Marketing ROI Calculator

How to read these numbers

ROI is calculated as (Revenue - Spend) / Spend x 100. An ROI of 200% means you generated $3 in revenue for every $1 spent.

Pipeline per dollar shows how efficiently each channel creates pipeline. Higher is better, but this number alone does not tell you about conversion quality.

Cost per opportunity shows what each qualified deal costs to create. This is where most B2B SaaS marketing teams find the biggest variance between channels.

What this calculator does not capture

Single-channel ROI calculations assume independent channels. In reality, B2B buying journeys are multi-touch. A prospect might see your LinkedIn ad, read your blog post three weeks later, attend your webinar, and then convert through a Google search. Which channel gets credit?

The answer depends on your attribution model. First-touch gives credit to LinkedIn. Last-touch gives it to search. Linear distributes evenly. Each model produces different ROI numbers for the same data.

This calculator uses a simple single-touch approach (revenue attributed per channel as you define it). For a more accurate picture, you need multi-touch attribution with causal modeling, which is what ORM's Optimized Marketing product provides.

ORM's take: ROI is a lagging indicator

Most marketing ROI analysis is backward-looking: "Last quarter, we spent X and got Y." That is useful for reporting but limited for decision-making. The real question is: "If I shift $20K from events to content next quarter, what happens to pipeline and revenue?"

Answering that question requires causal models, not correlation. ORM builds marketing mix models that isolate the actual impact of each channel, control for external factors, and prescribe budget allocation changes with quantified expected outcomes. The difference between "content had the best ROI last quarter" and "shifting 15% of budget from events to content will generate an additional $180K in pipeline" is the difference between measurement and optimization.

Common questions

How do you calculate marketing ROI?

Subtract marketing cost from the revenue marketing generated, then divide by marketing cost. The hard part is the numerator: deciding what revenue marketing gets credit for is an attribution decision, and the ROI figure is only as defensible as that decision.

What is a good marketing ROI?

It depends entirely on channel and maturity. SEO and content typically return 10 to 15:1 on pipeline over 6 to 12 months, email to an existing database 8 to 12:1, and events 4 to 8:1. A 4:1 return is solid in enterprise SaaS and weak in a transactional motion.

Should marketing ROI use pipeline or closed revenue?

Closed revenue for the defensible number, pipeline for the timely one. Pipeline ROI can be reported within the quarter but assumes a conversion rate that may not hold. Report both and say which is which.

Why do marketing ROI figures vary so much between tools?

Because each tool applies a different attribution model, and the model decides the answer. First-touch credits awareness, last-touch credits conversion, and the same campaign can look excellent or worthless depending on which one is running.

How long should you wait before measuring ROI on a channel?

At least one full sales cycle, and for content closer to two. Measuring SEO at 90 days in a market where the median cycle is 84 days reports noise, and most channels are cut before they have had a chance to return anything.