So, you are thinking about hiring a digital marketing agency to increase your visibility and online presence! Obviously, we think it’s a great idea. But before you determine the right agency for your needs, remember that, as a client, you have rights. Specifically, you have the right to know exactly where your money is going and the Return on Investment of your digital dollars.
JB Communications provides our clients with monthly progress reports. These enable us to track ongoing ads, keywords, and competitors. Everyone has a different method, and each report is unique depending on the goals of the client. However, there are a few standard sections you should expect from your next report.
What is a Marketing Report?
Your personalized marketing report tracks campaigns, progress, user activity, demographics, and other critical data relevant to your marketing goals. Most importantly, a comprehensive monthly report should be your agency’s priority because it solidifies trust in their work and recommendations through regular accountability.
What Information Should I Expect to See in My Marketing Report?
While all reports are a little different, five specific elements should be included in every agency’s monthly digital marketing updates.
1. Conversions. These numbers can track organic vs. paid leads and the cost per conversion for paid channels (Google Ads, Facebook, etc.). If you ever have a question about the numbers in front of you, don’t hesitate to ask for clarity. Your agency should always be fully transparent with the information they provide.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO). If your agency provides SEO services (which they absolutely should), your monthly report should include keyword research, client rankings, competitors, geography, search volume, and site optimization. Part of this section should include keywords that are on your and the agency’s radar to actively improve your ranking.
- Blog Traffic. Blogs are an integral part of your SEO plan because they are customizable and topical. If your agency writes blogs for you, your marketing report will likely include information outlining blog traffic and leads.
3. Search Engine Marketing (SEM). This is the information in which many clients are most interested. How is the money spent, and what is the Return on Investment? These numbers will track Impressions and Reach through your Ad Spend, Click Through Rates, and ROI (return on ad spend).
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC). If you are running PPC ads, you are paying a fee each time your link is clicked. Reporting enables you to track the amount of clicks and how much you’ve spent!
4. Traffic Metrics. Do you know where your web traffic comes from? Your agency should know and should be able to show you specifically where you are getting the most sessions, new users, referrals, bounces, and landing page views. This information also lets you know if your views are coming from organic or paid traffic.
5. Social Media. Marketers love to hate social media. We love it because it puts our clients in front of their core demographics. We know this because 82% of the population in North America uses some form of social media, and marketers can target audiences based on their interests. This information in your report will summarize performance, user, and traffic information.
What if I am Not Happy with the Marketing Report Numbers?
The wonderful world of marketing is constantly shifting, and it is up to your agency to keep up with industry changes. Marketing reports help your agency find patterns and enable them to course-correct if a campaign is not as successful as they hoped. Not every campaign is going to be a record-breaking success. But regular reporting helps your agency show you what they’ve learned from the last campaign and how they are preparing to enhance your next month’s marketing efforts.
There is always a learning period with any new digital marketing campaign. If, after six months, you are still experiencing doubt and confusion about the success of your digital agency’s efforts, it might be time to shop around!
What if the Numbers Don’t Match the Results?
Not too long ago, a New Orleans-based local company shared their SEO report generated by their national digital marketing company. The owners were struggling to understand what the data meant. At the very least, the foot traffic did not match the numbers on the paper. Their marketing company boasted that they were on page one of the Google search for their main keywords. JBC analyzed the information and discovered the following surprising information:
- They were not ranking for the important keywords outside of their zip code.
- They were ranking for keywords with zero search volume. Meaning, the words they did rank for, people rarely used during a Google search.
Schedule Your Free Marketing Consultation with JB Communications!
JB Communications has been helping businesses improve their marketing efforts with quality digital marketing services for over 25 years! If you are interested in digital marketing services in Metairie or have questions about what to expect from your marketing agency, contact JBC for a free consultation!
