Marketing by the Numbers by Leland Harden & Bob Heyman

Marketing by the Numbers

How to Measure and Improve the ROI of Any Campaign

By: Leland Harden, Bob Heyman

Published: January 25, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
ISBN: 9780814416204
Publisher: AMACOM

"Computers have made practically everything measurable. Yet, their ubiquity is quite likely to make a marketing manager quite miserable", write Vice President of Global Marketing for Usee, Inc., Leland Harden, and Senior Partner at Digital Automat, Bob Heyman, in their practical and results oriented book Marketing by the Numbers: How to Measure and Improve the ROI of Any Campaign. The authors describe advanced techniques and tools to measure the return on investment of any online and multiple media marketing campaign.

Leland Harden (photo left) and Bob Heyman understand that using the right analytical metrics to forecast the success of any marketing campaign presents a real challenge for any marketing manager. Faced with having to justify a marketing budget, for both online and offline expenditures, the need for the right measuring tools and methods has never been more critical. Gone are the days when spending on internet marketing could be accepted without the numbers to back up the spending. Simple and crude measurements like clicks and page hits are no longer sufficient in a more cost conscious world. While the internet may be driving traditional media, the need for useful and reliable metrics has become paramount for online business success. The authors point to the best practices and measurement tools that are essential for establishing budgets within the organization, and for remaining competitive in an increasingly difficult and crowded marketplace.

Bob Heyman (photo left) and Leland Harden recognize that in finance, ROI is utilized as a predictive tool. While traditional ROI for traditional media has long held a predictive role, the return on investment for internet expenditures has received attention only recently. Web advertising, as well as the company website, are very often seen as lead generation vehicles. As a result, they must produce quantifiable results. The authors provide the tools to measure the effectiveness of a website at achieving its goals. Even more important, the book contains the best metrics for drilling deeply into the numbers. Measuring the audience in an online world is as crucial as in traditional media. The authors share the methods and tools for calculating the net benefit of internet based marketing, ranging from the main company website to the use of social media. Overall, the authors provide a complete system for uncovering the right metrics, and for applying those results most effectively.

For me, the power of the book is how Leland Harden and Bob Heyman demonstrate not only the means of measuring marketing ROI, but how to utilize the numbers in the most profitable way. The authors combine the theory of return on marketing investment with the practical tools and methodology needed to calculate its effectiveness. The holistic approach taken in the book transforms the topic, from one of being simply a theoretical discussion of ROI, to a useful manual for any marketing manager. the practical side of the book is bolstered by the theory to help guide the marketing manager as to why the numbers are vital to success. The authors provide a framework for not only integrating online and offline marketing efforts, but also for aligning them with the overall company goals and business plan.

The authors recognize that today's marketing managers are very often inundated with a deluge of numbers, ranging from the valuable to the superfluous. This book helps the marketer to sort the useful data into meaningful forecasts of business potential and profitability. Along with the techniques for discovering the best and most useful metrics, the authors share their ideas for transforming the measurements into actionable recommendations for current and future marketing expenditures. The ability to integrate both online and offline marketing programs, and to measure their effectiveness is a key takeaway from the book. At the same time, the ability to communicate the data to C-level executives becomes both easier and more likely to be positive, with the data information gleaned through the book's recommendations. Overall, this is a very valuable guide for any marketing manager.

I highly recommend the very useful and essential book Marketing by the Numbers: How to Measure and Improve the ROI of Any Campaign by Leland Harden and Bob Heyman, to any marketing managers who are serious about determining the return on investment from their marketing and advertising expenditures. The techniques, checklists, and case study illustrations make this a book a must have road map for assessing ROI in marketing.

Read the very accessible and problem solving book Marketing by the Numbers: How to Measure and Improve the ROI of Any Campaign by Bob Heyman and Leland Harden, and remove the mystery from your calculations of your marketing return on investment. Instead of guesswork, and sorting through stacks of irrelevant information, this book will steer your efforts toward the right metrics that predict your real marketing ROI.