Measurement – why it’s nothing to be afraid of

We’ve heard many reasons our clients hesitate or procrastinate measuring their marketing efforts.  Do any of these top three concerns sound familiar to you?

1. Finding information: Where do I find the information? How do I put it together in a way that makes sense and is accurate?
2. Interpreting data: How do I read this? What does this mean?
3. Bad results: What if my plan isn’t working? What do I do?

But measurement is nothing to be afraid of! In fact, a well-thought-out system for measuring is the most often overlooked element that makes a marketing strategy successful. Here are 5 steps that, if followed, will alleviate any measurement fears you may have. The trick is to set them up before you even implement your marketing strategy:

1. Create a recording device and state goals
   Create one spreadsheet/document for tracking purposes (click here to see a simple excel tracking report). This can be whatever you are most comfortable with. We find that Excel works well for progress tracking and reporting. It can benefit you in ways such as:
   • Increased engagement
   • Broadened audience
   • Gaining third party validation
2. Determine the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
   What would indicate success in each goal? For example, if you want to broaden your audience your might have KPI’s such as:
   • X# of new subscribers to your newsletter
   • X% new visitors to your website
   • X# new followers
3. Set a schedule
   Decide how often you want to measure the progress to your goals. If you’re not sure, we recommend monthly.
4. Set a plan for gathering/analyzing the data
   For each KPI identify where the information will come from – Google analytics, Facebook, Constant Contact, etc.  Most social media and mail delivery services have tools to help you gather data.  Don’t forget to look internally as well. Did you get more orders? More inquiries? Opt-in requests for your newsletter?

   Remember out of the gate you are setting a baseline for performance.  If you have not been tracking data, you will not know what is good or bad, but you can set a baseline and then look for progression from there.

5. Assign someone to be responsible but don’t kill the messenger
   Often the messenger gets all the questions and is expected to know the answers: Are those good numbers? Why can’t we get more detail? What are you going to do to fix this?

   If you have an attitude of criticism, you will not find anyone willing to track the numbers. Instead see it as an inquiry, discussion, and brainstorm. What did you try? What will you do more of/less of? What will you never do again? But remember, be fair. Give things a chance. Rome was not built in one day.

   Start off simple then add more data as you get comfortable looking at it.  Remember more is less.

At NK&A we create a specifically-tailored reporting tool for every client. We recognize that measurement can be daunting, especially when you have multiple parts of a strategy running at the same time. But fear not! If you follow these steps you will be set up for measurement success.

And if you are still feeling uneasy, we can help! Contact us if you need help setting up a measurement tool.