[Posted by Neil Strother]

As interactive marketing has taken on greater influence within businesses, leaders of IM teams have emerged to shape strategy and win approval for the interactive marketing budget. We've identified this team leader as the senior interactive marketer, and we've outlined some of the unique challenges facing this person in a  new report now up on our site: "How Interactive Marketers Can Secure Budget From Their CMOs" (full version available to Forrester clients).

The senior interactive marketer must not only gather essential data for budget proposals – including the crucial metrics and ROI expectations – he or she must skilfully present plants to a CMO (and other senior management in some cases) that demonstrate the value of interactive, that align with corporate goals, and that get delivered in a manner befitting the CMO's style. The savvy senior interactive marketer must master this part of the job to have success.

What works for you in seeking new budget for interactive marketing campaigns? What budget approval challenges have you faced and how did you solve them? Post a comment below.