The Importance of Quarterly Tracking Reports for Your Business
As the end of Q2 approaches, it’s usually time to take a look back at all of the marketing campaigns, emails, social posts, blogs, and content you’ve created. But before you start planning out more campaigns for the rest of the year, can you pinpoint what worked and what didn’t? Without looking at the data, numbers, metrics, and conversions, it’s difficult to get a sense of what type of content is performing well and resonating with your audience. That’s why quarterly tracking reports are a key part of business growth. They help you keep your finger on the pulse of the business and provide clear evidence of what’s working and what’s not.
Quarterly tracking reports don’t need to be as burdensome as they can seem. From automations to quarterly reminders to AI tools, there are many ways to keep tabs on your marketing metrics without spending a ton of time or effort. Here, I’ll go over the important metrics to track, ways to automate quarterly reports, and how to use numbers to inform future campaigns and content. Let’s dive in.
What should you be tracking?
You can be putting out all sorts of content and marketing, but until you measure the impact, you never know what truly works. Whether you’re sending email campaigns, updating your website with blog posts, or experimenting with your social media strategy, all of these platforms offer different audience engagement and so require different tracking metrics.
When it comes to your email marketing, you mainly want to consider two things: open rates and click rates. Open rates will help you see whether your subject lines are engaging enough for a consumer to want to read your email. Click rates will offer insight as to whether the content of your email is compelling enough. While benchmarks vary between industries and audience segments, the standard for open rates is between 15-25%, while the standard for click rates is 2-5%.
Some other metrics you might want to consider are: the click-to-open rate (what is the percentage of people that opened your email and clicked a link inside?), the unsubscribe rate (are people opting out of receiving your content?), and the delivery rate (are there any deliverability issues with your email?). All of these numbers come together to tell a story about how your content is performing and resonating with your community.
Similarly, your website content deserves more than regular updating. It deserves consistent measuring to assess whether your site is helping you reach your business goals. Some key metrics to analyze here include: site visits, bounce rates, average session durations, and conversion rates. You should confidently be able to answer the following: Are people viewing my website? Are they staying on the pages long enough to know exactly what I’m offering? Are they purchasing the product or service I’m selling?
Last, but definitely not least, you should be measuring the impact and effectiveness of your social media posts by first looking at vanity metrics, including your follower count, your average likes, and your average shares. It’s important, however, to go a step further and also track reach, saves, and conversions. Following the patterns of these numbers will give you critical insight into not just past campaigns, but future ones, too.
Automating your quarterly reports
If you’re a small business owner, you might be thinking, “When will I have time to put together these metrics every three months?” The good news is that many platforms now have automation features built in to help pull together and deliver reports once they’re initially set up. All you need to do is build out the initial framework, then choose when and to whom the reports get delivered.
Similarly, many website hosting platforms have systems in place to send you weekly, monthly, or quarterly reports on your website’s performance. Depending on what you want to track for your social media accounts, many apps and tools also have this functionality where you can post, engage, and track everything in one place. Try tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, or Sendible to get tailored results, competitor analysis, and more.
How Numbers Inform Future Campaigns
So you have the engagement and conversion rates, now what? The best marketing strategy happens when storytelling meets data. What do the numbers tell you about where you are, and how can they influence the journey of where you’re going? Data doesn’t need to be complicated to make a difference. It’s really about experimenting with content and using numbers to provide you with clear action items. Data is a gift for your business, but only if you use it consistently and correctly.
Conclusion
Quarterly tracking reports aren’t just helpful for seeing what’s worked in the past. They’re a key tool for measuring your brand’s impact, seeing what your audience likes, and informing your future campaigns. Whether you’re using emails, website content, or social media to find and gain an audience, setting up a way to consistently view metrics can help you move your business in the right direction and let your audience’s interest in your content speak for itself. Don’t be afraid of the data. Use it to dig deeper and find gold.
