Marketing and reporting go hand-in-hand. As marketers, we know this to be true. But what you might not have realized is that reports play a critical role in the success of your campaigns as well.
In fact, without proper reporting, you’re essentially flying blind – with all the risks that entail.
So, how do you develop a thorough yet easy-to-understand marketing report that will help you make your next campaign even more successful?
Here are 9 things to keep in mind.
1. Don’t Just Summarize, Evaluate
Good reporting is about more than pulling numbers out of thin air and throwing them on the page. We’ve all seen reports that appear to offer helpful information, but when you get down to it, they are nothing more than distorted or misleading data.
Use past performance to help shape future strategies. Use tools like Google Analytics, AdHoc Query Designer in Google BigQuery, Sitecore Analytics, and Adobe SiteCatalyst for this kind of evaluation. Once you’ve created reports, go back and compare this data to past performance. By doing so, you’ll gain a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t – and be able to put that information into action as you plan for your next campaign.
2. Make It Personal
Nowhere is the “out of sight, out of mind” scenario truer than in reporting.
Sometimes, marketers are so busy finishing their next campaign that they don’t bother to check back in with past reports. Often, it’s weeks or even months later before someone takes a look at the information gathered from their paid search efforts over the past few weeks. By then, all the data is essentially useless.
Develop a report that includes specific details on your audience (demographics, interests, etc.) and then determine how each campaign will best serve their needs. When you create new reports, include this information to show how your strategies are evolving.
3. Track What Matters
One of the biggest mistakes marketers make with reporting is that they track too much. They don’t want to miss a thing, which is a noble cause for concern.
The reality is that marketers can get bogged down by tracking everything from the number of clicks their ads got to what device visitors were using when they clicked on it. While this sort of information can be helpful in some cases, it should never get in the way of your main goals.
4. Keep It Simple Like Tesla Annual Report
The last thing you want to do is confuse readers with a convoluted mess of numbers and charts. Make sure everything is easy to understand, from start to finish.
If there’s too much going on, don’t be afraid to strip away some information or split the data into multiple reports. This will help you keep your focus where it belongs, on the core points that really matter. Try graphic design websites like Venngage to make your following report a breeze to read.
5. Don’t Forget your Annual Mobile Report of a Company
Depending on how you look at it, mobile is either a big deal or not a big deal at all. But there’s no denying the fact that more people are checking out websites on their smartphones than ever before. As such, you should include information about mobile whenever possible, whether it’s in your paid search reports or something else entirely.
6. Don’t Forget the Paid Search Basics Corporate Annual Report
As mentioned earlier, some marketers are out there who just won’t take a look at their reporting data no matter how much time they have. But even though reporting is a crucial part of your paid search efforts, it’s not the only thing you need to consider.
Don’t forget about some of the other key performance indicators (KPIs) that help paint a complete picture of your annual report. For example, pay attention to click-through rate, the average cost per click, conversion rate, and site traffic.
7. Report on What Matters Most Business Annual Report
It’s tempting to include every piece of information you have after a successful annual report. After all, why not? You won’t always get this kind of positive feedback.
But the last thing you want to do is flood your report with minutiae that no one will ever take the time to read. As you put together your annual statement, think about what’s essential so you can highlight meaningful data in a way that will help marketers do their jobs better. Venngage is a great website builder that will help you to make your reports look fun yet professional. It’s easy to use, and you don’t need any graphic design skills!
8. Stay on Schedule on Your Annual Financial Report
Don’t forget to plan ahead when it comes to annual reports. If you have everything written down in one place, you’ll be able to measure your performance as the year goes on.
Of course, it’s perfectly fine (and probably advisable) to make adjustments as necessary. But setting annual report meeting dates and deadlines will ensure that everything runs smoothly, from start to finish.
9. Keep Your Annual Report Current Like Apple Annual Report
As a marketer, it’s your job to make sure that everyone knows what you’re doing. Once your report is written and distributed, don’t let it collect dust on the shelf. Keep an eye on its performance and update it as necessary to stay relevant and valuable for company decision-makers.
There are many different ways to create an annual report, whether you take a chronological approach or dive deep into specific regions, products, and other categories. But no matter how you go about it, make sure your focus is on the information that will be most useful for current marketers, not the data you want them to see.
There you have it! These are the nine things that could change the way you do your reports. Don’t have time to create a report from scratch? Venngage is a great solution that saves time and makes your reports visually appealing. Visit the site today to create your reports.