Most marketers got promoted for creativity, strategy, or campaign instincts. The reporting requirement came later, often without any real preparation for it.
This session is a plain-language guide to the numbers that hold up in a budget meeting. You’ll learn which handful of metrics tell the real story of marketing’s impact, why so many popular dashboards are built to flatter rather than inform, and how to walk into a leadership conversation and explain marketing’s value in language that finance and senior stakeholders find credible.
By the end, you’ll have a focused short list of metrics worth tracking, a one-page reporting template you can use immediately, and a clear way to answer “what did marketing contribute?” even when the results are mixed. No statistics background required. If you have marketing experience and some responsibility for reporting upward, this is built for you.
You’ll leave with:
> A working framework for separating outcome metrics from activity metrics, and why leadership only responds to one of them
> A short list of 5 to 7 metrics matched to your organization’s actual business priorities
> A one-page report template and the language to present results honestly, including the ones that didn’t go as planned
JOIN US: September 15, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. – Noon CT
Purchase 3 or more tickets for your group or team and save 10%.
All non-member registrations will receive details to redeem a FREE 1 YR AMA Academic or Professional Membership ($199 value).
Who Should Attend?
- Marketing managers and directors with 5 or more years of experience who now own reporting responsibilities they were never formally trained for
- Generalist marketers who built their careers in creative, brand, content, or communications and are expected to present performance data to leadership
- Team leads navigating budget conversations who need to explain what marketing contributed in language that resonates with senior stakeholders and finance
- No analytics background required. Attendees should have 3+ years of marketing experience and some responsibility for reporting on marketing performance.
Are you an AMA Professional Certified Marketer®️? This training is worth 2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to maintain your PCM®️ certification.
The best AMA Membership bundle
Non-members that purchase this training will receive details to redeem a FREE 1 year AMA Membership (value $199).
This is the best deal to save on future trainings, exclusive content and tools, and access to AMA networking communities.
Training Backed By Research
AMA training is unique because of its data-backed approach. The AMA Competency Model Framework identifies the most impactful skills marketers need to advance their careers. It’s based on our research with more than 1,000 marketing professionals and academic leaders.
AMA Event Policies
September 15, 2026 | 10:00AM-12:00PM CT
Why smart marketers fear the numbers
- The promotion trap: trained in creative and strategy, graded on data
- Reframe: analytics is a communication skill, not a math skill
Activity vs. outcomes: the one distinction that changes everything
- What marketing did vs. what marketing caused
- Why leadership tunes out activity reports
- Quick exercise: attendees sort sample metrics into the two buckets
Vanity metrics: numbers that lie politely
- The classic offenders — impressions, followers, raw traffic — and when they do/don’t matter
- How to spot a flattering dashboard
- Real-world examples of metrics that grew while the business shrank
Building your short list: the 5–7 metrics that matter for your business
- Matching metrics to what leadership actually cares about (revenue, customers, retention, cost)
- Differences by business type: B2B vs. B2C, long vs. short sales cycles
- Worksheet: attendees draft their own short list during the session
Telling the story: from data point to budget meeting
- The translation skill: “CTR up 2.3%” → “we acquired customers at a third of our usual cost”
- The one-page report template (provided as takeaway)
- Handling mixed results honestly without losing credibility
Q&A and commitments
Christina Inge
CEO, ThoughtlightDr. Christina Inge is a marketing educator, author, and entrepreneur whose work sits at the intersection of marketing analytics and AI. She teaches at Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education and Northeastern University, where she developed curriculum on AI in marketing, and is the author of three textbooks used in more than 1,500 schools worldwide. She is the founder of Thoughtlight LLC and co-founder of the Marketing Metrics Association. Her digital marketing simulations — covering SEO, PPC, CRM, crisis communications, and social listening — are currently in use at Harvard and Northeastern. She has spoken internationally, including at the Sorbonne and the AI Summit in Riga. She holds a Doctorate in Education.
What’s Included?
- 2 hours of live instruction starting at 10:00 a.m. CT
- Interactive Q&A
- Tips and best practices
- Access to recording and resources for three months
Who Should Attend?
-
- Marketing managers and directors with 5 or more years of experience who now own reporting responsibilities they were never formally trained for
-
- Generalist marketers who built their careers in creative, brand, content, or communications and are expected to present performance data to leadership
-
- Team leads navigating budget conversations who need to explain what marketing contributed in language that resonates with senior stakeholders and finance
-
- No analytics background required. Attendees should have 3+ years of marketing experience and some responsibility for reporting on marketing performance.
Can’t Attend Live But Want the Information?
We will send a link to the recording and resources within one business day of the event to registrants! Access will be available for three months.