How to Track ROI in AEC Marketing

The Disconnect

If I had to put a number on it, I’d say 80% of the firms we’ve worked with have no clear system in place to measure marketing ROI. This is somewhat understandable, as a lot of service-based businesses get their projects from referrals, salespeople (BD & PMs), and repeat business.

The problem is – if you’re actively marketing and trying to grow – not measuring those efforts leaves you flying blind. Without clear data, it’s nearly impossible to understand what’s working, adjust your strategy, or make confident decisions about what’s next.

If you're spending time or money on marketing but don’t know what’s working… you’re not alone. But you're also not in control.

This article is about helping you finally connect your marketing efforts to real project wins.

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Why ROI Matters

Without ROI tracking:

• You’re guessing where your projects are coming from
• You can’t adjust strategy based on real outcomes
• Your leadership sees activity, not impact
  
  

Leadership cares about results. They don’t want to hear that you posted 10 times last month. They want to know: "What did marketing generate in qualified project opportunities?"

Measuring ROI also helps you:

• Spot and fix weak points in your pipeline
• Build clarity between marketing, sales, and leadership
• Advocate for your budget with confidence
  
  

When done well, ROI tracking turns: "What do you even do all day?" into "Here’s what we delivered and here’s where we need support."

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Attribution: The Key to ROI

Attribution is how you trace each lead back to its source. It answers the question: Where did this opportunity actually come from?

Without attribution, all marketing channels blur together. You don’t know if your lead came from SEO, a trade show, or a LinkedIn post.

To get attribution right, focus on consistency across these three areas:

1. The Digital Side
   Use Google Analytics to monitor where web traffic is coming from – search, ads, social, etc.
   
   
2. Ask on the Form
   Add a “How did you hear about us?” field to your contact form. You’ll often get answers tools miss like: "I saw your signage, then Googled you."
   
   
3. Confirm in Conversation
   On discovery calls or site visits, confirm and log how the lead actually found you. Multi-touch journeys often need clarification from a real conversation.
   
   

Attribution doesn’t need to be perfect – just consistent. As long as each lead has a source and that source is logged in your CRM, you're in good shape.

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What Counts as a Real Lead?

Let’s get clear: not all inquiries are leads. In AEC, you're not chasing email clicks – you're trying to win real-world projects.

✅ A real lead is:

• From a credible source (website, referral, BD, etc.)
• Spoken to by someone on your team
• Tied to a defined project need
• Includes a rough estimated value
  
  

And here’s the key point: Don’t count it unless it’s vetted. Form fills and DMs are just noise until someone on your team qualifies them.

Marketing’s job is to generate leads and estimate value – not to close the deal. Closing is a sales function. ROI should be measured based on the opportunities created.

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ROI Calculation Example

Let’s say you spend $100,000 on digital marketing this year. You track 30 qualified leads through the website. Estimated project value across those leads is $2 million.

ROI = [(Value - Spend) / Spend] x 100

ROI = [($2,000,000 - $100,000) / $100,000] x 100 = 1,900%

If your CRM only tracks closed deals, you're underreporting marketing's impact. By tracking qualified opportunities and estimated value, you get a more forward-looking, accurate picture.

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Setting Up for Success

To measure ROI consistently, your firm needs three core systems in place:

1. A CRM That Tracks More Than Contacts
   Log every lead, its source, estimated value, and whether it closed. Your CRM should be a source of truth, not a glorified Rolodex.
   
   
2. Monthly ROI Check-Ins
   Add a dedicated ROI review to your leadership or sales meetings. Go over recent leads, what’s real, what’s closed, and what’s in play.
   
   
3. Defined Lead Buckets
   Create categories like referrals, repeat business, website, SEO, BD, social, etc. Consistency is what makes reports meaningful.
   
   

Recommended CRMs for AEC Firms

Not sure where to start? Here are a few options:

• HubSpot – Great for integrated marketing + sales tracking
• Cosential (Unanet CRM) – Built for AEC firms and proposals
• Monday.com – Flexible, great if you already use it for ops
• Pipedrive – Lightweight and intuitive
• Airtable or Trello – Entry-level tools, easy to start
  
  

The best CRM is the one your team will actually use. Consistency beats complexity.

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Final Words

Marketing ROI doesn’t have to be a mystery. With a clean CRM, consistent attribution habits, and a simple lead structure, your firm can finally report on real impact.

More importantly, you can act on it: doubling down on what works and fixing what doesn’t.

If you want help setting this up – or just want to talk through your process – reach out.

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