Xplainr

    How a Nordic SaaS Company Proved Marketing ROI to the Board

    A Swedish B2B SaaS company used Xplainr to build board-ready attribution reports, proving marketing's contribution to pipeline and securing a 40% budget increase.

    Company Snapshot

    Industry
    B2B SaaS
    Team Size
    5-person marketing team
    Region
    Sweden
    Channels
    Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, GA4, Microsoft Clarity

    The Challenge

    This Stockholm-based B2B SaaS company had a classic CMO problem: the board wanted proof that marketing was generating pipeline, not just leads. The marketing team was running campaigns across Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and organic content - but their reporting was limited to platform-native metrics like clicks, impressions, and cost-per-lead.

    When the CMO presented quarterly results, the CFO consistently pushed back: "These are marketing metrics, not business metrics. Show me how this connects to revenue." The team had tried building attribution models in spreadsheets, but the data was fragmented across their CRM, GA4, and ad platforms with no reliable way to connect the dots. Learn more about proving marketing value to leadership.

    With a budget review coming up, the CMO needed a way to definitively prove marketing's impact on pipeline and revenue - or risk a significant budget cut.

    The Solution

    The team connected Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, GA4, and Microsoft Clarity to Xplainr. Within days, they had a unified view of the full funnel - from first touch through to closed-won deals.

    • Multi-Touch Attribution: Xplainr's cross-channel attribution showed exactly which campaigns and channels contributed to pipeline at each stage, using data-driven models instead of last-click guessing.
    • Board-Ready Reports: Automated monthly reports with revenue-centric metrics: cost per opportunity, marketing-sourced pipeline, and blended CAC - all formatted for executive consumption. See our guide on CMO reporting.
    • AI Insights: Aria surfaced that LinkedIn Ads, which had the highest CPL, actually had the best lead-to-opportunity conversion rate - a counterintuitive finding that changed their budget allocation strategy.

    The Impact

    Armed with Xplainr's attribution data, the CMO presented a clear picture of marketing's 2.8x pipeline multiplier to the board. The CFO could see exactly how each marketing dollar converted to pipeline value - a textbook example of proving ROI to the CFO. The result: a 40% budget increase approved in a single board meeting.

    The team shifted 20% of their Google Ads budget to LinkedIn based on Aria's conversion rate insight, which improved overall pipeline quality by 35%. Monthly board reporting now takes 30 minutes instead of a full day.

    The Results

    40%
    Budget Increase
    Secured from the board
    2.8x
    Pipeline Attribution
    Proven through Xplainr
    6hrs
    Monthly Time Saved
    On board reporting
    92%
    Board Confidence
    In marketing ROI data

    "For the first time, I walked into a board meeting with data the CFO couldn't argue with. Xplainr showed exactly which campaigns drove pipeline - not vanity metrics, but actual revenue attribution. We got our budget increase approved in one meeting."

    - Erik Lindström, CMO

    Ready to get results like these?

    Start your free trial today and see how Xplainr transforms your marketing analytics.

    Related Case Studies