If you’re still counting leads, you’re missing the point

If you’re still counting leads, you’re missing the point—here’s why your marketing metrics are failing you.

In digital marketing, we’ve all been trained to celebrate lead volume. But the harsh truth is that a lead, on its own, has zero value unless it converts into revenue. If your primary metric for success is the number of leads generated, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

It’s time to rethink what really matters and focus on the metrics that actually drive growth.

The reality is that most of the leads you’re chasing won’t ever become paying customers. Focusing on lead volume alone is like pouring water into a bucket with a hole in it—it’s a waste of time and resources. What you need is a way to understand which of your marketing efforts are actually contributing to your bottom line.

Here’s a dead-simple method that can drastically improve how you track and understand your marketing ROI:

1. Use Hidden UTM Fields in ALL Your Forms: Every time you create a signup form—whether it’s for a lead magnet or a new user registration—include UTM fields as hidden fields. These fields should automatically populate with the UTM parameters from the content or ad that brought the user to your form.
2. Store UTM Data in Your CRM: When someone submits a form, make sure that the UTM data is saved in your CRM alongside the contact’s other information. This allows you to track both the first and last touchpoints, giving you a complete picture of the customer journey.
3. Automate Source Mapping: Set up a simple automation in your CRM to check if a first source is already recorded. If it is, map the new UTM data to the latest source instead. This ensures that your attribution remains accurate and up-to-date.

(If you’re using v01 as your CRM, the UTM collection, storage and automation is built into the platform and done for you automatically)

With this setup, every lead, contact, user etc., will have it’s source marketing data associated to it. With the setup complete, you can then measure any other metrics stored in your CRM or CDP against each contact. In turn cutting through the noise and see exactly which campaigns are generating revenue, not just leads.

It’s a straightforward way to measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts by following the user journey from the first touch to conversion. Best of all, you don’t need expensive attribution software or a data engineer to do it—you’re just leveraging tools you already have.

The takeaway is simple: Stop wasting time on vanity metrics like lead volume. Leads alone don’t drive your business forward—revenue does. By using this UTM-based attribution method, you can make smarter decisions about where to allocate your marketing budget and efforts for the best results.

If you’re still chasing lead volume, it might be time to rethink your strategy. Implementing UTM-based attribution using forms is a no-brainer. It’s easy, effective, and will give you the insights you need to truly understand what’s driving your business growth.

No more vanity metrics—focus on what matters.