The Ultimate Q4Launch Guide to Reporting Results to Customers

Reporting is a constant opportunity for continuous improvement for our team. We are constantly to maximize client insights and takeaways while minimizing time spent actually doing reporting. After all, time spent each month on reporting is less time we get to execute our strategies.

With that being said, reporting at the end of or beginning of each month is a valuable time for our team to reflect on accomplishments and take a hard look at what’s working, and not working. Since so much time and energy goes into reporting, we work to make it as valuable and action-oriented as possible with clear next steps for the client. A good client report needs a good structure, just like a successful meeting needs a good meeting agenda.

To make sure our reports hit our customers’ desk, rather than get ignored into the depths of their email archives, here’s our guide to monthly and quarterly reporting:

Process for Crafting the Monthly PIR:

By front-loading work, you’re avoiding the awkward moment of realizing at the end of the month that things weren’t looking too good starting 3 weeks earlier. Having to craft and implement a last-minute plan to turn-around performance for a month that’s already ended adds unnecessary time to what is already a time-consuming process.

Mid-month, or about 2 weeks before the end of the month:

Review your customers’ analytics for progress in (compare to year-over-year; or compared to previous month if not available):

  1. E-Commerce Revenue
  2. Leads Generated
  3. Goals tied to search engine optimization
  4. Goals tied to email marketing campaigns
  5. Goals tied to social media management
  6. Goals tied to PPC campaigns (if applicable)

For things that look great:

Report them to the customer! Celebrate success!

For aspects of our work that need attention:

If you need to create an action plan to course correct on aspects of marketing that are off-track in terms of achieving measurable, quantifiable goals. Give team members that work on this customer a heads-up. That way you have 2 weeks time before reporting to work together to:

  1. Do a deeper dive review for troubleshooting
  2. Create an action plan
  3. Start implementing steps in your action plan to ensure a better report at the start of the month

At the start of the month, or whenever you’re ready to craft a written report

The written report, sent with the numbers focused report, should include:

 

  • A quick overview of ROI and change in how much they made

 

  • E-Commerce Revenue

 

 

      1. Highest page value vs. per customer’s average

 

  • Leads Generated (include number of leads generated)

 

      1. Top 5 pages converted to leads or bookings
      2. Blogs with most VG downloads

 

  • If any of the above isn’t a success, share at least 1 success story that relates to their quarterly goals (If you also can not find one of the below please skip this bullet)

 

      1. Eblast – stats or how many bookings they had from it
      2. FB traffic converted to a lead or booking
      3. Most successful blog in terms of organic traffic

 

  • Upcoming blogs this month (approved in most recent quarterly marketing strategy call)

 

      1. Format:
        1. Planned post date, topic, goal related to topic
      2. Example:
        1. Week of August 5, day trips from hilton head, general tourism vacation guide downloads
        2. Week of August 12, coastal discovery museum, family lead generation and bookings
        3. Week of August 18, dog friendly restaurants hilton head, pet-friendly unit bookings
        4. Week of August 25, waterfront restaurants hilton head, general tourism vacation guide downloads
        5. Week of September 1, hilton head sailing, general tourism vacation guide downloads

 

  • Upcoming emails this month

 

      1. Format:
        1. Scheduled send date; topic of email; quantifiable, measurable goal tied to email (previously decided with customer)
      2. Example:
        1. 3/4, Partner highlight update, bookings in slow-season
        2. 3/18, Summer Solstic, Encourage mid-week bookings for event

 

  • Action Plan/Steps on what we are doing to fix concerns with points 1, 2, 3

 

      1. Report on efforts to be proactive

 

  • What we need from them (if anything) to fix above concerns

 

    1. Examples: New booking engine, New photos, Updated packages, approval of X, help setting up ecommerce tracking

 

Quarterly Report:

Some Things to Remember Before You Start

  1. Keep sections to 3 items in a numbered list (and keep to one line each whenever possible). More than 3 items in a list may require scheduling a phone call to ensure clarity in communication. Pick the top 3 things that stand out, use the outline below as a guide to prioritize.
  2. Keep your goals focused on the customers’ ROI: bookings and leads generated.
  3. Pictures are more easily digested than words, and are faster to create (screenshots, etc).
  4. Focus on using “we” whenever possible. This is a partnership. Remind the customer of such.
  5. End your message with a request for a phone call. Even a short call (>15 minutes) can clear-up questions and further build your relationship with the customer.

 

  1. Introduction / Restate Goals

      1. Have quarterly goals established with the customer, and remind the customer of them here
      2. Typical goal established with customers at start is a minimum 200-300% ROI, so if no established goals, use this instead or in addition
        1. This obviously means that less than 100% ROI is cause for concern
    2. Were we on track this month? This quarter?
      1. If yes, why
      2. If not, what’s been accomplished, and where do we need to change?

  2. What Did We Accomplish Last Quarter?

    1. What tangible results do we have related to our established goals?
    2. If no tangible results, report what we did
      1. Examples:
        1. Email marketing campaigns
        2. Blog posts

  3. What Results Are We Seeing from Our Work?

    1. Most importantly, how does it relate to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?
      1. Positive or negative
    2. Tie Your KPIs to Business Goals
      1. Without exception, our customers goals are more money coming in

  4. Explain Results

    1. What did we do that directly contributed to results

      1. Take credit for what went well
      2. Have a solid theory why things aren’t working

  5. What’s Happening This Coming Quarter?

    1. Our Work

      1. Email marketing campaigns (dates or weeks planned)
      2. Blog articles (dates or weeks planned)
      3. Optional (if applicable)
        1. Action Plans
        2. SEO updates
        3. Etc

    2. What We Need from the Customer

      1. Include specific tasks, assign due dates

  6. Conclusion

    1. Offer to schedule a 15 minute call

      1. longer for Ultimate customers, check your contract
      2. Give 3 days and times to cut-down on back and forth

 

An outline pulled from this article: How To Write Reports That Your Clients Will Actually Read

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