# Completed fictional LinkedIn ads budget example

## Narrow the test

The base case needs $32,000 in media to model two qualified meetings across each of six test cells. The available ceiling is $20,000. The planning decision is **Narrow (Rule D3)**.

Every number below is fictional. This is a worked planning example, not a Maestro result or forecast.

- Review date: 2026-09-25
- Decision owner: Fictional VP Marketing
- Input provenance: Every numeric scenario and cost value below comes from this fictional calculator example. None is observed account performance.
- System of record for this review: Approved LinkedIn ads budget brief

## The decision setup

- Calculation direction: Work backward from a target
- currency: USD
- Period: Three months
- Media available per period: Unknown
- Total media ceiling: $20,000
- Pricing basis: CPC
- Scenario used for the decision: Base
- Decision event: Qualified meetings
- Required evidence: Two qualified meetings per cell
- Total test cells: Six explicitly approved audience/creative combinations
- Total target: 12 qualified meetings

## Low, base and high scenarios

All values are fictional planning inputs. Rates are shown as percentages for reading and convert to decimals for calculation.

| Field | Low outcome | Base | High outcome |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Cost per click | $18 | $14 | $10 |
| Cost per 1,000 impressions | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Click-through rate | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Click-to-response rate | 2% | 4% | 6% |
| Response recorded in CRM | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| CRM record to booking | 25% | 35% | 45% |
| Booking to held meeting | 70% | 75% | 80% |
| Held meeting to qualified meeting | 40% | 50% | 60% |
| Qualified meeting to opportunity | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Opportunity to customer | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |

## Non-media cost layers

| Layer | One-time | Per month |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| management | $1,000 | $1,500 |
| creative | $4,000 | $500 |
| destination | $2,000 | $0 intentional |
| measurement | $1,000 | $200 |
| Software and data | $0 intentional | $300 |

Across three periods, the layer totals are management $5,500; creative $5,500; destination $2,000; measurement $1,600; software and data $900. Known non-media subtotal: $15,500.

## Readiness

All ten readiness checks pass in this fictional example:

- Target audience can be built and used: Ready
- Offer: Ready
- Proof: Ready
- Destination: Ready
- Follow-up owner: Ready
- Follow-up capacity: Ready
- Decision event: Defined
- System of record: Ready
- Measurement owner: Named
- Review window: Set

## Target-to-budget results

| Result | Low outcome | Base | High outcome |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Required clicks | 8,571 | 2,286 | 926 |
| Required media, total | $154,286 | $32,000 | $9,259 |
| Required media, per month | $51,429 | $10,667 | $3,086 |
| Captured responses | 171 | 91 | 56 |
| CRM records | 171 | 91 | 56 |
| Bookings | 43 | 32 | 25 |
| Held meetings | 30 | 24 | 20 |
| Qualified meetings | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Qualified meetings per cell | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| All-in total | $169,786 | $47,500 | $24,759 |

Impressions are unknown because CPC alone cannot derive them. Opportunities and customers are unknown because their rates are unknown. Fractional counts are expected-value arithmetic, not partial people or promised outcomes.

## Decision

**NARROW — D3.** The base scenario requires $32,000 in media, above the $20,000 available ceiling. D1 and D2 do not fire because every readiness field is true.

## One-input sensitivity

Click-to-response is the largest modeled sensitivity. The calculation keeps every base input fixed and changes only that rate:

| Click-to-response input | Required media for 12 qualified meetings |
| --- | ---: |
| Low value: 2% | $64,000.00 |
| Base value: 4% | $32,000.00 |
| High value: 6% | $21,333.33 |

The largest change from the base result is $32,000. This does not prove click-to-response will be the most important real-world variable. It shows that this assumption has the largest effect inside the supplied ranges and should be checked first.

The owner should reduce the number of test cells or choose an earlier decision event, then rerun the same model. The next record belongs in the approved budget brief and campaign plan. Do not silently raise the ceiling or substitute a stronger scenario.

- Next action owner: Fictional VP Marketing
- Next evidence: Revised explicit test-cell count or a newly approved media ceiling
- System of record: Approved LinkedIn ads budget brief and campaign plan

## Exact calculator record

The calculator retains these unrounded values for audit and round-trip checks:

- Low required media: 154285.7142857143; per month: 51428.57142857143; clicks: 8571.42857142857; responses and CRM records: 171.428571428571; bookings: 42.857142857143; held meetings: 30; qualified meetings: 12; all-in: 169785.7142857143.
- Base required media: 32000; per month: 10666.666666666668; clicks: 2285.714285714286; responses and CRM records: 91.428571428571; bookings: 32; held meetings: 24; qualified meetings: 12; all-in: 47500.
- High required media: 9259.25925925926; per month: 3086.41975308642; clicks: 925.925925925926; responses and CRM records: 55.555555555556; bookings: 25; held meetings: 20; qualified meetings: 12; all-in: 24759.25925925926.