I see beautifully crafted media plans every week that look perfect on paper but completely fail to deliver growth. The issue isn’t the planning. It’s the misalignment of marketing funnel metrics.

Most failures occur because there is a misalignment between what clients say they want and what they actually brief for. They’ll tell you they want sales, then hand you an awareness campaign brief. That disconnect kills more campaigns than bad creative or wrong targeting ever will.

Build Checkpoints That Catch Misalignment Early

The solution starts with your media brief. I structure mine to capture the intended objective and expected KPIs upfront, which catches most misalignments before they become expensive mistakes.

But I don’t stop there. I evaluate the call-to-action in the creative against the stated objective.

If I see a “Buy Now” CTA paired with an awareness objective, that’s a red flag. The creative should have a “Learn More” CTA instead. The same goes for the landing page experience.

Everything has to tell the same story: brief, creative, and landing page.

When I catch misalignment with marketing funnel metrics, I don’t just point them out. I send an email explaining my point of view on best practices and how creative alignment affects our ability to deliver on the promised KPIs.

If there’s resistance, we get on a call to discuss. I won’t move forward with misaligned creative because I’m not interested in just spending their money for the sake of spending money.

Get Curious When You Disagree

Here’s the key to handling client pushback: ask questions from a place of genuine curiosity.

Instead of saying “That won’t work,” I ask “Help me understand why you used a Buy Now CTA when the goal of the campaign is awareness?”

This approach ensures clients feel heard while opening the door for my recommendation. It builds trust instead of creating conflict.

Research shows that alignment drives 19% faster revenue growth and 15% higher profitability. Getting this right matters.

Set Up Measurement That Actually Measures

During the media brief and strategy phase, I define the KPIs we’re optimizing toward with quantifiable metrics. Benchmarks get set and agreed upon by both parties.

For lead generation campaigns, I funnel the client’s lead data into our data harmonization center. This is tied to each media placement and visualized in our dashboard for optimization and reporting purposes.

But here’s what most agencies get wrong: they try to apply the same measurement approach across all funnel stages.

Traditional media works differently from digital media in terms of attribution. While attribution accuracy can hardly ever reach 100%, you can achieve a close-to-reality view by using the right measurement method for each objective and aligning your marketing funnel metrics.

For awareness campaigns using traditional media, I recommend brand lift studies. For conversion campaigns, direct attribution works better.

Educate Clients on Funnel-Appropriate Metrics

The biggest misconception I correct repeatedly is that the same budget, media types, and creative can achieve awareness, consideration, and conversion simultaneously.

They can’t. Each objective needs different types of media, measurement methods, and creative designed for where the target audience sits in their journey.

Take Facebook as an example. It can facilitate a full funnel from awareness to conversion, but each stage has to be separated into its own campaign with its own budget and creative.

I break this down in bite-sized chunks. Identify the highest priority, prove performance, then build upon that foundation.

Prove Performance Before Expanding

Most agencies rush to expand campaigns after a few weeks of decent performance. I wait longer.

It takes a minimum of one month to gather stable data and prove consistent performance. Usually, I recommend 2-3 months before expanding to the next funnel stage.

This patience pays off. Creating a measurement framework establishes accountability by clearly defining goals and metrics, creating transparency and fostering a culture of accountability.

When clients get eager to expand faster, I explain that we need enough time to prove the system works and ensure they have the budget appetite to sustain growth.

The trust I build through this consultative approach pays dividends. Clients make necessary revisions because they understand the logic behind my recommendations.

Make Systems Drive Your Growth

Media plans still matter, but they’re not what drives growth. The accountability systems that catch misalignment, measure appropriately, and build trust through education create the foundation for sustainable results.

Start with alignment at the information layer. Build checkpoints that catch problems early. Use measurement methods appropriate for each funnel stage.

Most importantly, get curious when you disagree with clients. That curiosity builds the trust that makes everything else possible.

The agencies winning long-term aren’t the ones with the prettiest plans. They’re the ones with the strongest systems for accountability.

Author: Suzanne Corriell, CEO | Founder