LICE scoring template

About the LICE scoring template

The LICE scoring model is a prioritization framework commonly used by marketers to identify the accessibility of their marketing ideas. This framework is structured into four criteria that form the acronym “LICE”: Lead quality, Impact, Cost, and Effort. We’ll come on to define each of these criteria in just a moment.

But, for now, it’s worth noting that the logic behind the LICE scoring template is quite simple: the lower the LICE score is, the more accessible the marketing idea is.

Easy, right?

Why should teams use a LICE scoring template?

To borrow the words of Naomi Niles, a brand strategist and UX/UI designer: “What you prefer or what your designer prefers doesn't matter if it’s not getting you conversions.” And she’s right, personal preferences shouldn't override data-driven options.

That’s where the LICE prioritization framework template helps to avoid bias towards particular marketing ideas. A LICE scoring template enables you to prioritize all your marketing ideas based on the criteria that form the acronym “LICE” — generating an objective score in which the lower the score, the accessibility of the marketing idea increases.

It was Baremetrics who first introduced the LICE method. Thanks to them, it became way more effective to test new marketing channels.

What does LICE stand for?

Lead quality (L) - Not all sources are created equally. It’s essential to differentiate your marketing channels and avenues based on the quality of the traffic they delivers.

Impact (I) - Impact most often matches up to lead quality, but this depends on what purpose your marketing performs. For example, if brand awareness is more important than lead generation, then, in this case, the marketing idea could have a lower lead quality score but has a higher impact.

Cost (C) - This is the cost of your marketing idea. Of course, it can be a challenge to put even an approximate price on your ideas, but if you are ranking the criteria on the standard scale from 1 to 10, then simply put “1” under the cheapest solution in your opinion.

Effort (E) - Effort assesses how much work the marketing idea or campaign will require. How many team members are needed and how much time do you need to complete the idea, for example?

The general formula for counting the LICE score is: Lead Quality + Impact + Cost + Effort = LICE Score

But don’t worry if you forget one of the components, or forget what it stands for, they are all included in the airfocus LICE scoring template!

How to use the LICE scoring template

If you’re sold on the idea of LICE, and why wouldn’t you be, then here’s how to get started with LICE scoring using our template:

• Step 1: Add your marketing ideas to the items view; the four key criteria are already defined. Remember though that every company will be at a different stage and which of the facts are most important to you may vary. 

• Step 2: Set multipliers on all four variables to adjust the importance, if needed.

• Step 3: Once you’ve set the lead quality, effort, cost, and impact, then the work is done. Because, et voila!, airfocus will calculate the score for you and which marketing idea to put into production next should be clear. (Just look for the idea with the lowest LICE score!)

Sometimes the best decision-making frameworks as the simplest. And that’s certainly true with LICE. Start using your LICE scoring template today.