It’s not cost, it’s worth

Asking what marketing costs is the wrong question. Asking instead what it’s worth provides a much better answer, states marketing blogger Matt Heinz.

“Many marketers are focused on the most volume at the lowest possible cost. How do we get our cost per lead lower? How much traffic can we generate while spending less? It sounds efficient but often it’s actually counterproductive. Is $20 per direct mail piece too much? That’s a question asked entirely out of context. Would you be willing to spend $200 to get a Fortune 1000 CIO’s attention?”

Looking at a marketing piece as being too expensive misses the point, Heinz adds. The focus should be on the value of the end-result. “When you ask how much marketing costs (versus asking what it is worth) you’re perpetuating the idea that marketing is a cost center.

“When you measure marketing’s impact based on revenue results vs superficial volume-based tactics, you open up a ton of creative new opportunities to directly create that impact.”  

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