Measure everything. Know your ROAS, CAC and LTV before you scale. From ad spend ROI to influencer campaign returns, our 10 free calculators give you the numbers that drive smarter marketing decisions.
The most expensive marketing mistake is scaling campaigns without measuring them first. A campaign that looks profitable on surface metrics can be deeply loss-making once COGS, overhead and LTV are accounted for. Our 10 free calculators model every layer — from top-of-funnel ad spend to customer lifetime value — so you can make every budget decision with real numbers.
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) = Revenue ÷ Ad Spend. A 4:1 ROAS means £4 revenue per £1 spent on ads. But ROAS ignores product cost. ROI factors in COGS: if margin is 40%, a 4:1 ROAS leaves only £0.60 net profit per £1 spent after paying for the product. Always calculate net marketing ROI, not just ROAS.
Customer Acquisition Cost = Total Marketing & Sales Spend ÷ New Customers Acquired. Payback period = CAC ÷ Monthly Gross Contribution per Customer. A £200 CAC with £50/month gross contribution = 4-month payback. Most investors target under 12-month payback for SaaS; under 6 months for e-commerce.
Improving your conversion rate from 1% to 2% doubles revenue without increasing ad spend. On 10,000 monthly visitors at £50 average order: 1% CR = £5,000 revenue; 2% CR = £10,000. CRO is the highest-ROI marketing investment for most businesses because it leverages existing traffic spend.
Not all leads are equal. A lead from Google Search (high intent, actively searching) typically converts at 3–5× the rate of a social media lead (passive interest). Cost per qualified lead — not just cost per lead — is the metric that actually correlates with revenue. Track lead quality by source, not just volume.
| Channel | Typical CAC Range | Average Conv. Rate | Typical ROAS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search (PPC) | £20–£200 | 3–6% | 4:1–8:1 |
| Meta / Facebook Ads | £15–£150 | 1–3% | 3:1–5:1 |
| Email Marketing | £5–£50 | 2–5% | 10:1–40:1 |
| Organic SEO | £10–£100 | 2–4% | High (long-term) |
| Influencer Marketing | £30–£300 | 0.5–2% | 2:1–5:1 |
| Content / Inbound | £15–£80 | 1–3% | High (long-term) |
ROAS benchmarks vary by industry and margin. General e-commerce: 4:1 is the typical target (for a 25% gross margin, 4:1 ROAS = break-even). Higher margin products can sustain lower ROAS. Lower margin products need higher ROAS to be profitable. Google Search typically achieves higher ROAS than social due to higher purchase intent. Always calculate the ROAS you need to break even given your specific gross margin before setting targets.
CAC = Total Marketing & Sales Spend ÷ New Customers Acquired (in the same period). Include all costs: ad spend, agency fees, salaries of marketing/sales staff, tools and software. A business spending £8,000/month total on marketing and sales and acquiring 40 customers has a CAC of £200. Compare this to Customer Lifetime Value (target: LTV ≥ 3× CAC) to evaluate sustainability.
Common benchmarks: B2B companies typically spend 5–10% of revenue on marketing; B2C consumer products 10–20%; SaaS high-growth companies often 20–40% of ARR. Stage matters: early-stage companies typically invest more heavily in marketing as a % of revenue during growth phases, reducing toward 10–15% as the business matures. The right number depends on your CAC payback period and growth ambitions.