From Marketing Metrics to Measured Success: My Journey to Founding a Data-Driven Marketing Firm
Jun 10, 2024
2 min read
I am excited to announce the launch of Insight Growth Solutions, a venture that has been taking shape over the past few weeks. This new business is the culmination of years of experience across various industries and roles, from Technology and Insurance to Auto Body/Repair.
Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working on both sides of the marketing agency relationship. This dual perspective has given me a deep understanding of the critical importance of measuring marketing effectiveness, whether in-house or outsourced. My recent return to the marketing agency world, after several years away, was a transformative experience. During that time, I not only grew as an individual but also evolved significantly as a marketer.
As I reflected on my journey, I realized that my perspective on marketing metrics had fundamentally shifted. Previously, I might have been satisfied with top-of-the-funnel metrics like generating thousands of leads or increasing site traffic. However, I came to understand that these metrics often amounted to little more than fluff without real conversions. Generating thousands of low-quality leads or increasing site traffic without conversions does not equate to real success.
To truly measure marketing success, it is essential to track the entire funnel. This required me to step out of my comfort zone, understand the necessary technology, collaborate with colleagues outside the marketing department, and, most importantly, engage with the sales team. Listening to the sales team was crucial—they are on the front lines with customers and know what truly makes a prospect qualified.
In the past, marketing and sales often had disconnected conversations, leading to misunderstandings and inefficiencies. I learned that taking offense needs to be left at the company door if one wants to be successful. Instead of getting defensive, I aimed to understand why someone didn’t like the creative or the content, incorporated suggestions, implemented A/B testing, and let the data do the talking. Communication, trust, collaboration, and technology are the keys to driving profitability.
The key to measuring marketing ROI was embracing technology. While I could collaborate with sales and adjust lead generation campaigns, I needed technology to effectively measure critical metrics like cost per won opportunity or funnel velocity. I knew which campaigns generated responders, but I needed to know which ones generated revenue. Stepping outside my marketing comfort zone to embrace technology transformed my ability to do this. I asked the dumb questions, made mistakes, owned those mistakes, and adjusted accordingly. My marketing brain was being morphed, and I wasn't mad about it.
As I've grown older and started a family, I've realized just how much time we spend at work. Since I haven’t won the Mega Millions yet, I decided to follow the mantra: do what you love and do it with people you care about. I love building things, navigating the complexity of teams, bringing people together, figuring out how things work, and most of all, seeing hard work translate into success. This realization led me to start Insight Growth Solutions, where I can bring all my experiences and insights to help other businesses achieve real, measurable success.
If you or your company is in need of marketing expertise, I hope you’ll think of Insight Growth Solutions. Together, we can achieve great things.