When pitching your budget to decision makers, focus on conveying two things: First, demonstrate ROI from the current year, and second:

When pitching a budget, demonstrating past ROI is crucial, but equally important is showcasing the future value of the proposed spending. Highlighting the initiatives, campaigns, and goals for the coming year directly connects the requested budget to tangible outcomes and strategic objectives, making a compelling case for investment. The other options are less effective: Highlighting shortcomings from a lack of budget in the previous year can sound like complaining and doesn't proactively present a solution or future value. Showcasing top-performing content from the previous year is part of demonstrating ROI but doesn't fully articulate the future impact of new funding. Emphasizing team efficiency compared to the company or how much the team "deserves" the budget are not strategic arguments for increased funding; they focus on internal dynamics rather than business value.