How I Turned a $30K Budget into $100K: The Snarky Truth About Proving ROI in Marketing

With 75% of marketers facing budget scrutiny, proving the incremental value of every marketing investment is no longer optional. It’s expected, and if you’re still not doing it, well—let’s be real—are you even marketing? For me, proving ROI has been at the heart of everything I do as a marketer. It's exactly how I turned a $30K budget in 2023 and 2024 into a $100K budget for 2025—a 233% increase that I didn't get by crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

Now, let’s talk about how I made it happen—and why there’s no excuse for marketers who claim they can’t prove the value of their work.

Step One: Set Your Own KPIs—And Make Them Revolve Around ROI

From the very beginning, I knew that tracking ROI would be key to my success. I didn’t wait for the higher-ups to tell me what metrics to hit. Instead, I set my own KPI benchmarks, all centered around return on investment. Whether it was monthly occupancy rates or booking increases, I tracked everything to show exactly how my marketing spend impacted revenue.

Over the past year, I’ve been able to show a 30% average monthly increase in occupancy at ReTreet Resort compared to the same month the previous year. That’s the kind of measurable growth that gets attention.

And it wasn’t just about increasing traffic or engagement—I focused on business outcomes. How much were people spending? How many new bookings came in? What did the revenue look like compared to last year? That’s the type of data that C-suites want to see, and it’s what will get you the budget you need to keep growing.

Step Two: Own Your Mistakes and Learn from Them

Let me be clear: I didn’t hit every campaign out of the park. In fact, I’ve had more than my fair share of missteps. The top of my #fail list for this year was getting our Instagram account hacked - a total rookie mistake. I’ve seen declines in Facebook reach and Google performance this year, and those weren’t pretty. But here’s the difference between marketers who get that sweet budget increase and those who don’t—I can prove what’s working and what isn’t and then clearly outline how I'm going to adjust.

That’s the key. It’s not about being perfect every time (spoiler: no one is). It’s about being able to track and explain what’s happening and why. When a campaign doesn’t perform well, I don’t hide it. I own it. Then I pivot and optimize. I use the data to make improvements, and I can clearly show the impact of those changes.

Being transparent about what’s working and what isn’t builds trust. And trust is what gets you the flexibility to try new things and improve low-performing campaigns.

Step Three: The ROI of Building Trust

As a marketer, your job is to move the revenue needle. If you’re not tracking how your work directly impacts the business, then what are you doing? It’s no secret that 70% of marketers can’t prove how their spend returns an ROI, and to that I say—that’s BS.

Here’s the thing: if I can track ROI on a $30K budget, anyone can. The tools are out there. The data is available. It just takes a little time and effort to track the right metrics. And I’ll tell you, it’s worth it. Why? Because proving your impact is how you build trust—and trust is what earns you a bigger budget. Ultimately, it saves your job, and reputation as well.

When you can go to your boss and say, “Here’s what we did, here’s what worked, and here’s how much revenue it brought in” you’re proving that marketing isn’t just a cost center. It’s a revenue driver. And that’s exactly what I did.

Step Four: Tracking the Right Metrics

So, how do you track ROI like a boss? Here are a few metrics I’ve used to prove my impact:

• Monthly Occupancy Rates: I’ve consistently increased these by an average of 30% year-over-year.
• Revenue in Relation to Marketing Spend: By comparing revenue growth to marketing investment, I can directly show the return on each dollar spent.
• Booking Increases: I tracked new bookings, showing how each campaign contributed to filling more rooms.

Of course, I also track things like social reach, clicks, and engagement, but the real power comes from connecting those activities to revenue. When you can do that, you’re no longer guessing. You’re making data-driven decisions that move the business forward.

Step Five: Looking Ahead—Why My $100K Budget Will Be Put to Good Use

So here I am, with a $100K budget for 2025, ready to do more, test more, and grow more. This wasn’t handed to me on a silver platter. I earned it by consistently proving that my marketing efforts were bringing in measurable results. And trust me, if I can do this with a $30K budget, I can’t wait to show what I can achieve with three times that amount.

In 2025, I’ll be focused on:

• Scaling high-performing campaigns that have proven their worth.
• Optimizing low-performing channels like Facebook and Google, now that I have the resources to experiment more.
• Tracking even more granular data to ensure every dollar is pulling its weight.

Final Thoughts: If You’re Not Tracking ROI, You’re Missing the Point

If you’re a marketer and you’re not tracking how your work improves business outcomes, it’s time to get it together. We’re not in the business of vanity metrics anymore. The C-suite doesn’t care about clicks and impressions if they don’t lead to revenue. Start tracking the right metrics, prove your impact, and earn the trust (and budget) you need to succeed.

Here’s to my $100K budget and what’s coming in 2025. If I can do it, so can you.