How to Measure ROI from Video Marketing: A Practical Guide for Businesses
Video marketing has cemented its place as one of the most powerful tools in a brand’s arsenal. However getting a video alone isn’t enough, you need to understand how to use video to see the benefit. It goes beyond the likes, views, and shares—what’s the actual return on investment (ROI)?
At Rockadove, it’s not just about pretty videos, the real value lies in video performance. Here’s how to measure it.
1) Define Your Video Marketing Goals
Before measuring anything, be clear on what success looks like. Are you trying to:
- Increase brand awareness?
- Drive leads or sales?
- Improve internal communications?
- Educate your audience?
Each goal has different KPIs (key performance indicators), so defining your objective upfront is crucial and the more specific this is the better.
2) Track Key Performance Metrics
Once goals are set, align them with measurable metrics:
For Awareness:
- Views (organic vs. paid)
- Impressions
- Reach
- Social shares
For Engagement:
- Watch time
- Click-through rate (CTR)
- Likes, comments, shares
- Audience retention rate
For Conversion:
- Leads generated
- Sales attributed to video
- Sign-ups or form completions
- Traffic to website from video
A real challenge with video is that a lot of the metrics aren’t black and white. Video is another tool to help move customers through the funnel, so understanding where and how to use different videos across the funnel is vital. You can always test your video concepts beforehand, to avoid catastrophic flops!
3) Use the Right Tools
Here are tools that help gather and interpret these metrics:
- Google Analytics: Track traffic, conversions, and user flow from your video content.
- YouTube Analytics: Deep insights into viewer behaviour, demographics, and engagement.
- Social Media Insights: Meta, LinkedIn, and Instagram provide platform-specific analytics.
- CRM Integration: Tools like HubSpot or Salesforce can attribute video views to actual sales outcomes.
4) Assign Monetary Value to Outcomes
To truly measure ROI, compare the cost of producing and promoting the video to the revenue it helps generate.
Example:
- Video production + distribution cost = £7,000
- Leads generated = 120
- Conversion rate = 10%
- Average sale = £750
Revenue: 12 sales x £750 = £9,000 ROI: (£9,000 – £7,000) / £7,000 = 28% (initial return after first burst, with the value continuing to grow over time as you re-use the video with no additional production investment.)
Some outcomes are less tangible (brand awareness, impact on internal culture), but you can monitor how metrics have adjusted since implementing strategic video marketing, sales or retention rates etc.
5) Don’t Forget the Long Game
Not every video campaign delivers instant wins. Some build brand equity, trust, and engagement over time. Look at:
- Growth in subscribers or followers
- Increased branded search volume
- Repeat visits or improved bounce rate
Video ROI is a blend of short-term action and long-term brand-building. Keeping an eye on the outcome and lifetime value of a video is important, as businesses should be building valuable video assets that last for the long term.
Final Thoughts
Far too many companies are getting video produced without a clear plan, or tangible way of measuring that videos success. If you’re investing in video, you deserve to know what it’s delivering in terms of ROI. With a clear strategy and the right tools, ROI doesn’t have to be a mystery. At Rockadove, we create purposeful content with performance in mind—so every frame earns its place.