Marketing ROI is no longer something organizations can afford to approximate. Boards expect defensible math. CFOs expect proof. CMOs are under pressure to justify every budget line, especially when the tactic in question is physical and historically unmeasurable. Most direct mail programs suffer not because they fail to generate results, but because they fail to prove those results in a credible, repeatable way.
MARC changes the economics of direct mail by building measurement directly into the medium. Instead of running campaigns that �feel good,� �seem to work,� or prompt scattered sales anecdotes, MARC campaigns generate structured data that quantifies engagement, intent, and revenue influence. That becomes the foundation for true ROI calculation�not a proxy, not an estimate, but a clear line between spend and impact.
This flagship article lays out the full ROI architecture of a MARC campaign, from cost structure to engagement economics to pipeline influence, all the way through to closed-won revenue attribution. It�s built for marketing leaders, finance teams, and RevOps practitioners who need a rigorous, data-driven understanding of how physical marketing can become one of the highest-ROI channels in their mix.
Before MARC, ROI analysis for direct mail was largely an exercise in frustration. Marketers measured proxy metrics like:
Those numbers revealed only a fraction of the picture. They missed:
Without behavioral data, ROI modeling becomes a messy blend of assumptions and optimistic guesses. Finance leaders don�t accept that kind of uncertainty. And marketing leaders shouldn�t either.
MARC solves the problem by generating precise behavioral metrics for every brochure. That gives you the missing inputs needed to construct a defensible ROI architecture.
MARC campaigns generate ROI through a combination of measurable upstream engagement and downstream revenue contribution. The architecture breaks into five layers:
Each layer is measurable. Each layer builds upon the one before it.
Any ROI model begins with cost clarity. A MARC campaign includes:
Most organizations calculate cost per send based on the total cost of the program divided by the number of brochures deployed.
But MARC campaigns should be evaluated based on cost per meaningful engagement, not cost per send. Because MARC�s engagement rates are extremely high�80�90% open rates and an average of 6+ engagements per brochure�the cost per engagement drops dramatically.
If a MARC brochure costs $60 to produce and ship, but generates 8 confirmed engagements and over a minute of verified watch time per session, the effective cost per engagement is closer to ~$7.50.
In contrast, a paid search click in many B2B industries runs $15�$65, often with far lower intent.
The second layer captures the behavioral economics of MARC campaigns. MARC brochures generate data that digital channels rarely match in quality or strength:
Engagement depth matters because it predicts sales outcomes. Data across MARC customers shows that accounts exhibiting multi-day or replay behavior enter pipeline at significantly higher rates than accounts that engage once.
If engagement has predictive value�and it does�then engagement itself becomes an input to ROI calculation.
MARC enables direct, defensible attribution in ways traditional physical marketing cannot. Because each brochure is tied to contacts and accounts inside your CRM, you can measure:
Most organizations begin by measuring:
Pipeline Influence = Opportunity Value from MARC-Engaged Accounts
More advanced organizations build weighted attribution models where MARC receives:
Weighted attribution eliminates over-crediting or under-crediting while still acknowledging MARC�s role in driving behavior.
Cycle acceleration is one of MARC�s most underrated ROI drivers. Because brochures are shared, rewatched, and discussed internally, prospects progress through early-funnel education faster.
Across categories, MARC reduces:
Faster cycles lower customer acquisition cost (CAC). They also free sales capacity. For teams selling into complex enterprise environments, shaving a week or two off early steps compounds dramatically over a year.
Advanced organizations measure:
Acceleration ROI = (Cycle Time Reduction � Rep Capacity Value)
Because MARC�s impact is measurable, cycle acceleration enters the ROI formula�not as a story, but as a quantifiable benefit.
Ultimately, the most important ROI layer is closed revenue. With MARC�s CRM integration, organizations can track:
Most organizations see that:
When these metrics are incorporated, MARC campaigns routinely produce strong and defensible ROI multiples.
When all five layers are combined, the MARC ROI formula becomes:
ROI = (Pipeline Influence + Closed-Won Value + Cycle Acceleration Value � Campaign Cost) � Campaign Cost
This formula produces a real ROI number, not a theoretical one.
We�ll help you construct a financial model that quantifies engagement, opportunity influence, and revenue impact using your data.