Introduction
Marketing creates a lot of data. It’s quite difficult to accurately list all the metrics tracked by all the marketing platforms. And what’s more, that number is growing all the time, not to mention all the dimensions those metrics can have.
This makes reporting much more complicated than it should be. Which metrics to use? Which dimensions to combine them with? Which platform to follow for which metrics?
You may, of course, already know that reports should be kept simple and without unnecessary distractions. The difficulty, then, is the process of planning what metrics should be used in the reports. You’d want to report all the important metrics and none of the bloat.
Why marketing reports often become bloated
There are a few reasons why marketing reports may become bloated. The most common reason is simply because that’s what the marketing platforms want you to see the most. Very often, metrics like impressions, views, and likes are front and center because these are metrics that are easily understood and, therefore, used in reports as well.
Another reason is that reports try to communicate the same things to different stakeholders. Depending on the size of the company, the executive level, sales, customer service, and marketing probably want to know different things.
One thing those two scenarios have in common is a lack of clear reporting structure or goals. Without those, it’s almost impossible to produce meaningful marketing reports.
The impact of overloaded reports in B2B marketing
With too many unimportant metrics mixed with the important ones, reviewing those reports becomes extremely tiring. We have all seen this: rows after rows of keyword data or time series charts of impressions and clicks that go back two years, and none of that was useful to even the person who produced the reports.
These kinds of reports are inefficient and don’t communicate the things that actually matter. They may include important information as well, but they are difficult to spot and put into context with so much bloat around. What would have been crucial to know from a business perspective is now diluted and most likely won’t be considered in future strategies.
3 key principles of streamlined reporting
So, what can be done to make marketing reports better and actionable? Considering these three questions to make your reports instantly much better.
- Who is this report for?
- What are the goals?
- What can be done with this information?
By defining your audience, it’s easier to include information that makes sense for different stakeholders. Marketers can handle a more detailed analysis of campaigns; executives may want to know how well the marketing budget aligns with company goals and budgets; and sales may want to know if lead quality is improving.
By segmenting the reports, it will be much easier to focus on the important aspects. Different departments have different goals and priorities, so aligning the reports with those will instantly make them more meaningful.
Furthermore, if you go to the next level and prioritize the actionable data, it will be a lot more useful for analysis and can be used in future planning, not only to look back and see how it went.
4 steps to trim unnecessary information
Now that we know why we should streamline reporting let’s look at how to trim unnecessary information:
- Identify irrelevant, repetitive, or outdated data points
- Use aggregated dashboards to summarize complex data into visuals and summaries
- Establish a reporting framework that uses templates for consistency and brevity
- Automate routine reporting and focus on high-priority insights
Not everything needs to be improved immediately. Focus on the areas you need to improve first, and then decide what needs fixing next.
What to include in the reports
Obviously, what should be included in a report depends on the case. However, the most relevant metrics are likely the same for most others. That’s why it’s better to start with something and improve iteratively.
It’s difficult to ultimately say what should be in your reports and what shouldn’t. But, as I mentioned, the metrics everyone uses are generally the same. Maybe the dimensions are different, but mostly, it’s the context that matters.
Consider including these in the reports:
- Conversion rates across channels
- Pipeline contribution by marketing efforts
- ROI on specific campaigns
Leave these out:
- Every individual engagement metric (e.g., likes, comments)
- Historical data that are no longer relevant
- Non-actionable or non-relevant comparisons
Best practices for B2B reporting
Reporting can easily become more complex than necessary. On the other hand, it’s not that difficult to simplify. The longer something is done in a certain way, the harder it is to change the process. The biggest factor contributing to bad reporting is most likely the lack of time.
Unfortunately, there are no magic tricks to instantly perfect reports. What I can offer are some general suggestions on how to start improving your marketing reports.
- Use visuals like charts and graphs for clarity
- Include a concise executive summary with key takeaways
- Focus on forward-looking insights, not just past performance
- Ensure reports are aligned with current campaigns and objectives
The role of collaboration in effective reporting
Additionally, the stakeholders should be involved in defining their reporting needs. After all, the reports are made for them and should reflect their needs.
Also, direct and indirect feedback about the reports should be collected, and the reports should be regularly revisited and revised.
Tools and technologies for efficient reporting
There is a boatload of tools available to make the reporting process easier and faster. You can use a dashboard tool like Tableau or Looker to create visually pleasing reports. Then, you can use connectors like Supermetrics to pull data from various sources into the dashboard. Also, you can use a tool like Zapier to connect even more platforms together.
Many platforms offer their own reporting tools as well. Their customization options are a usually a bit limited, however. Sometimes it can even be difficult to use some of the metrics in custom reports. The real power of using connectors and dashboard tools is picking the metrics and dimensions you need, nothing more.
Conclusion
When it comes to marketing reports, most often less is – or would be – more. It takes more effort at first to build a reporting process, which is fast and can cater to different audiences. But that is completely worth the effort.
Concise reports have many benefits, like painting a clearer picture of the marketing efforts and being more efficient for the presenter and the viewer. All this helps in making better decisions quicker.