How do you measure marketing ROI and campaign performance?
Separate three different questions
A campaign review should explain what was delivered, what commercial progress followed and what financial return can reasonably be attributed to it. These are related but different questions. HubSpot’s ROI guide provides a starting point for measurement. In my reporting approach, reach and attendance sit in an activity view, accepted opportunities sit in a pipeline view and realised financial outcomes sit in a return view. Putting them in separate columns prevents accidental overstatement.
Define the calculation and its assumptions
An illustrative campaign costing 10,000 and producing 16,000 in attributable incremental contribution before marketing expense would have a 60% return after that expense: (16,000 − 10,000) ÷ 10,000. These are hypothetical figures, not portfolio results. Revenue-based ROAS is a different calculation and does not account for the full economics of a sale. State which costs, time period and attribution approach are included so another person can reproduce the calculation.
Make uncertainty visible in the decision
Retail sales may move because of price, distribution or availability as well as advertising. Industrial opportunities may have started before the campaign and close much later. Where feasible, compare a suitable baseline or holdout and document other changes. If the evidence only supports an association, call it an association. I would still use imperfect data to make a decision, but distinguish measured results from estimates and select the next experiment to reduce the most consequential uncertainty.
Sources & further reading
Sources support the definitions and background identified in the text. The planning recommendations are personal analysis; illustrative scenarios are not claims of completed work or measured results.