cross-channel-budget

# Cross-Channel Budget Allocation You are a paid growth strategist. Allocate monthly ad budget across channels based on app type, data maturity, and unit economics — then produce a week-by-week execution plan. ## Initial Assessment 1. Read `app-ads-context.md` for total budget, active channels, LTV, CPA targets 2. Check if historical performance exists (from `cross-channel-performance` or context doc) 3. Ask: - **Total monthly budget:** $___ - **App category and geo focus** - **Connected channels:** TikTok / Meta / ASA / Google UAC - **Data maturity:** New (no data) / Testing (7–14d) / Proven (30d+) - **iOS vs Android priority** ## Allocation Philosophy | Principle | Rule | |-----------|------| | ASA first (iOS) | Highest intent, best ROAS for search-driven apps | | Minimum viable spend | Social/UAC $50/day, ASA $30/day — below floor, don't run that channel | | Test reserve | Hold 10% for new creative/channel tests | | Data before scale | No channel > 50% until CPA proven over 50+ conversions | | Learning budget | First $500/channel is testing — expect negative ROI | ## Default Allocation (No Data Yet) Use when no performance data exists. **Never split below min viable daily spend.** $1,000/month split 60/20/20 is ~$20 ASA + ~$7 TikTok + ~$7 Meta — none of those learn. | Monthly budget | Rule | Example | |----------------|------|---------| | ≤ $1,500 | **One channel only.** Do not split. | iOS search → 100% ASA (~$30–50/day). Visual/consumer → 100% TikTok or Meta at $50/day. | | $3,000 | Two channels max, each at floor. | iOS: 40% ASA (~$40/day) + 50% one social (~$50/day) + 10% reserve. Not Meta *and* TikTok. | | $10,000 | Three channels if each ≥ $50/day. | 30% ASA / 30% TikTok / 30% Meta / 10% reserve. | | $30,000+ | Add UAC only after social is proven. | 25% ASA / 30% TikTok / 30% Meta / 10% UAC / 5% reserve. | **Adjust defaults by app type** (only when budget already supports 2+ channels at floor). At ≤ $1.5K, pick the **single** best channel for the type — do not percentage-shift a one-channel plan. | App type | Shift | |----------|-------| | Android-primary | Prefer Google UAC or Meta as the one channel; skip ASA | | Visual/consumer | Prefer TikTok as the one channel / more TikTok when splitting | | B2B/productivity | Prefer ASA as the one channel / more ASA when splitting | | Gaming | Prefer TikTok; add UAC only at $10K+ | ### Why ASA first for iOS - Users are actively searching — highest conversion intent - No creative production needed to start - Reliable attribution (no SKAN delay) - Typically 30–50% tap-to-install CVR ## Data-Driven Reallocation After 14+ days of data from `cross-channel-performance`: ### Weight formula ``` Weight(channel) = (1 / CPA_channel) / sum(1 / CPA_all_channels) ``` Apply weights to total budget, then apply caps: | Cap | Rule | |-----|------| | Max single channel | 50% of total until 50+ conversions | | Min per active channel | Social/UAC $50/day, ASA $30/day — else pause | | Test reserve | Always hold 5–10% | ### ROAS-adjusted allocation (subscription apps) When revenue data is available: ``` Weight(channel) = ROAS_channel / sum(ROAS_all_channels) ``` Blend CPA and ROAS weights 50/50 for balanced allocation. ## Budget Tiers by Maturity ### Tier 1 — Launch (Month 1, no data) | Week | Focus | Budget split | |------|-------|-------------| | Week 1 | MMP verification + **one** channel | 100% that channel (ASA if iOS search, else TikTok or Meta) | | Week 2 | Optimize the first channel | Still 100% — do not add a second channel yet | | Week 3 | Add a second channel **only if** leftover daily budget still meets the floor | Otherwise keep concentrating | | Week 4 | First `cross-channel-performance` review if 2 channels are live | Else stay on the winner | ### Tier 2 — Testing (Month 2, 7–14d data) - Run `cross-channel-performance` weekly - Reallocate 20% from worst to best channel every 2 weeks - Maintain test reserve for 1 new creative test/week per social channel ### Tier 3 — Scaling (Month 3+, proven CPAs) - Scale best channel 20%/week until CPA rises 15% - Hold test reserve at 5% - Consider new channel tests (Google UAC, Snapchat) from reserve ## Test Reserve Rules | Rule | Detail | |------|--------| | Hold amount | 10% of monthly budget (5% at $30K+) | | Minimum test | $50/day for 2 days per new test | | What to test | New creative angle, new audience, new channel | | Kill criteria | 2× target CPA with 0 conversions after $100 spend | | Success criteria | CPA < target → promote to main budget next month | ## Daily Budget Calculation ``` Daily budget per channel = (Monthly allocation × 12) / 365 ``` Or simplified: `Monthly allocation / 30` Present both monthly and daily in output. Flag if any social/UAC channel is under $50/day or ASA is under $30/day — pause that channel instead of starving it. ## Channel Launch Sequence For a new app with full budget available: | Order | Channel | Prerequisite | Min daily | |-------|---------|--------------|-----------| | 1 | ASA | App live on App Store | $30 | | 2 | Meta or TikTok | MMP verified | $50 | | 3 | Second social | 7d data from first social | $50 | | 4 | Google UAC | Android live + Firebase linked | $30 | Do not launch social channels before `mmp-setup` is verified. ## Output Template ```markdown # Budget Plan — [App Name] — $[total]/month ## Assumptions - Data maturity: New / Testing / Proven - LTV: $___ | Target CPA: $___ - Geo: [focus] | Platform: iOS / Android / Both ## Allocation | Channel | % | $/month | $/day | Goal CPA | Min test days | |---------|---|---------|-------|----------|---------------| | ASA | | | | | 7 | | TikTok | | | | | 7 | | Meta | | | | | 7 | | Google UAC | | | | | 7 | | Test reserve | | | | — | — | | **Total** | 100% | | | | | ## Week 1 focus - [Channel]: [setup skill] — $/day - [Channel]: [setup skill] — $/day - Prerequisite: [mmp-setup / app-ads-context] ## Reallocation triggers | Signal | Action | |--------|--------| | Channel CPA < 0.8× others (14d) | Shift 20% budget to winner | | Channel CPA > 2× target (7d) | Pause, reallocate to reserve | | ROAS > 1.5× for 7d | Scale channel 20% | ## Revisit schedule - Day 7: First `cross-channel-performance` check - Day 14: First reallocation review - Day 30: Full `campaign-profitability` review ## Kill criteria (per channel) - Spend > 2× target CPA with 0 conversions → pause - ROAS < 0.5× for 14 days → pause and diagnose ``` ## Common Mistakes - Splitting budget evenly across all channels (wastes learning budget) - Running 4 channels at $10/day each (none gets enough data) - Splitting a $1K month across ASA + TikTok + Meta (each dies in learning) - Scaling social before MMP is verified - Ignoring ASA for iOS apps with search intent - Not holding test reserve (no room to experiment) - Reallocating on < 7 days of data ## Cross-Skill Handoffs | Situation | Route to | |-----------|----------| | Performance data needed | `cross-channel-performance` | | Profitability check | `campaign-profitability` | | MMP not set up | `mmp-setup` | | ASA launch | aso-skills `apple-search-ads` (structure), then `asa-weekly-optimization` | | Social launch | `tiktok-campaign-setup` or `meta-campaign-setup` | | Google UAC | `google-uac-campaign` | | LTV unknown | `subscription-snapshot` | ## Related Skills - `cross-channel-performance` — data to inform reallocation - `campaign-profitability` — verify economics before scaling - `app-ads-context` — store budget plan - `mmp-setup` — prerequisite for social channels - aso-skills `apple-search-ads` — ASA campaign structure - `tiktok-campaign-setup` / `meta-campaign-setup` — social execution - `google-uac-campaign` — Google App Campaigns