# Marketing ROI calculator: return on campaign spend

> Marketing ROI = (gross profit from the campaign − campaign cost) ÷ campaign cost. Using gross profit rather than revenue gives the true return: $30,000 of revenue at a 50% margin from a $10,000 campaign is a 50% ROI, not 200%. Include every cost — media, agency fees, creative, tools and staff time — and only revenue the campaign really caused.

- Interactive version: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/marketing-roi-calculator
- Type: free instant calculator
- Category: Marketing
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-05
- Publisher: Infikey Technologies (https://infikeytechnologies.com)

## Example result (default inputs)

| Input | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Currency | USD ($) |
| Media / ad spend | 7,000 |
| Agency, creative, tools & staff time | 3,000 |
| Revenue attributed to the campaign | 30,000 |
| Gross margin | 50% |
| Revenue you would have made anyway | 0 |

**Marketing ROI (on gross profit): 50%.** A campaign costing $10,000 that generated $30,000 of extra revenue at a 50% margin has a marketing ROI of 50%.

Profitable: the campaign covered its costs with a 50% return on gross profit.

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Total campaign cost | $10,000 |
| Incremental revenue | $30,000 |
| Gross profit from the campaign | $15,000 |
| Net return | $5,000 |
| Simple revenue ROI | 200% |
| Break-even revenue | $20,000 |
| Revenue per $1 spent | $3.00 |

### Cost vs return

| Item | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Campaign cost | $10,000 |  |
| Gross profit | $15,000 |  |
| Net return (selected) | $5,000 |  |

- Revenue-based ROI looks better than profit-based ROI. Report the profit-based figure when deciding where to spend.

Open this result on the website: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/marketing-roi-calculator?currency=USD&media=7000&other_costs=3000&revenue=30000&margin=50&baseline=0

## Use from a link or API

Add these query parameters to https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/marketing-roi-calculator (pre-filled page), https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/marketing-roi-calculator.md (this plain-text page) or https://infikeytechnologies.com/api/tools/marketing-roi-calculator (JSON).

| Parameter | Meaning | Accepted values |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `currency` | Currency | one of USD, INR, AED, GBP, EUR |
| `media` | Media / ad spend | number from 0 to 1000000000 (in the chosen currency), default 7000 |
| `other_costs` | Agency, creative, tools & staff time | number from 0 to 1000000000 (in the chosen currency), default 3000 |
| `revenue` | Revenue attributed to the campaign | number from 0 to 10000000000 (in the chosen currency), default 30000 |
| `margin` | Gross margin | number from 1 to 100 (%), default 50 |
| `baseline` | Revenue you would have made anyway | number from 0 to 10000000000 (in the chosen currency), default 0 |

- Paid ads campaign: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/marketing-roi-calculator?currency=USD&media=7000&other_costs=3000&revenue=30000&margin=50&baseline=0
- Trade show: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/marketing-roi-calculator?currency=USD&media=15000&other_costs=8000&revenue=120000&margin=35&baseline=20000
- Email promotion: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/marketing-roi-calculator?currency=USD&media=0&other_costs=800&revenue=9000&margin=60&baseline=2000

## How it is calculated

- **Marketing ROI**: (incremental revenue × gross margin − campaign cost) ÷ campaign cost
- **Simple revenue ROI**: (incremental revenue − campaign cost) ÷ campaign cost
- **Break-even revenue**: campaign cost ÷ gross margin

## What to include in campaign cost

- Media spend on ads, sponsorships or events.
- Agency and freelancer fees.
- Creative production: design, video, copywriting.
- Software and tools used for the campaign.
- Your team’s time spent on it.

## Attribution: which revenue counts?

Count only incremental revenue — sales that would not have happened without the campaign. Customers who already intended to buy, or repeat customers searching your brand name, inflate ROI.

Hold-out tests, comparing regions or audiences with and without the campaign, are the most reliable way to measure incremental revenue.

## ROI by channel: a rough guide

| Channel | How returns usually behave |
| --- | --- |
| Paid search | Fast, measurable returns; costs rise as you scale |
| Paid social | Good for demand creation; attribution is harder |
| SEO & content | Slow start, compounding returns over years |
| Email | Low cost, high return on an existing audience |
| Events | High cost per lead, valuable for large B2B deals |

## FAQ

### How do you calculate marketing ROI?

Subtract the campaign cost from the gross profit it generated, then divide by the campaign cost. $15,000 gross profit from a $10,000 campaign is a 50% ROI.

### What is a good marketing ROI?

Any positive profit-based ROI means the campaign paid for itself. Many marketers cite a 5:1 revenue-to-cost ratio as strong, but the right benchmark depends on your margin.

### Should marketing ROI use revenue or profit?

Profit. Revenue-based ROI ignores product and delivery costs and can make a loss-making campaign look successful.

### How do you measure the ROI of SEO or content?

Estimate the traffic, leads and sales over 12–24 months, because results compound. The SEO ROI calculator forecasts this.

### What is the difference between ROI and ROAS?

ROAS is revenue ÷ ad spend. ROI uses profit and all costs, so it shows whether the campaign actually made money.

## Get expert help

Send these results to an Infikey Technologies specialist from the form on https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/marketing-roi-calculator#estimate or via https://infikeytechnologies.com/contact.

More free calculators: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools.md

## Disclaimer

This calculator is provided free for general information and planning only. Results are estimates based on the inputs you enter and the assumptions described on this page, reference data such as published prices may change, and actual costs and outcomes will differ. Nothing on this page is financial, legal, tax, investment or other professional advice. Infikey Technologies Private Limited, Infikey Technologies LLC and their directors, employees and affiliates make no warranty, express or implied, about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of this tool or its results, and accept no liability for any loss or damage, direct or indirect, arising from its use or from reliance on its results. Verify all figures independently and seek professional advice before making any decision. Use of this tool is at your own risk.