150 - How to Track Marketing When Meta’s Reports Tell a Different Story
Sat Feb 07 2026
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If you’re spending money on Meta ads but don’t fully trust the numbers… you’re not crazy. In this episode, Jeremy Neisser breaks down why Meta’s reporting often doesn’t match ticketing reality—and what sports teams should track instead. You’ll get a simple, no-nonsense framework for measuring marketing performance using real revenue, not modeled guesses.
Key Topics Covered
Why Meta’s reports and your ticketing software rarely line upWhat Conversion API (CAPI) actually does—and what it doesn’tThe difference between optimization data and reporting truthWhy your ticketing system and bank account are the real scoreboardA simple framework to track marketing without attribution dramaNew Customer Acquisition Cost (NCAC) explained for sports teamsHow Average Order Value (AOV) and Revenue Per Buyer reveal buyer qualityWhy judging ads every 48 hours leads to bad decisionsHow to evaluate marketing weekly (and ROI monthly or by homestand)Timestamps
00:00 – Why teams don’t trust their marketing numbers02:16 – How this episode connects to Meta strategies & budget planning04:37 – How Meta actually matches purchases (and why it breaks)06:57 – CAPI helps optimization, not reporting accuracy09:18 – Meta is better at finding buyers than explaining them11:36 – Why attribution falls apart in real fan journeys12:04 – A simple, spreadsheet-level tracking framework13:58 – Measuring ROI the way owners and GMs actually understand16:11 – NCAC: the metric that removes attribution arguments18:31 – AOV vs. Revenue Per Buyer (offer strength vs. buyer quality)20:40 – What to stop over-obsessing about immediately23:00 – Final framework: delivery engine vs. scoreboardCore Framework (This Is the Money Slide)
Use Meta as a delivery engine.
Use your ticketing system as the scoreboard.
Track:
Real ad spend (including agency fees)Real ticket revenueNew Customer Acquisition Cost (NCAC)Average Order Value (AOV)Revenue per buyerRepeat purchase behaviorIgnore:
Platform-specific ROAS argumentsModeled attribution fightsDay-to-day emotional decision-makingCall to Action
If this episode helped you, share it with someone on your team. The fastest way to kill “marketing isn’t working” conversations is getting everyone to agree on one scoreboard—your ticketing data.
Links mentioned:
Sports Marketing Machine powered by Revelocity Sports
Episode 135 - Simplest Way to Justify Your Marketing Budget
Episode 147 - Meta Ads Strategies That WORK in 2026
Sports Marketing Machine on LinkedIn
Sports Marketing Machine on Instagram
Book a call with Jeremy from Sports Marketing Machine
More
Send us a text If you’re spending money on Meta ads but don’t fully trust the numbers… you’re not crazy. In this episode, Jeremy Neisser breaks down why Meta’s reporting often doesn’t match ticketing reality—and what sports teams should track instead. You’ll get a simple, no-nonsense framework for measuring marketing performance using real revenue, not modeled guesses. Key Topics Covered Why Meta’s reports and your ticketing software rarely line upWhat Conversion API (CAPI) actually does—and what it doesn’tThe difference between optimization data and reporting truthWhy your ticketing system and bank account are the real scoreboardA simple framework to track marketing without attribution dramaNew Customer Acquisition Cost (NCAC) explained for sports teamsHow Average Order Value (AOV) and Revenue Per Buyer reveal buyer qualityWhy judging ads every 48 hours leads to bad decisionsHow to evaluate marketing weekly (and ROI monthly or by homestand)Timestamps 00:00 – Why teams don’t trust their marketing numbers02:16 – How this episode connects to Meta strategies & budget planning04:37 – How Meta actually matches purchases (and why it breaks)06:57 – CAPI helps optimization, not reporting accuracy09:18 – Meta is better at finding buyers than explaining them11:36 – Why attribution falls apart in real fan journeys12:04 – A simple, spreadsheet-level tracking framework13:58 – Measuring ROI the way owners and GMs actually understand16:11 – NCAC: the metric that removes attribution arguments18:31 – AOV vs. Revenue Per Buyer (offer strength vs. buyer quality)20:40 – What to stop over-obsessing about immediately23:00 – Final framework: delivery engine vs. scoreboardCore Framework (This Is the Money Slide) Use Meta as a delivery engine. Use your ticketing system as the scoreboard. Track: Real ad spend (including agency fees)Real ticket revenueNew Customer Acquisition Cost (NCAC)Average Order Value (AOV)Revenue per buyerRepeat purchase behaviorIgnore: Platform-specific ROAS argumentsModeled attribution fightsDay-to-day emotional decision-makingCall to Action If this episode helped you, share it with someone on your team. The fastest way to kill “marketing isn’t working” conversations is getting everyone to agree on one scoreboard—your ticketing data. Links mentioned: Sports Marketing Machine powered by Revelocity Sports Episode 135 - Simplest Way to Justify Your Marketing Budget Episode 147 - Meta Ads Strategies That WORK in 2026 Sports Marketing Machine on LinkedIn Sports Marketing Machine on Instagram Book a call with Jeremy from Sports Marketing Machine