Are Automated Digital Marketing Reports What’s Best for You?


You check your email inbox. Another report has been sent that breaks down your digital marketing data into numbers. These automated digital marketing reports come on a regular basis. And now it needs your review because you know that it’s your unique data that guides decisions. What happens with those numbers next depends on your role. But it’s important for every business to understand what story their unique data is telling. That means digging deeper into the data than what any automated report can tell. Having an explanation of your unique data is the best way to develop a digital marketing strategy that will deliver. 

Automated digital marketing reports have more negatives than positives and they are not what’s best for any business.

Is There Anything Good About Automated Digital Marketing Reports?

solve marketing problemsSure. Automated digital marketing reports can save time. There’s a lot that goes into reporting so whoever is sending them will save some time by automating them. It’s also good that they are able to pull different data from different sources and display it in a simple report. Lastly, automated digital marketing reports are good because they can function as reminders that it’s time to review your data. 

The data in your digital marketing reports should be evaluated and explained in detail on a monthly basis. 

There should be meetings, discussions, and strategies built around what your business’ unique data is saying. It is the job of your digital marketing agency to explain the data to help businesses make good decisions about what to do next. Make sure you’re getting all the details!

Breaking Down the Data in Automated Digital Marketing Reports

Every single data point has a story to tell. Because automated digital marketing reports show big numbers it could result in inaccurate assumptions on where the business is at and what to do next. There is a reason a number is up or down. Oftentimes, when the numbers in automated digital marketing reports are broken down, the answers lie deeper in the data. It’s the job of marketing professionals to understand why digital marketing data is showing numbers that are up or down and thus what the next decision on strategy should be.

Example: Your automated digital marketing report shows that your website has a bounce rate of 80% which is really high. So you freak out assuming the entire website is not performing. When you dive deeper, you find that there is one page where most of the recent traffic is being driven because of an ad that’s running. The automated report didn’t tell you all the details. It’s only that one page that has a high bounce rate but the automated digital marketing report didn’t tell you that. So in this case, the strategy would be to figure out why it has a high bounce rate and fix that page. 

Use Your Unique Data to Make Decisions That Fill the Marketing Funnel

To get results through digital marketing, remember that there is always a funnel. The digital marketing funnel leads your clients and customers to take the desired action. Understanding your unique data helps build a digital marketing strategy that is effective for both your customers and your business.

It can be common for your boss or the business owner to mainly care about that very last number–That is the number of desired actions customers have taken at the BOF (bottom of the funnel). While it is commonly perceived that only the last action gets a sale, call, or lead, remember that the customer journey started somewhere!

Automated digital marketing reports do not explain why a number is up or down. They do not explain the details of what is working or not working. 

Consider that your audience has to at least see your content to be able to engage with it. Thus, all the numbers before that final action help understand where the problems in your digital marketing strategy may lie. All of the actions a customer takes (or the lack of actions) matter. All of that data tells a story. Fixing any holes using a strategy built around your data will help fill the marketing funnel. 

Never “Set It and Forget It” with Digital Marketing Reports

Analyzing data can take a lot of time. That’s why it’s common to see automated digital marketing reports as the only reporting method. For a true digital marketing strategy to work, there has to be time for it! A “set it and forget it” model is not the best method for receiving and understanding your digital marketing data. To see intentional, strategized forward movement in your digital marketing the data has to be analyzed. 

It’s also important to keep in mind that you can’t make a move every time you see a number in your reporting go up or down. You need enough data for it to be statistically significant to make a decision. Sometimes you have to let an algorithm have time so it can optimize. Remember not to act too quickly with changes before enough data is available.

Digital marketing requires regular strategy meetings so that informed data-driven decisions can be made.

Whether selling a product or providing a service, you’re never done marketing your business. With digital marketing, decisions are constantly being made. Make sure you’re business is making the best data-driven decisions possible and never rely solely on automated digital marketing reports.

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