Dear business owner,
Let’s skip the fluff and talk about what actually gets results in marketing.

Online marketing may feel like an extra expense, but really, there’s a formula to get the most out of it. It should be seen as a bullish, cash-converting investment that’s essential to your business.

My name is Sam, and I started in online marketing 12 years ago. In the early days, eCommerce was still relatively new. Most businesses didn’t take online as seriously as they do now. In fact, at the company I worked for, online sales made up less than 3% of total revenue. It felt insignificant but the world has changed. Today, online accounts for over 50% of total business revenue for many companies. It’s a powerful channel and key to business success in today’s world.

In my first role as an eCommerce Manager for a fashion brand, I was responsible for the entire online operation. End to end. That meant photographing products, editing images, merchandising the site, running campaigns, sending emails, tracking sales, planning content, updating banners, setting up ads, and analysing ad metrics. I was thrown into the deep end but looking back, it gave me something rare: a complete, ground-up view of how online marketing really works.

Since then, I’ve worked closely with CEOs, founders, startups, and large companies across B2C eCommerce, SaaS, and B2B tech. I’m what you’d call a left-and-right brainer. Creative and analytical. I'm passionate about helping business owners understand what actually works in digital, and building systems that grow businesses efficiently.

What you’re about to read is the distilled insight from over a decade in digital marketing, shaped by hands-on experience with 10+ businesses and $4 million AUD in ad spend. These aren’t theories, but real-world lessons from the front lines of a highly competitive landscape.

Unlike other digital marketing companies who overcomplicate things on purpose, I’m going to show you how it really works and make it simple. In this post, you’ll learn the four things the most successful businesses get right when it comes to online marketing.

Think Like an Investor

Just like investing, digital marketing requires you to ignore emotions and make decisions based on numbers. You must see marketing as an investment. If you invest $1 and get $2 in return. That’s a 100% return on investment. And that should be your minimum benchmark.

The biggest mistake I see? Business owners getting caught up in how thing look. Yes, great visuals matter but beautiful designs or “like-worthy” social posts won’t automatically bring paying customers through the door.

If you were investing your hard-earned savings, would you choose a company that looks cool but has no financials to back it up? Or the one with a track record of steady growth and data-backed performance?

You’d choose the one with the numbers. Marketing should be no different. Think like an investor. Let performance, not personal preference, guide your strategy.

The ROI Formula:
(Audience × Message × Channel × Offer) × Time = >100% ROI

When you apply time and ongoing iteration to these four inputs, your marketing funnel and lead generation system can realistically deliver at least 100% ROI.

But what does “time” really mean here? Not sitting back and waiting. But taking weekly action, reviewing data, and improving as you go. Time is your lever for momentum.

How long should you wait until you see ROI?

It depends on your business model:

• B2C (Business to Consumer)

  • Time to ROI: 2–6 weeks

  • Why: Shorter decision cycles, emotional triggers, single decision-maker

  • Goal: Grab attention, show value, reduce buying friction

• B2B (Business to Business)

  • Time to ROI: 1–3 months (sometimes longer)

  • Why: Longer sales cycles, multiple decision-makers, higher investment

  • Goal: Build trust, show ROI, stay top-of-mind through nurture

The key in both cases: consistency. Don’t pull the plug too early. You can spot early signals within the first week. Tweak often, until your channel, message, and audience align. Once that’s locked in, that’s your signal to scale.

Reach the Right Person

You need to know who you’re targeting. The decision-maker or someone who influences them.

• B2C typically has shorter decision windows (one buyer = one decision-maker).

• B2B often has multiple stakeholders who all need to say “yes.”

With B2B, you need messaging that resonates with different personas. Finance wants numbers, creatives want visuals …You get the point. It’s vital to understand what keeps your target up at night, what their main concerns are, and where they are now versus where they want to be. That gap? That’s your value. Knowing your audience is step one because it dictates how you speak to them.

Get the Message Right

You have a website. You drive traffic to it. That site’s job is to educate, build trust, and then convert visitors into buyers. Whether that’s a call, a store visit, or an online purchase.

The Conversion Formula:
Traffic × Conversion = Customers

For example, 100 visitors, 2% conversion = 2 customers.

Marketing is a funnel. At the top: traffic from Google or ads. At the bottom: paying customers. The job of the funnel is to convert traffic into customers.

Now imagine this: You’re on a first date with someone you just met and they drop to one knee and propose. You’d say no, right? You don’t know them. You don’t trust them. You haven’t had time to see if they’re the right fit. So why do so many businesses say “BUY NOW” or “CALL NOW” on the first touchpoint? No one buys without trust, liking, and confidence. Start small, with low-resistance offers, and build from there.

“BUY NOW” is like “MARRY ME.”
“Enter your email to learn more about XYZ” is like “Want to go on a date?”

That’s lead generation. A low-resistance offer in exchange for basic info. Start the relationship from there.

Be on the Right Channels

The right channel connects your message to your ideal customer. In the right context, with the right intent, at the right buying stage.

What makes a channel “right”?

• Audience Fit

  • B2B? LinkedIn, Email

  • B2C? Instagram, TikTok, Google

• Buying Intent

  • Google = High intent

  • Instagram = Low intent

• Message Format Match

  • Visual product? Instagram/TikTok

  • Service/strategy? Email, Landing Pages, LinkedIn

• ROI Tracking

  • Can you track leads/sales?

  • Is it scalable for your budget?

• Journey Alignment

  • Awareness → Social, SEO, Ads

  • Consideration → Landing pages, email

  • Decision → Booking pages, sales calls

Here's a summary of the channels types for B2B and B2C:

Build Systems for the Long Run

So how do you scale marketing without sacrificing all your time? You build systems.

Walk into any McDonald’s, anywhere in the world, and the service is the same. Why? Because they’ve systemised everything. That’s the type of efficiency what you want for your online marketing.

Systems provide leverage. Leverage means higher output, with less time. It’s the real secret to building an online engine that scales. And no, this doesn’t mean spammy, generic automation. It means sending the right message, to the right person, at the right time in their journey. Once your system is running, you’re free to focus on your zone of genius, while your funnel works for you. Of course, it takes effort to get it built. But once it’s up and running, maintenance is minimal.

Someone downloads your lead magnet? They’re in awareness.
The system serves the right content automatically, starting day one.

If you apply this framework, you’ll be building a system that scales while you sleep.

Ready to build a system that brings leads while you focus on running your business?

Book a free 30-minute strategy session with Sam, Founder of Qwento. She’ll personally review your business, your competition, and highlight the exact opportunities you could be tapping into right now. No fluff. No pressure. Just real, actionable value, completely free.

To claim your session, please email sam@qwento.studio or Book a Discovery Call