Many business owners, start-ups and established, struggle to find digital marketing success. It’s as though there is a big hidden secret to unlock online marketing magic, but… there isn’t. All the answers you need are in plain sight. If this sounds familiar, “I’m doing so much stuff on the web—but I can’t tell if it’s working.” This blog is for you.
Improving Future Online Marketing Results: Looking Back To Move Forward
In life, sometimes you have to look back to move forward. More so in digital marketing. Actually, it guarantees better results!
Your data holds the answers to overcome your online marketing challenges, make better business decisions and eliminate unnecessary advertising spend.
Getting Started: What You’ll Need
Goals
You can’t tell if something is working if you don’t know what you’re working towards. “More leads” won’t do. That’s like running to “get fit”; how do you know when you’re there? Is it when you can run to the end of the street without a lung collapsing, or when you can complete a marathon?
Set some SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) objectives. Then devise Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each.
Pro Tip: The process of creating a marketing strategy (even if it’s a basic one) is a beneficial way to identify your objectives.
Tools
Next, you’ll need to get tools in place to track [follow], monitor [watch], and gather data from your online marketing activities.
Minimum
- Google Analytics set up on your website.
- Cookies set up on your website (and publish a cookie policy for your and your users’ protection).
- A business profile on your chosen social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn). A standard profile won’t provide the insights you need.
Advantageous
- Ad-tracking or link tracking software
- Facebook pixel (if relevant)
- LinkedIn insight tag (if relevant)
Quality over quantity
Don’t go overboard, though, you don’t have to drown yourself in data. Just because everything is measurable does not mean that you have to measure everything—only what’s relevant to your goals.
“The better your data, the better your decisions.”
The Metrics That Matter: What to Track
If you have a new business, your first priorities should be establishing and expanding your online presence to increase brand exposure and consumer awareness.
Getting 200 visitors to your website in one day might feel good, but it’s actually a vanity metric—it doesn’t tell you much.
Instead, focus on which channels brought in that traffic. For example, Google Ads might have driven 150 visitors, while expensive banner ads brought in none. And that one boosted Facebook post? It brought in the rest.
This is where the magic happens! Now you can stop wasting budget and double down on what actually works.
Let’s say your business is already established online with a solid social media following, but your latest sales campaign isn’t making sales.
Likes don’t matter—click-throughs do. If people are clicking through (showing interest) but not converting on your landing page, you’re one step closer to solving the problem:
a) Visitors leave almost as soon as the page loads. Ah-ha! Something is wrong with your headline—it doesn’t follow through from the ad.
b) Visitors spend adequate time on the page but then navigate elsewhere without converting. This means they aren’t finding what they expected. Maybe your advertising message is mismatched, or there isn’t enough product info to help make a purchase decision. Use analytics to track where they go next—it will reveal the answers.
Optimisation is everything. Analytics show you what’s working, what’s not, and — most importantly — where you can improve.
No one gets it right first time. Even with thorough market research, a solid strategy, and best-practice setup, analytics helps you continually refine your efforts.
Customers expect a seamless online experience. The more you optimise their journey, the easier it is for them to buy from you.
Needs, preferences, and technology constantly evolve. Keeping your finger on the data pulse helps you spot and react to changing trends faster, boosting your competitiveness.
Finally, optimising your marketing means optimising your spend—focusing your money and energy on activities that generate real business.
Key takeaway: Reporting lets you review your results, refine your marketing, reduce risks, and reap higher returns. Want to make the most of your data? Check out our digital marketing measurement and reporting offer.