Want to set your business up for real, sustainable growth in 2025? Then it’s time to stop seeing marketing as a cost, writes Quentin Weber, and start treating it like the investment it really is.
Marketing is an investment, not a cost. There, I said it.
Yet, so many businesses get this backwards. When times are tough, they turn off the marketing tap. When business is booming, they throw more money at it.
But here’s the thing: Marketing isn’t a cost to cut; it’s what fuels growth. The businesses that understand this are the ones that keep expanding. Those that don’t? Well, they spend more time wondering where their next customers will come from.
Our own client data backs this up. Between 2023 and 2024, we saw larger businesses increase their digital marketing spend, and grow accordingly. Meanwhile, many smaller businesses pulled back and risked falling behind.
While 2025 looks promising (fingers crossed), knowing your numbers is the best way to ensure success and maximise your marketing budget.
Can you answer these questions?
- How much does it cost you to get a lead?
- What’s your conversion rate from lead to sale?
- What’s your customer’s lifetime value?
- What’s your current return on investment? For every dollar spent on marketing, how much revenue does it generate?
If you just shrugged or thought, “Uhhh, not sure”, you’re not alone. Most businesses don’t track these numbers closely enough, and that’s a huge problem. Because when you know your numbers, marketing decisions become easy. You can say, “Yes, let’s put more into ads because every $1 brings back $5 in return.” Or, “Our traffic is strong, but our conversion rate is lagging – let’s optimise our landing page.”
That’s the difference between reacting and strategically investing.
How to grow your business – even on a tight budget
If you want growth this year but need to be mindful of your budget, stop making assumptions about your marketing and start tracking the numbers that actually drive sales.
First, know your cost per lead. If you’re running digital ads, SEO, or social media campaigns, you need to know exactly how much you’re paying to generate a lead and how much of that spend converts into actual revenue. Too often, businesses focus on getting traffic without knowing how many of those leads convert into paying customers.
Next, optimise your conversion rate. If you’re already spending money to drive visitors to your site, even a slight improvement in conversion can make a big difference. A 1-2 percent boost in conversion could mean tens of thousands in additional revenue – without increasing ad spend.
Finally, understand your customer lifetime value (LTV). Acquiring a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining an existing one, yet many businesses only look at the value of the first sale rather than what a customer is worth over time. If a customer spends $500 on their first purchase but returns four times a year, their annual value is $2,000. If you’re only basing your marketing spend on that initial sale, you’re underestimating how much you can afford to invest in high-value customers.
The businesses that succeed will measure, adapt, and refine their marketing strategies based on real performance data.
Because guessing isn’t a strategy. But knowing your numbers? That’s how you win.
