An introduction
Who Owns Marketing ROI in an SME?
Why Marketing ROI Is So Hard to See in SMEs?
Most SMEs can tell you:
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How much they spend on marketing
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How many leads they get
Few can confidently explain:
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What marketing contributes to revenue
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Whether spend is justified
That’s not a tooling issue.
It’s an ownership problem.
Common challenge read communications edge
Issues When No One Owns Marketing ROI in an SME
What Happens Without ROI Ownership?
When no one owns ROI:
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Metrics focus on activity, not outcomes
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Finance struggles to justify budgets
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Boards lose confidence
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Marketing is cut first in downturns
ROI disappears into reporting noise.
marketing leadership with clear ownership
board expectations for marketing ROI
The table to the left highlights the issues that can arise when marketing ROI ownership is no clear from:-
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No single owner of outcomes
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Spend justified by activity
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Channel-level metrics dominate
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Decisions based on opinion
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Activity optimised in isolation
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Agencies report delivery
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Marketing impact unpredictable
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No shared pipeline targets
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Results not reviewed commercially
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Spend increases without clarity
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Reporting lacks credibility
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ROI assumptions questioned
Why Tools Alone Don’t Fix ROI
Dashboards, CRMs, and analytics don’t create accountability.
Without leadership:
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Data is interpreted inconsistently
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Performance isn’t challenged
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Spend decisions lack evidence
Visibility without ownership is useless.
marketing leadership for finance leads
lack of ROI ownership in marketing strategy
Common Marketing assumptions in an SME range include:-
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Tools will show ROI automatically
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More data equals clarity
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Automation improves efficiency
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CRM creates alignment
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Analytics explain performance
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More tools increase control
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Reports drive decisions
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Tools optimise channels
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Models predict revenue
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Tools guarantee results
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Tools scale marketing
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Data builds trust
Why Tools Alone Cannot Fix Marketing ROI (SMEs)
What Marketing ROI Ownership Looks Like in an SME
What ROI Ownership Looks Like
With senior marketing leadership:
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Clear revenue-linked KPIs are defined
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CAC, payback, and pipeline contribution are owned
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Finance-ready reporting is standard
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Investment decisions are evidence-based
Marketing becomes governable.
marketing leadership for VC-backed SMEs
The business benefits are clear in the table to the left and the list below:
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Clear responsibility
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Focused investment
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ROI clarity
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Reduced waste
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Faster decisions
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Better value
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Higher conversion
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Increased confidence
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Improved ROI
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Better planning
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Continuous improvement
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Predictable growth
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Valuation support
Next Step
If ROI is unclear, the first question is ownership — not spend.
A Free Marketing Health Check is recommended to review where you stand, review 5 competitors and understand the opportunity upside.
Who Owns Marketing ROI in an SME FAQs?
1. Who should own marketing ROI in an SME?
Marketing ROI should be owned by a senior marketing leader who is accountable for strategy, spend, and revenue contribution — not shared across teams or agencies.
2. Can the founder own marketing ROI?
In early stages, yes. As the SME grows, founder ownership becomes a bottleneck and increases risk. ROI ownership needs to sit in a dedicated leadership role to scale.
3. Should marketing ROI sit with finance?
Finance should govern budgets and challenge assumptions, but they shouldn’t own marketing ROI. Ownership must sit with marketing leadership, with finance providing oversight.
4. Do agencies own marketing ROI?
No. Agencies deliver execution. They can influence ROI, but they cannot own it because they don’t control strategy, prioritisation, or internal alignment.
5. Why does marketing ROI become unclear in many SMEs?
Because responsibility is fragmented across teams, tools, and suppliers. Without a single owner, metrics multiply but accountability disappears.
6. What happens when no one owns marketing ROI?
Spend increases without confidence, reporting focuses on activity, decisions become subjective, boards lose trust, and growth becomes unpredictable.
7. Is marketing ROI just about attribution and tools?
No. Tools support measurement, but ROI is driven by strategy, prioritisation, and decision-making, which are leadership responsibilities.
8. How should marketing ROI be measured in an SME?
Through a small set of revenue-linked KPIs — such as pipeline contribution, CAC, and payback — agreed upfront and reviewed regularly.
9. Do SMEs need a full-time CMO to own ROI?
Not necessarily. Many SMEs establish clear ROI ownership through fractional or part-time marketing leadership before hiring full-time.
10. What’s the first step to fixing unclear marketing ROI ownership?
An objective review to identify who currently makes decisions, how success is measured, and where accountability breaks down — before changing tools, agencies, or spend.Free Marketing Healcheck available