Measuring the marketing that actually produces pipeline
Impressions, clicks and engagement are inputs. Here is the attribution setup that tells you which spend produced revenue.
Platform-reported conversions are not revenue
Every ad platform is incentivised to claim credit. Sum the conversions reported by Google, Meta and LinkedIn and you will routinely exceed the number of deals you actually closed.
The only reliable ledger is your CRM, where a deal has a value and a close date that finance recognises.
Carry the source all the way through
The technical requirement is simple and usually missing: capture UTM parameters at first touch, store them on the lead record, and keep them attached through to the closed-won stage.
- UTM parameters captured on landing and stored in a cookie
- Written to hidden form fields on every enquiry form
- Persisted on the CRM lead and copied to the deal
- Reported as cost per closed deal, by source
Judge on cost per closed deal
Cost per lead flatters channels that generate volume. In B2B, one channel producing ten expensive leads that close at 30% beats another producing sixty cheap leads that close at 2%. Only closed-deal cost exposes the difference.
Give it a fair window
With a ninety-day sales cycle, judging a campaign at thirty days measures nothing. Set the review window to match your actual cycle and resist reallocating spend before the data exists.
Key takeaway
Attribute in the CRM, judge on cost per closed deal, and review on a window that matches your real sales cycle.