The real reason marketing budgets get cut - and how to stop it | MarTech

"Marketing leaders often find themselves in a constant struggle. Expected to drive growth, build brands and shape customer experience, they face ongoing scrutiny from CFOs and boards who want to know, "What's the return?" Even with sophisticated data tools and analytics platforms, many marketing teams struggle to make a compelling financial case for additional funding. This friction rarely comes from a lack of effort."

"Marketers prioritize metrics - impressions, CTR, engagement, reach, share of voice, NPS. However, these metrics often fail to resonate with the CFO and the rest of the C-suite. These metrics are incomplete, as they only measure marketing activity rather than business impact. Senior executives don't allocate capital to improve click-through rates. They fund initiatives that increase profit, market share and enterprise value."

Marketing leaders face pressure to drive growth, build brands, and shape customer experience while answering CFOs and boards demanding clear returns. Many marketing teams cannot make a compelling financial case for additional funding despite sophisticated data tools. The root cause is avoidable missteps in how marketing frames measures and communicates value. Commonly prioritized metrics—impressions, CTR, engagement, reach, share of voice, NPS—measure activity rather than business impact and fail to resonate with senior executives. Senior leaders allocate capital to initiatives that increase profit, market share, and enterprise value. Marketing must tie KPIs to business outcomes, quantify incremental revenue and profit, and present believable estimates to secure funding.

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