Everything Works at a Price

How to Evaluate New Marketing Ideas Without Wasting Resources

As a marketing leader, you're constantly bombarded with new ideas. From paid ads to influencer campaigns, everyone from the CEO to sales reps has a suggestion. But there’s one critical question you need to ask before moving forward with any tactic: What’s the real price? Every idea can work, but at a certain cost, and that is something you need to teach your teams. Your job is to determine whether that price makes sense for your business.

All Channels Can Work—But Not at Any Cost

From pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns to influencer partnerships, every marketing strategy can deliver results. But it’s not just about whether it works—it’s about whether the cost to achieve those results makes sense. Some channels will drive huge ROI; others may not make sense unless they come at no cost. It’s easy to get excited about new ideas, but as a marketing leader, you must evaluate each tactic against the hard economics of your business.

Price Isn’t Just Monetary

When we talk about "price," we're not just referring to the direct cost of buying ads or sponsoring content. There are soft costs to consider: the time, energy, and resources your team will expend. Sometimes, even "free" initiatives aren’t truly free if they drain your team's focus and capacity. Before diving into a new idea, ask yourself: How much time and effort will this take? Does it align with your broader strategy, or will it distract from higher-value activities?

Question: How often do you account for the time and energy costs when evaluating a new marketing idea?

Metrics Are Your Grounding Point

It’s easy to get swept away by a big idea or new opportunity. Maybe a unique influencer partnership sounds like a game-changer. But without data to back up the idea, you’re operating on assumptions. Your job is to ground every opportunity in metrics. Can you project the cost per lead or cost per acquisition? And will the returns justify that investment? If the metrics don’t add up, it doesn’t matter how great the idea sounds. Stay disciplined, and let the numbers guide your decisions.

The Threshold of “Free”

Sometimes, marketing tactics only make sense at or near zero cost. Let’s say an influencer has a small but hyper-targeted audience that aligns perfectly with your brand—but their fee is exorbitant. The ROI might not make sense unless you can negotiate a significantly reduced rate or a no-cost collaboration. Similarly, with paid media, if your customer acquisition cost from a particular channel is too high, it’s better to adjust your strategy or spend much less. In many cases, the tactic could work—but only if the cost is close to zero.

Question: What channels or tactics in your business have only made sense when the cost was minimal?

Be Open, But Ruthless

Stay open to new ideas, but be ruthless in your evaluations. Every idea, no matter how promising, must pass the economics test. If the numbers don't work, have the discipline to walk away. It’s not about shutting down creativity—it’s about ensuring that the resources you invest are likely to deliver the strongest possible returns for the business.

I once worked with a client who was excited about partnering with a major influencer for a product launch. On paper, it seemed perfect—the influencer had a large following, and their audience aligned well with our target demographic. However, after crunching the numbers, we realized the cost per conversion would be more than double our typical acquisition cost. Instead of proceeding, we pivoted to working with a smaller network of influencers who offered better engagement at a fraction of the price, and the ROI was significantly higher.

In marketing, every idea has potential, but not every idea is worth the cost. Your role as a marketing leader is to evaluate these opportunities with an eye on both hard and soft costs—and let the data drive your decisions. Stay open to new possibilities, but always stay grounded in the metrics. Remember, everything works at a price—but not every price is worth paying.

Question: What’s the most outlandish marketing idea you’ve been pitched recently? How did you evaluate whether it was worth pursuing? Share your thoughts in the comments!