Private equity is all about finding value where others miss it. Usually, that conversation revolves around financial engineering or tightening up operations. But after years of working with some of the world's leading PE firms, we have noticed a trend. There is often a massive, overlooked opportunity sitting right in the marketing budget.
At Aux Insights, we have seen optimized digital marketing translate directly into millions of dollars in revenue and EBITDA growth. This isn't about soft metrics or brand awareness. It is about applying the same rigor to your marketing data that you apply to your balance sheet.
We don't care about "likes" or vanity metrics. We care about the math. Our goal is to bridge the gap between marketing activity and the bottom line so you can clearly see how a specific campaign impacts EBITDA. To do that, we use a three-step process that clears away the noise and focuses on what actually makes money.
1. Customer Acquisition: Stop guessing and look at the evidence
Getting new customers is obviously vital, but throwing more money at ads is rarely the answer. In fact, it is usually the fastest way to burn cash. The real win comes from understanding exactly which touchpoints are working.
We don't believe in guessing. We look at the data to isolate the specific interactions that bring in high-value customers. By breaking down ad spend, click-through rates, and conversion rates, we can show you exactly where your money is generating a return and where it is being wasted.
This allows you to cut the dead weight and double down on what works. You end up with a clear roadmap that turns marketing spend into measurable growth rather than a hopeful expense.
2. Retention: Keeping the customers you already paid for
Acquisition gets all the glory, but retention is where the profit margin lives. It is almost always cheaper to keep a customer than to find a new one. The problem is that many companies don't know why their customers stay or leave.
We take a hard look at customer behavior to answer a few critical questions:
- What are the tactical priorities for keeping these people engaged?
- Which numbers actually matter? Is it purchase frequency? Average order value?
- How do we test our assumptions to make sure we aren't just following a hunch?
When you answer these questions with data, you build a retention strategy that protects your base and maximizes the lifetime value of every customer you worked so hard to acquire.
3. Discounting: finding the balance between volume and margin
Everyone loves a sale, but discounting is dangerous. If you aren't careful, you can train your customers to wait for a coupon, which slowly eats away at your margins. We help clients walk the line between using discounts to spark growth and protecting their profitability.
We look at more than just the immediate sales bump. We forecast the long-term effects. Does a discount today hurt purchase behavior next month? By understanding these patterns, you can learn when to pull the discount lever and when to hold firm. This ensures you are driving revenue without sacrificing the healthy margins required for a successful exit.
Transform your marketing from an expense to an asset
Marketing shouldn't be a black box. It should be a growth engine that you can tune and control. By focusing on acquisition, retention, and smart pricing, we provide a framework that makes sense to investors and operators alike.
Are you ready to stop guessing and start driving real EBITDA growth?
Download our white paper for a practical guide on using our driver tree framework. We will show you how to build tactical layers into your models so you can maximize your returns with confidence.
Let's get to work.