GlossaryFinance & Governance

CFO-Grade Marketing Metrics

Also known as: Board Metrics

CFO-Grade Marketing Metrics are financial indicators that a Chief Financial Officer accepts as valid proof of value. They rely on cash flow, incrementality, and profitability, rather than platform-reported numbers. They bridge the gap between 'Marketing Speak' and 'Boardroom Speak'.

The Short Version

Data you can take to the bank.

The Boardroom Disconnect

CMO: 'We got 5 million views and 4.0 ROAS!'

CFO: 'Why is our bank balance lower than last quarter?'

You need to speak CFO language (Payback, CAC, Margin) to get budget approval.

How it works

Translate 'ROAS' to 'Contribution Margin'

Translate 'Conversion Rate' to 'Unit Economics'

Translate 'Spend' to 'Investment Risk'

Common Misconceptions

Bringing Google Analytics screenshots to a board meeting

Refusing to admit uncertainty (CFOs love probability ranges, hate fake precision)

Failing to align marketing KPIs with company financial goals

In SpendSignal

SpendSignal exports a 'CFO Pack'—a PDF specifically designed for finance teams, stripping away ad-jargon and showing capital allocation performance.

Deep Dive Concepts

Marketing Cash Efficiency

In short: Does your marketing pay for itself in real dollars?

Incremental CAC

In short: The price of a *persuaded* customer, not a *found* one.

Frequently Asked Questions

QWhy does the CFO hate marketing?

Because marketing often looks like a black hole of cash with unverified returns. Give them CFO-Grade metrics, and they effectively become your biggest supporter.

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