By Laura Wrasman | Edited by Kristen Rouse
In my world — whether it’s Persona, programmatic, or print — I’m always asked the same question: “What’s the ROI?”
ROI, or Return on Investment, refers to how much profit (or loss) an investment has generated in relation to its cost. In the marketing and advertising world, ROI is all about determining how well your advertising did and how many sales it brought to your business. But how do you track it?
There are several ways you can track ROI, depending on the marketing strategy. With digital advertising, you can use tracking codes and analytics to determine where your sales came from. With print advertising, it can be a little harder – though not impossible. In this recent blog post, we talked about 4 ways to track ROI on print advertising.
ROI is Real…But Rarely Direct
I’m sure you’ve heard the term “Everything leads to Google.” Someone sees your beautiful spread in Persona, tells a friend, or Googles you later… and the credit goes to Google. But the seed was planted elsewhere.
We all want to know: If I spend this money, what do I get back? It’s the question every business owner asks, and understandably so.
But here’s the truth: In today’s marketing landscape, ROI is rarely direct. It’s layered. It’s delayed. And it’s almost always collaborative.
You could say Attribution Is Broken, But Not Your Marketing
When someone becomes a client, do you know exactly what made them choose you?
Was it the Instagram reel? The magazine profile? That conversation at a networking event? Or the Google search that led to your website?
Answer: Yes. It was all of that.
It’s truly a multi-touch journey. And it’s why putting all the credit on the final click, like a Google search, is misleading. Google didn’t create the interest. It just closed the loop.
All of these components are part of your brand awareness and your multi-channel marketing, and if you’re only tracking ROI based on last-click attribution, you’re missing the full picture.
ROI isn’t just about response — it’s about recognition.
If someone sees your brand once, they might scroll past. But if they’ve seen you five times — on social, in print, through an ad, and in person — now you have momentum.
And momentum leads to conversions. So sometimes, the return isn’t obvious in a single moment — it’s cumulative. Strategic visibility compounds. That’s multi-channel marketing.
Think ROI as ROO: Return on Objective
Here’s a smarter way to measure value: Instead of asking, “Did this one ad generate a lead?” ask: “Did this move me closer to my goal?”
- Are more people recognizing your brand?
- Are you top-of-mind in your category?
- Are you getting referrals or introductions?
- Is your content or profile making sales easier?
These are real returns—they just don’t always show up in a spreadsheet.
“The goal of marketing isn’t to just be found. It’s to be remembered. And when you’re remembered, you’re chosen.”
Point: ROI is real, but it’s not always traceable. Visibility creates momentum.
It’s All About Touchpoints
Today’s consumer journey is multi-touch. Let’s use Persona as an example. When I started, the only place I was known in Naperville was with old friends, some clients and Rotary.
- I joined the chamber. Shortly after, we did an email blast to everyone in the Chamber. I got involved in the chamber, went to everything!
- I joined Ambassadors. I visited networking groups, and I joined AmSpirit.
- I posted regularly on LinkedIn before the first issue came out.
- The magazine mailed out to homes and was delivered personally to Personas featured businesses.
- We continued posting consistently on LinkedIn and Facebook as the brand.
- We hosted a fabulous networking party!
- We started an email newsletter to stay in front of Personas and prospects in the digital world, and are mailing print issues to 900+ doctors’ offices throughout Naperville.
In short, you need to be seen everywhere your clients are looking. Marketing success doesn’t come from one perfect ad. It comes from consistent, strategic visibility across channels.
What do you track?
How do you know what to track, and how to do so effectively? Let’s keep it simple:
- Sales over a period of time, types of sales, size of sales, products sold
- Web traffic — which pages and where are they coming from
- Inquiries — email, phone, chatbot, etc.
- Meetings — usually, the more meetings, the more proposals
- Proposals — the more proposals, the more meetings!
If you ever want to brainstorm ways to show up more powerfully — on paper, online, or in person — I’d love to chat. Contact our sales team today.