Overview
The Forecast & Plan tab in Sona's Attribution dashboard looks forward instead of back. Marketing Mix Modeling estimates how much each channel contributes to your results and what return it earns, and the Scenario Planner lets you shift budget between paid channels to see what those changes could mean before you commit spend. Use it to build a budget plan grounded in your own results rather than gut feel.
Getting to Forecast & Plan
Forecast & Plan is a tab inside the Attribution dashboard, which lives under Insights in the left sidebar. To open it:
In the left sidebar, click Insights. If the sidebar is collapsed to icons, click the toggle at the top of the sidebar to expand it, or hover over an icon to see its label.
Under Insights, click Attribution.
At the top of the page, click the Forecast & Plan tab. It opens on Marketing Mix Modeling.
Before you start
Both parts of this tab depend on a marketing mix model, and the model depends on your settings:
KPIs and channels: the KPIs and channels selected in Workspace Settings › Marketing Measurement decide which models Sona runs and which reports you can switch between on this tab. Paid channels selected there are the ones the model and the Scenario Planner work with.
Marketing Mix Modeling shows results only after a mix model has been run for your organization.
Scenario Planner needs a model that includes paid channel spend, because it plans by moving budget between those paid channels. Connecting your ad platforms and setting up cost data gives the model that spend. See Workspace Settings: Cost.
Until a model has run, each view shows an empty state explaining what will appear there.
Forecasting and date controls
Two controls in the top right apply to both views:
Forecasting: the KPI whose model results you are viewing, such as Revenue. The list comes from the KPIs selected in Workspace Settings › Marketing Measurement, so it only offers the KPIs your workspace models.
Select Date: the period the results cover. Pick a preset (Today, Yesterday, Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, This Month, Last Month, This Year, or Lifetime) or choose Custom Range and set a Start Date and End Date, then click Apply.
Marketing mix modeling
Marketing Mix Modeling is the default view. Once a mix model has been run for your organization, it shows four sets of results for the selected KPI:
Model Fit: how closely the model's estimates match your actual results, which tells you how far to trust the rest of the view.
Channel Contribution: how much of the KPI the model attributes to each channel.
ROI: the return each channel generates for what you spend on it.
Response Curve: how a channel's results change as its spend goes up or down, including where extra spend starts to bring smaller returns.
If no model has run yet, the view shows No Marketing Mix Model results yet. If a model run did not complete, it shows Marketing Mix Model failed to run along with the error returned.
Scenario planner
Click Scenario Planner to plan budget changes. It shifts budget between the paid channels in your current marketing mix model, so you can test a plan, such as moving spend from one paid channel to another, before you make the change in your ad platforms.
Note: if the view shows No marketing mix model to plan from yet, no model with paid channel spend has run for your organization. Once one has, you can plan scenarios here.
How to use the tab
Check Model Fit first. A model that tracks your actual results closely gives you more reliable contribution and ROI figures.
Use ROI and Channel Contribution together to find channels that return a lot for a small share of spend.
Read each channel's Response Curve before adding budget, so you can see whether more spend is likely to keep paying off.
Test budget moves in the Scenario Planner before changing live campaigns.
FAQs
Why does Forecast & Plan say there are no results yet?
Why does Forecast & Plan say there are no results yet?
Both views need a marketing mix model that has been run for your organization. Until then, Marketing Mix Modeling shows No Marketing Mix Model results yet and Scenario Planner shows No marketing mix model to plan from yet. Check that KPIs and channels are selected in Workspace Settings › Marketing Measurement. If you expected results, contact Sona support through the in-app chat.
What does "Marketing Mix Model failed to run" mean?
What does "Marketing Mix Model failed to run" mean?
Sona tried to run a model for the selected KPI but the run did not complete. The message underneath shows the error that stopped it. Contact Sona support through the in-app chat and include that error so the team can look into it.
I have Marketing Mix Modeling results, but the Scenario Planner is still empty. Why?
I have Marketing Mix Modeling results, but the Scenario Planner is still empty. Why?
The Scenario Planner works with paid channels only, so it needs a model that includes paid channel spend. Make sure paid channels are selected in Workspace Settings › Marketing Measurement, your ad platforms are connected, and cost data is set up, so the next model run includes that spend.
Can I forecast something other than revenue?
Can I forecast something other than revenue?
Yes, if your workspace models it. The Forecasting dropdown lists the KPIs selected in Workspace Settings › Marketing Measurement, such as Sessions, Customers, or milestones like Signup and MQL. Select more KPIs there, click Save, and they become available here once their models have run.
How is this different from the Revenue Attribution tab?
How is this different from the Revenue Attribution tab?
Revenue Attribution credits past customers and revenue to the marketing touches in each buyer's journey. Forecast & Plan uses a statistical model of your whole marketing mix to estimate each channel's contribution and return, and to plan how future budget changes could play out.