The Digital Marketing Podcast by Exposure Ninja

Why Your Marketing ROI is Low (and How To Fix It)

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Sep 3, 2025

Discover the five critical disconnects causing low marketing ROI, such as misaligned metrics and outdated targeting. Learn why focusing on a niche can unlock growth, using real-world examples like Vita Coco. Delve into the importance of balancing proven revenue generators with experimentation and the dangers of spreading your budget too thin across multiple channels. Explore how AI search is reshaping customer journeys and altering organic traffic dynamics. Tune in for strategic insights to elevate your marketing game!

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ADVICE

Measure What Actually Moves Revenue

Align marketing measurement to bottom-line goals like leads or revenue, not vanity metrics.
Allocate most budget to measurable channels and a smaller portion to experimentation and brand work.

INSIGHT

Reporting Must Speak The Board's Language

Marketing and senior stakeholders use different languages and metrics which creates dangerous blind spots.
Clear reporting that maps marketing metrics to board-level outcomes fixes misalignment.

ADVICE

Adopt An 80/20 Budget Split

Use an 80/20 budget framework: 80% on repeatable, measurable channels and ~20% on experiments and brand.
Defend the experimental budget to evolve channels while protecting current revenue.

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Your marketing ROI is declining, and the traditional playbook isn't fixing it. This creates an unprecedented opportunity for businesses ready to evolve their approach.

After analysing hundreds of marketing strategies for businesses generating £5-50m turnover, we've identified the five critical disconnects causing ROI to flatline: misaligned metrics, broken targeting, outdated channel mix, risk aversion, and ignoring AI search.

The businesses fixing these issues aren't those with the biggest budgets — they're those making strategic adjustments that compound into transformative results.

In this episode, Charlie and Dale reveal:

The hidden disconnect between marketing metrics and revenue (including why tracking share of voice whilst the board wants ARR creates dangerous blind spots)
How Finisterre's attempt to "go broader" nearly killed their growth — and why narrowing your focus expands your potential
Why spreading budget across every channel is like "betting £1 on every horse" and guarantees you'll lose money
The 80/20 framework for balancing proven revenue generators with essential experimentation
• How AI search is condensing the customer journey (users now make 3-5 ChatGPT queries before a single Google search)

Charlie and Dale also share real-world examples, including how Vita Coco dominated its niche before expanding, and why power users are actually searching Google MORE (13 times daily) while organic traffic declines.

As Charlie explains in the pod:

"If your bottom line goal is generating a certain number of leads or making a certain amount of revenue, then understanding which marketing channels are actually driving those leads or driving that revenue — and which percentage of your marketing budget is experimental — that's where most businesses fall down."

If you're ready to fix the disconnects undermining your marketing performance whilst your competitors cling to yesterday's playbook, this episode provides your complete roadmap for reversing ROI decline.

Get the show notes:

https://exposureninja.com/podcast/dojo-62/

Listen to these Dojo episodes next:

What is AI Search? And Why Is It So Important?

https://exposureninja.com/podcast/dojo-56/

Google’s AI Mode Goes GLOBAL + NEW Agentic Features!

https://exposureninja.com/podcast/dojo-61/

Only 2% of SEOs Are Optimising for AI Search (and Why That’s a BIG Mistake)

https://exposureninja.com/podcast/dojo-60/