Set your measurement plan before you spend on ads

Before launching an ad, decide what you will count, where you will record it and which decision the numbers should support. You can begin with a simple table. The important part is using the same definitions throughout the campaign, so a change in the count reflects customer behaviour rather than a changed counting rule.

Define a lead and a qualified lead

A lead is a unique person who completes your chosen enquiry action during the reporting period. For example, that might be a submitted enquiry form or a conversation requesting product availability. A like or page visit is not an enquiry unless you deliberately define a different objective.

A qualified lead is a lead that meets criteria agreed before the campaign begins. For a fictional Amman florist, those could be a requested delivery area the business serves, a date it can fulfil and a request for an available product. Confirm these details through the enquiry; do not infer them from a name or profile.

Keep “qualification pending” separate from “not qualified.” A person who has not yet answered a question is still unknown. A qualified enquiry is also not a completed sale.

Choose consistent counting rules

Count the same person once within the chosen campaign period, even if they send several messages. Mark test records, spam and duplicates separately. Use an internal reference to connect records without copying unnecessary personal information into the reporting sheet.

Record the source, enquiry date, qualification status and outcome. Choose one attribution rule, such as the tagged link that brought the enquiry, and document the time window. If the source is unclear, label it “unknown.” Keep paid and organic enquiries separate. Platform totals and your enquiry log may differ; investigate the gap before treating them as interchangeable.

Calculate costs with the right denominator

For the same reporting period and attribution rule:

Cost per lead (CPL) = ad spend ÷ unique attributed leads.

Cost per qualified lead = ad spend ÷ unique attributed qualified leads.

Here is invented arithmetic, not a target or benchmark: 60 JOD spent, 15 leads and five qualified leads would produce a CPL of 4 JOD and a cost per qualified lead of 12 JOD.

With zero leads, write “not calculable: 0 leads” and show the spend beside it. Do not report a zero CPL. Apply the same rule when there are zero qualified leads. With no paid campaign, mark paid CPL “not applicable” and report organic enquiries separately. These advertising metrics do not include every business cost; record production, tools and staff time separately.

Make the next decision explicit

Set a spending cap, review date and owner before launch. At review, examine reply delays, qualification and sales alongside cost. One cheap enquiry does not establish a reliable pattern. If the information is thin, record the uncertainty and decide whether another bounded test is justified.

Write a decision log: the hypothesis, observations, limitations, decision and next change. Keep, revise or stop the campaign for a stated reason. Change one major variable at a time when practical, so the next comparison is easier to interpret.

Before-spend checklist

• Define enquiry, qualification and duplicate rules.
• Test that an enquiry reaches the reporting sheet.
• Assign source tracking and follow-up responsibility.
• Set a spending cap and review date.
• Prepare the decision log before results arrive.

Printable worksheet

CAMPAIGN MEASUREMENT PLAN
Campaign / owner / reporting period:
Enquiry action / qualification criteria:
Duplicate rule / attribution rule and window:
Spending cap / review date:

Spend:
Unique paid leads / qualified / pending:
CPL / cost per qualified lead / zero note:
Organic / unknown-source enquiries:
Completed sales / reply delays / other costs:

DECISION LOG
Hypothesis:
Observed results and limitations:
Keep / revise / stop, and why:
Next single change / owner / review date: