Vendor Spend In Channel99 Training

This article walks through how to update vendor spend in Channel99, including how automatic spend works, how non-digital campaigns are handled, and how to manually enter or edit vendor spend when needed.

Step 1: Understand How Automatic Vendor Spend Works

Updating Vendor Spend in Channel99 is designed to be as straightforward as possible and in most cases, it’s completely automatic.

Any vendors that are integrated through the Settings → Integrations screen will automatically report spend on a daily basis. When a vendor is integrated, there is no need to manually enter spend for that vendor, as Channel99 will continuously pull in the data for you.

Step 2: Enable Spend Tracking for Non-Digital Campaigns

Even non-digital channels can be automatically accounted for using Campaign objects from Salesforce or HubSpot.

To enable this:

• Navigate to Settings

• Open the Your Company section

• Locate the Campaign Field toggle

• Turn the toggle On

Some customers choose not to track offline campaigns because they can compete with online touches in certain attribution models. This toggle exists to support that customization.

Once enabled, two additional fields will appear that allow Channel99 to connect campaign data from your CRM.

Step 3: Configure Campaign and Campaign Spend Fields

After enabling campaign tracking, you’ll configure the following fields:

Campaign Field

This field is used to categorize your non-digital campaigns. Common selections include:

• Type

• Status

Channel99 will pull in standard fields from your Campaign object so you can choose the best option for your organization. This field determines how campaigns are categorized in the platform.

Campaign Spend Field

This field is used to import spend for non-digital campaigns. It’s typically:

• Actual Spend

• Budgeted Spend

The correct choice depends on how your organization uses Campaign objects. This will be the only source used to import spend for offline channels, so choose the best fit.

Once these fields are set, Channel99 will automatically pull in spend for non-digital campaigns.

Step 4: Navigate to the Vendor Spend Page

For any remaining spend that must be entered manually, navigate to the Vendor Spend page:

1. Go to Settings

2. Select Vendor Spend, located near the Integrations page

This is where you’ll manage all manual vendor spend entries.

Step 5: Understand the Vendor Spend Table

The Vendor Spend page is designed to closely mirror a Google Sheet or Excel file to keep things familiar and easy to use.

You’ll see:

• Months listed across the top (with the current month highlighted in teal)

• Vendors listed down the left-hand column

Simply enter the total monthly spend for each vendor. Channel99 will automatically distribute that spend evenly across the days of the month.

Some vendors will display a lock icon. This indicates that their spend is automatically reported through an integration and cannot be edited manually.
If needed, you can add the same vendor as a second line item to account for additional costs such as agency fees or consulting spend.

Step 6: Edit Vendor Spend

To begin editing:

1. Click the Edit icon in the top-right corner of the page

This places the page into editing mode, temporarily locking other team members out to prevent conflicting changes.

While in editing mode:

• Type directly into cells to update spend

• Use Enter, Tab, or your keypad to move quickly

• Drag the small square in the bottom-right corner of a cell to copy values horizontally or vertically

A banner will remain visible while you’re in active editing mode so you know changes haven’t been saved yet.

Step 7: Add a New Vendor

To add a vendor:

1. Click the + Vendor button in the top-left corner

2. Select a Channel

3. Choose the Vendor Name

Vendors are organized by channel, so if you don’t see a vendor under one channel, it may exist under another. Vendors already on your table won’t appear as options again.

If you can’t find the vendor you’re looking for, reach out to the Channel99 support team at support@channel99.com to request that it be added.

Step 8: Save and Start Using Your Vendor

Once you’ve added a vendor:

1. Click Save and Run at the top of the page

This will:

• Process the new vendor

• Create a space in the Channel Mapping Rules section

• Allow you to begin entering spend for that vendor immediately

You’re now ready to start tracking spend for your new vendor.