Marketing Resolution: Think in KPIs
By Carrie Cousins
Thank you to Valley Business FRONT for featuring our Vice President, Carrie Cousins, in their January 2026 issue.
What business results do you want to see in 2026? Make a list. Be realistic about what you can achieve. Now let’s take that list and see where marketing fits into the mix. How can your marketing activities fuel growth that you can actually measure? That’s how you should frame those marketing resolutions.
How is that different than what you are doing now? A lot of people measure marketing in metrics – and there’s nothing wrong with that – but when you are looking at business growth, results are what matter.
Metrics are data collected on your marketing/advertising that can lead to consumer insights for advertising or marketing optimization for your audience. An example of strong metrics could be that you are getting a lot of impressions and clicks from an online ad. If we dig further, that ad is only truly successful if those clicks are meaningful, such as buying a product, filling out a consultation form, or booking an appointment.
If there’s a disconnect between metrics and KPIs, then it might be a sign that your ad or marketing efforts are only generating awareness. You are getting in front of people, but are they the right people? If you believe they are the right people, then this information can help you dig deeper into the content and user experience on your website, after clicking a marketing message or ad.
Lack of results can be indicators that something is broken – does the form work – or the design and content doesn’t resonate with the user. This could mean the messaging is misleading or your landing page has functionality issues or there is no clear to call-to-action. In terms of ecommerce, a disconnect here could be an indication of price sensitivity.
Not sure where to start? The most common KPIs in marketing and advertising include:
- Profit
- Revenue
- Transactions
- Leads
- Cost per lead or sale
- Return on advertising spend
- Return on investment
- Customer lifetime value
Thinking in KPIs will reframe the way to think about marketing and advertising performance. You’ll be a little more critical and focused on the bottom line. (And that’s a good thing!)
The caution here is that we don’t toss metrics all together. The perfect combination is understanding your metrics and how they help you make better business decisions. When you pair that with KPIs (results) that are tied to these activities, you can see and understand the value that marketing and advertising have on your business.
It’s a marketing resolution that will help your budgets – and bottom line – in 2026 and beyond.
Carrie Cousins is the Vice President at LeadPoint Digital in Roanoke. For 15+ years, she has helped businesses tell their stories and get better results online with practical digital marketing strategies. She is also an active leader in AAF, serving on the local and district boards, and is an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech.
