By Ben Kartzman, President and COO of Attain
Performance marketing has evolved from a niche, down-funnel tactic to a universal imperative, driving decisions across all media channels and levels of business. In today’s fast-paced environment, every campaign is measured by its ability to deliver outcomes. Lately, however, the term “outcomes” has become overdetermined to the point of dilution.
As the demand for accountability grows, so too does the need to become precise in our definitions and distinguish between surface-level signals and meaningful business results. At a time when marketers are judged by delivering on revenue goals (aka sales), success lies in recognizing that not all outcomes are created equal and ensuring that our metrics guide us to those outcomes.
Much like the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, where excitement and urgency have sometimes led to overblown claims, the race for performance metrics has complicated the picture. When things like clicks, searches, engagement, and views are dubbed as metrics or indicators of success – we risk losing sight of what really matters. While these metrics offer directional insights and support, they don’t necessarily translate into true business impact like sales or longer-term revenue growth. It’s important not to conflate useful directional metrics with real outcomes. Ultimately, incremental sales are the only outcomes that matter. Everything else is a step toward that endpoint.
