenda: Marketing ↔ Finance Sync

Duration: 45–60 minutes
Cadence: Monthly

Agenda:

  1. Campaign Performance Review (15 mins)
    Marketing presents results from key initiatives with metrics tied to revenue, CAC, LTV, and ROI.

  2. Budget Tracking & Variance Report (10 mins)
    Finance reviews YTD spend vs. plan, underspend/overspend areas, and flexibility.

  3. Forecasting & Investment Planning (10 mins)
    Align on upcoming campaigns, seasonal shifts, and budget allocation across channels.

  4. Attribution & Data Alignment (10 mins)
    Review assumptions around attribution models, lead-to-revenue flow, and LTV calculations.

  5. Next Steps & Adjustments (5 mins)
    Document re-allocations, approvals needed, and joint recommendations.

Collaboration Audit Checklist

Rate each item 1 (never) to 5 (always):

Audit QuestionScoreAre marketing campaigns reviewed for ROI, CAC, and LTV by both teams?Is marketing budget planning aligned with business goals and revenue targets?Are forecasts adjusted regularly based on campaign performance?Do both teams agree on attribution and customer lifetime value methodology?Are reporting dashboards shared and consistently reviewed?

Scoring:

  • 20–25: Metrics-driven growth alignment

  • 15–19: Healthy relationship, needs deeper modeling

  • <15: Marketing may lack credibility; Finance may lack visibility

Joint KPIs / OKRs

Shared KPIs:

  • CAC by channel

  • Marketing-sourced revenue

  • Marketing ROI (per campaign or per quarter)

  • Variance to planned marketing spend

Sample Joint OKRs:

Objective: Align marketing investments with measurable business growth

  • KR1: Maintain CAC under $250 across all paid channels

  • KR2: Drive $1.5M in marketing-sourced pipeline in Q2

  • KR3: Review and adjust attribution models to reflect 90%+ accuracy

  • KR4: Keep marketing budget variance under 5% for two consecutive quarters

Marketing, Finance, InterdisciplinaryFrancesca Tabor