Working session • Prepared for The Baltimore Banner
Prepared Nov 9, 2026
A practical plan to connect advertising revenue, simplify follow-up, and put your existing HubSpot investment to work.
01 — Overview
The Baltimore Banner is a nonprofit local news organization with an existing HubSpot footprint of Sales Hub Enterprise (10 seats) and Marketing Hub Starter, subject to portal validation.
This plan centers on advertising sales and growth. Subscriber migration and broad platform replacement are out of scope.
Priorities, ranked
Monthly and quarterly campaign revenue your team and Finance can rely on.
Clear rep workflows so every opportunity gets the right next step.
Workflows, sequences and dashboards configured by our team.
02 — Revenue reporting
A single campaign can be counted four different ways. Each is valid; they answer different questions and need agreed definitions before anything is built.
By deal close date
By campaign flight or service period
By invoice date
Per Finance policy
Keeps pipeline, ownership and rep activity in one familiar place.
Associated to the deal. A custom object is one option, subject to portal entitlements and report feasibility.
Brought in from the agreed ad or finance source so delivered and invoiced figures sit beside forecast.
| Option | What it answers | Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Native deal reporting | Booked value by close date | Fastest; does not spread a campaign across months |
| Configured allocation model | Monthly / quarterly forecast by flight | Requires agreed allocation policy and record design |
| Integrated source of truth | Forecast vs delivered vs invoiced | Depends on ad/finance system access and sync scope |
HubSpot does not natively handle CPM pricing, proration, custom line-item logic or accounting recognition for this use case; any such logic is designed, configured or integrated, and confirmed during discovery.
Shows how one sold campaign value could be spread by month. These are sold / forecast figures — delivered and invoiced amounts would come from the agreed source system.
| Month | Active days | Sold / forecast | Delivered / invoiced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2027 | 31 | $10,000.00 | From source system |
| Feb 2027 | 28 | $10,000.00 | From source system |
| Mar 2027 | 31 | $10,000.00 | From source system |
| Total (reconciles) | $30,000.00 | ||
Q1 2027
$30,000.00
Test cases to agree: cancellations, mid-flight campaign changes, partial months and makegoods each need a defined rule and a test case before reporting goes live.
03 — Workstreams
First priority.
Make the existing investment work harder.
A measured, human-reviewed pilot.
Targeted journeys for advertisers.
Feature availability depends on your current HubSpot subscriptions and is confirmed in the portal before configuration.
04 — Systems & integration research
The vendor documents a bidirectional, API-based HubSpot integration covering validated contacts and activities such as calls, meetings, emails and tasks.
To validate: This does not establish campaign, order, line-item, invoice or monthly allocation sync. Confirm those with the vendor and validate current connector availability, cost, version, record matching and source of truth.
Public product information describes Naviga Ad order entry and billing, and Naviga documents API use in production workflows.
To validate: A native HubSpot connector was not verified in the official sources reviewed. Treat as a custom or partner integration candidate. Validate exact product/version, API access, endpoints, rate limits, object mapping, support ownership and cost. Naviga Subscribe / Open Content APIs are not evidence for Naviga Ad.
We need to learn which system holds invoices and payments — for example QuickBooks, Sage or another platform.
To validate: No assumption is made about the current finance system.
HubSpot documents revenue analytics for tracking recurring revenue.
To validate: This does not by itself demonstrate that advertising flight allocation requirements are met; fit is validated with sample data.
| Data | Likely source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Contact / account | HubSpot + ad system | Sync scope to validate |
| Campaign / order | Ad system | Sync scope to validate |
| Monthly allocation | HubSpot (proposed) | Sync scope to validate |
| Invoice / payment | Finance or ad system | Sync scope to validate |
Research reviewed Nov 9, 2026. Summaries are paraphrased from public sources.
05 — Delivery & engagement
Guided build shared with a Banner admin. Requires more internal time.
SmartBug builds; Banner validates. Fits limited internal bandwidth.
Gate: Banner approves blueprint
Owner: SmartBug lead • Banner revenue & Finance owners
Gate: Pilot figures match agreed source
Owner: SmartBug builds • Banner validates
Gate: Workflows tested with reps
Owner: SmartBug builds • Banner sales lead reviews
Gate: Sign-off by implementation owner
Owner: SmartBug & Banner admin
Time is tracked against each milestone in the agreed project workspace, showing planned vs actual hours, completed deliverables and approval status. Reporting cadence to be agreed.
We propose milestone-based invoicing for SmartBug services, subject to agreement. Fees, hours, invoice method, purchasing authority and terms are confirmed in the SOW. This is separate from how Banner allocates its own advertising revenue.
06 — Today's discussion
Which ad platform and version do you use today?
Which finance system holds invoices, and who owns revenue reporting?
Can we review a sample cross-quarter campaign and an existing report?
How do you define sold vs delivered vs invoiced?
What are your CPM, proration and makegood rules?
What does the ideal rep follow-up workflow look like?
Who owns implementation and final sign-off?
What are your invoicing and procurement preferences?