Return on investment is the question every marketer eventually has to answer: did this campaign pay for itself? For most small businesses and freelancers, that question feels hard to answer because they assume tracking ROI requires expensive software. It doesn't. A single short link and a basic calculation are often all you need.
What ROI means in this context
ROI is simply the ratio of what you gained to what you spent. In marketing:
ROI = (Revenue generated − Cost of campaign) ÷ Cost of campaign × 100
If you spent £200 on a campaign and it brought in £600 in revenue, your ROI is (600 − 200) ÷ 200 × 100 = 200%.
To calculate this, you need two numbers: how much you spent, and how much revenue the campaign generated. A short link helps you tie revenue to a specific campaign.
Why a short link is the starting point
Without a tracked link, you can't tell which customers came from which campaign. If you're running a newsletter, an Instagram post, and a Google Ad at the same time, all three might send traffic to your website — but you won't know which one drove the sale.
A unique short link per campaign solves this. Create a different short link for each channel or campaign on TheLinkSpot, and check the stats after the campaign ends. Now you know exactly how many people clicked from each source.
Step-by-step: tracking ROI from a campaign
Step 1 — Define the campaign and its cost
Before you create any links, be clear about what this campaign consists of and what it costs. Costs might include time spent creating content, paid ad spend, design costs, and email platform fees. Write down the total. Even if some costs are estimates, having a number is better than having nothing.
Step 2 — Create a unique short link for the campaign
Go to TheLinkSpot and create a short link pointing to your product page, booking form, or checkout page. Use a descriptive custom slug so you remember what it was for — something like /june-sale-email or /spring-ig.
If you're running the campaign across multiple channels, create a separate link for each one. That way you can see not just the total ROI but which channel contributed most.
Step 3 — Run the campaign and record the clicks
Share your short links wherever you planned. After the campaign closes, check your TheLinkSpot stats and record the click count for each link.
Step 4 — Calculate revenue per click
There are two ways to do this:
Method A — Direct attribution
If your destination is a specific product page or booking form, check your sales records for the campaign period. Count how many purchases came in while the campaign was live.
Method B — Conversion rate estimation
If you know your website's average conversion rate (say, 2% of visitors buy), multiply your click count by that rate to estimate conversions, then multiply by average order value.
Example: 300 clicks × 2% conversion rate = 6 sales. 6 × £45 average order = £270 estimated revenue.
A worked example
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Campaign type | Email newsletter promotion |
| Campaign cost | £80 (2 hours writing + platform fee) |
| Short link clicks | 210 |
| Sales during campaign period | 7 |
| Average order value | £55 |
| Total revenue | £385 |
| ROI | (385 − 80) ÷ 80 × 100 = 381% |
Comparing ROI across channels
| Channel | Spend | Clicks | Est. sales | Revenue | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email newsletter | £80 | 210 | 7 | £385 | 381% |
| Instagram post | £0 | 55 | 1 | £55 | — |
| Facebook ad | £150 | 480 | 6 | £330 | 120% |
| LinkedIn post | £0 | 18 | 0 | £0 | — |
The email campaign delivered the highest ROI by far. The Facebook ad brought the most clicks but a lower conversion rate made it less efficient. These numbers tell you exactly where to invest next time.
Improving your tracking over time
The first time you do this, the numbers will be rough estimates. That's fine — rough estimates are better than no data. As you run more campaigns and record more data, patterns emerge. You'll start to see your typical conversion rate, your best-performing channel, and your average revenue per click.
Consider building a simple spreadsheet where every campaign gets its own row. Over 6–12 months, you'll have a complete picture of what works for your specific business and audience. You can also combine this approach with link analytics fundamentals and campaign success metrics for a fuller measurement framework.
Frequently asked questions
What if I can't directly attribute sales to clicks?
Many purchase decisions involve multiple touchpoints — someone might see your Instagram post, then buy a week later via a Google search. In this case, use a reasonable attribution window (typically 7–30 days) and credit the campaign with sales during that period.
Should I include my time as a cost?
Yes, especially if you're self-employed or running a small business. Time has real monetary value. Estimate your hourly rate and include hours spent on the campaign. This often changes the ROI picture significantly.
What ROI is considered good for a marketing campaign?
Marketing ROI above 100% (doubling your spend) is generally considered healthy. Above 300% is strong. Below 100% means the campaign cost more than it generated — worth scrutinising for campaigns with hard sales goals.
What if my goal isn't direct revenue?
Replace revenue with the value of your goal. If you're tracking newsletter sign-ups and each subscriber is worth £5 in lifetime value on average, use that figure. The formula stays the same — only the "revenue" number changes.
Every campaign deserves a number
The habit of calculating ROI — even roughly — transforms how you think about marketing. Instead of wondering if something worked, you know. Start your next campaign with a tracked short link from TheLinkSpot, record your costs before you begin, and calculate the number when it's done.