A marketing report helps you identify which strategies are working and which aren’t, so you can avoid spending money in the wrong areas.
Every business is unique, and what works for one company won’t necessarily work for another.
Marketing is complex, and it’s crucial to find the strategies that will generate the best results for your business. With so many strategies available such as:
- Blog content and SEO
- Google Ads
- Email marketing
- Social networks
- Networking and events
It can be difficult to determine which of these provide the most value.
This is where a marketing report comes in: compiling key metrics about your various marketing activities so you can identify which ones are performing the best.
In this blog, we will guide you step by step to create a marketing report in 5 steps.
What is a marketing report?
A digital marketing report is a collection of essential information about your digital marketing strategies and campaigns, all in one place. Depending on your current strategies and goals, your report may consist of various metrics and data points that will help you track the success of your campaigns.
5 main types of marketing reports
Every company focuses on different types of reports that are unique to their business. Here, we’ll focus on five types of reports that are universally used across different sectors and industries.
Click on the report that interests you:
- Informational marketing report
- Marketing Analytics Report
- Marketing operational reports
- Product Reports
- Industry Reports
1. Informative marketing reports
The key feature of an informative report is to be clear and concise. You need to provide an overview of your activities to keep stakeholders updated on your ongoing marketing projects, without going into too much depth of analysis.
Three ways to achieve this are:
- Stick to key metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Use visuals to summarize information, such as graphs and tables.
- Perform updates regularly: weekly, biweekly or monthly.
2. Analytical marketing reports
The digital marketing analytics report is where you can dig deeper into the information. Here, you can provide insights into what is working in your projects or strategies and where improvements can be made.
You can dig deeper into data trends or compare metrics over different time periods with your findings. Make sure to always include actionable insights and recommendations based on these findings.
3. Marketing operational reports
Operational reports focus on the day-to-day functions of your business. They typically include breakdowns of daily tasks and metrics related to operational efficiency, such as schedules and resource allocation.
There are several ways you can incorporate operational reporting into your digital marketing strategy. They can:
- Monitor the status of ongoing campaigns or projects.
- Ensure alignment with project schedules and objectives.
- Help manage team performance and workload distribution.
4. Product reports
The performance and reception of individual projects and services are written up in a product report. They evaluate launches and provide insights into customer behavior and preferences.
While much of the information can come from the sales department, the product report should also include several digital marketing metrics. It can be a useful document for the marketing team to see which products are performing well in a digital context.
Key features of a product report include:
- Sales and conversion data.
- Customer comments and reviews.
- Performance metrics across different marketing channels.
5. Industry reports
Previous reports have focused primarily on a company’s internal processes, sales, or performance. An industry report takes a broader perspective by analyzing benchmarks and trends within your sector.
It provides insights into competitors and even helps you discover niche markets or growth opportunities. It analyzes where your business is positioned within the overall industry landscape.
5 steps to create your digital marketing report
Here’s how to create your own report in 5 simple steps:
- Think about your goals and objectives.
- Consider your current strategies.
- Choose a frequency for reports.
- Select the metrics you want to measure.
- Compile your report and analyze the results.
1. Think about your goals and objectives
Marketing reports are a powerful tool for tracking your progress toward your business goals. But before that, you need to identify what the most important goals and objectives are for your business.
For example, do you want to increase traffic to your website or increase your social media awareness? Setting these goals will help you define what aspects to include in your report.
2. Consider your current marketing strategies
Once you identify your goals, think about the marketing strategies you are implementing to achieve them. These will be the campaigns you will track in your report.
Some common digital marketing strategies include:
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- PPC (Pay Per Click) Advertising
- Email marketing
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
For example, if you are looking to increase web traffic, you can invest in an SEO strategy. On the other hand, if you want to increase the visibility of your brand, you can launch a social media campaign.
3. Choose a frequency for reports
The next step is to decide how often you will create your reports. It is crucial to regularly monitor the performance of your campaigns to ensure they are producing the best results.
You can choose to generate reports monthly, quarterly, or another frequency that suits your needs.
4. Select the metrics you want to measure
One of the most important parts of a marketing report is deciding what data and metrics to include. When choosing these metrics, make sure to align them with your business goals.
For example, if your goal is to increase web traffic, you’ll need to analyze traffic sources to determine which strategies are bringing more users to your site.
Some key digital metrics to include in your report are:
- Bounce rate
- Conversion rate
- Click-through rate (CTR)
- Web traffic sources
- Lead Sources
- ROI (Return on Investment)
Additionally, you can include data about audience behavior, such as the time they spend on your web pages and their demographics (age, location, etc.).
5. Compile your report and analyze the results
Once you’ve implemented your marketing strategies, determined your reporting frequency, and selected your metrics, it’s time to compile your final report.
Be sure to include key metrics for each of your strategies, which will make it easier to measure the performance of your campaigns and progress toward your business goals.
After compiling the report, analyze your results. See which campaigns are driving the most traffic, leads, and conversions. Finally, analyze the data on your audience behavior to better understand which strategies are having the most impact.
This will allow you to identify areas for improvement and optimize your campaigns to increase sales and revenue for your business.
Additional elements to consider
Finally, depending on the scope and objectives of your report, consider including additional elements such as these:
- Funnel Analysis: Visualize how users progress through the marketing funnel and identify drop-off points to optimize.
- SEO and Content Performance – Includes metrics like keyword rankings, backlink profiles, and top-performing pages.
- Paid Media Insights: Details metrics such as return on ad spend (ROAS) and cost per acquisition (CPA).
- Recommendations: End the report with key summaries and practical steps to improve future performance.
With these practices, you will be better prepared to optimize your digital marketing strategies and achieve your business goals.
