We are Christina and Peter Pilarski, founders and leaders of CIPR Communications.
Be flexible with your budget
You can’t guarantee that your marketing strategy is going to as planned. Just think about what happened in March 2020 as the world went into lockdown. Companies had marketing plans that had been running smoothly up to that point. Suddenly they had to stop and rethink them. There will always be things that arise unexpectedly that could change the course of your marketing strategy, so it is important to keep monitoring the results and being flexible enough to make changes when necessary.
We advised you, a few episodes ago, not to just decide on an overall figure for your budget and then fit your various channels into that. You need to base your overall budget on your business goals, chosen marketing channels, the steps in your sales funnel, etc. However, once you have worked out a total on that basis, it will pay to be flexible in how you allocate this total. You can keep your bottom line the same and still adjust the specific line items within your budget as you need to.
Remember that one of the advantages of digital marketing is that it is measurable. You can get accurate metrics on the impact of your strategy, and then shift your tactics quickly in response to the data. Your marketing budget can and should be flexible to accommodate those strategic shifts.
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Christina Pilarski
Christina Pilarski is CEO and co-founder of CIPR Communications, a digital PR, marketing, and AI consulting agency serving hospitality, tourism, and luxury lifestyle brands across North America. Before starting CIPR in 2010 with her life partner and business partner, Peter Pilarski, Christina led campaigns in a series of corporate roles and served as Special Advisor to the Minister at Alberta's Department of Tourism, Parks and Recreation. She now leads a team of 20+ staff and contractors across CIPR and its AI-focused division, the Tourism AI Network. Christina holds a BA with Honours and an MA in Communications Studies from the University of Calgary. Outside the office, she's a mom of twins and two dogs, based in Calgary.
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Peter Pilarski
Peter Pilarski is the Founder of Tourism AI Network and President of CIPR Communications. He helps tourism and hospitality organizations adopt AI strategically — from AI search visibility and custom tool development to team training and executive advisory. He is a sought-after keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and AI advisor whose sessions blend practical frameworks with real-world results.
