If you can’t prove your content’s ROI, you will lose your budget.
That’s the hard truth most eCom leaders learn the painful way. Content quietly drives loyalty, repeat purchases, and lifetime value. But when it comes time to report ROI, it looks “weak” next to ads. And the moment executives see “weak,” they slash budgets.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The smartest brands are proving content ROI every single quarter. Not by chasing vanity metrics. But by reframing how ROI is measured.
Legendary marketers all understand. Rand Fishkin calls it “measuring the invisible.” Avinash Kaushik warns against “data sugar highs.” Andy Crestodina shows how content compounds over time.
The lesson is simple: if you measure content the same way you measure ads, you’ll always lose. If you measure it against customer loyalty and lifetime value, you’ll win. Here’s how.
Shift from Last-Click to Multi-Touch Attribution
Most teams obsess over last-click attribution. It’s neat, it’s simple, and it makes ads look like the hero. But content rarely gets the credit it deserves in this model.
Rand Fishkin, founder of Moz and SparkToro, has been warning marketers about this for years. He argues that last-click attribution hides content’s real influence. The blog post that sparked awareness? Invisible. The email that nurtured trust? Ignored. The video that got them 90% of the way there? Erased by the final ad click.
Without multi-touch attribution, content looks like a “cost center” instead of a growth driver. Fishkin’s advice is blunt: stop measuring what’s easy, and start measuring what’s true.
Most CMOs know attribution is messy. But ignoring the mess doesn’t make it go away. If you only measure last-click, you’ll always undervalue content.
Multi-touch attribution isn’t optional. It’s the proof your content team has been missing.
Measure Content Against Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), Not Just Immediate Sales
Most dashboards highlight first-order revenue. It feels concrete, measurable, defensible. But it hides the real story.
Avinash Kaushik, Google’s Digital Marketing Evangelist, calls short-term metrics “data sugar highs.” They give you a quick buzz in a board meeting. But they don’t reflect business health.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) changes the game. It asks: Did this article or video attract a one-and-done shopper – or a loyal customer who spends 10x more over the next year? When you shift to CLV, content ROI doesn’t just look good. It often looks 3–5x higher than you thought.
E-commerce isn’t about the first cart. It’s about the second, third, and fifth. And content is what brings customers back.
Here’s the zinger: CLV is the metric that protects your budget.
Track Retention Metrics Like Repeat Purchases and Subscription Renewals
Most brands measure traffic. The best brands measure retention.
Content doesn’t just attract – it keeps customers. But you can’t see that impact if all you track are clicks and conversions.
Andy Crestodina, co-founder of Orbit Media, explains: “Content has compounding value. What you publish today can still be winning customers a year from now.”
Retention-driven content – post-purchase emails, loyalty blogs, educational resources – extends the lifetime of every customer. It’s not about one sale. It’s about keeping subscribers for six more months. It’s about nudging customers toward their next renewal. It’s about reducing churn before it happens.
Ads don’t do that. Content does.
Retention is boring to track. But it’s where the most meaningful numbers live. Ignore it, and you’re cutting off your brand’s compounding growth.
Retention-driven content isn’t an expense. It’s the strongest investment you can make in CLV.
Bonus: Map Content to Specific Customer Journeys
Pageviews won’t win you budget. Executives don’t care about traffic – they care about movement. From awareness. To purchase. To loyalty.
Rand Fishkin reminds us that most brands measure “what’s easy” instead of “what matters.” Clicks are easy. Influence is harder. But mapping content to the customer journey turns invisible influence into undeniable proof.
A buying guide might not close the sale, but it nurtures consideration. A customer story might not attract new leads, but it builds loyalty. Each piece plays a role – and when you show leadership how those roles connect, the argument ends.
Here’s the truth: content isn’t just marketing. It’s infrastructure for the customer journey. Without it, ads underperform. With it, loyalty compounds.
The journey is the proof. Without it, you’re just defending pageviews.
If You Can’t Prove It, You Can’t Protect It
Leaders who fail to prove content ROI see their budgets cut. Those who tie content to attribution, CLV, and retention prove it’s the engine of loyalty. And once executives see that content drives repeat purchases, renewals, and lifetime value, the debate ends.
That’s the difference between teams who constantly defend their spend – and teams who win more of it.
If this resonated, here’s what to do next:
→ If you’re tired of content that fills space instead of driving sales, let’s talk. Schedule a quick demo.
→ If you’re ready to turn product pages, email flows, landing copy, and more into silent salespeople for your brand, subscribe to either our Unlimited Standard Plan or Unlimited Professional Plan to get started.
Your story deserves better than generic copy.
We make it unforgettable.