What should a marketing report include and what can it do without?

Whoever hires marketing, or does it in-house, usually receives reports. Some are long and full of charts; others boil down to a table of numbers. What makes them useful is not the size or the design, but whether they help to decide. This article says what a good report includes, what it can do without and what you can ask of whoever makes it.

What a useful report should include

1. Three to five main numbers, chosen because they show whether marketing brings enquiries: enquiries by source, new customers, actions on the website, new reviews.
2. The source of each number, so whoever reads knows where it comes from and can check it.
3. The comparison with the previous period, and with the same period last year, if there is one. An isolated number says little.
4. What was done in the period: what was published, what was changed, what was tested.
5. What was learned, in two or three honest sentences, including what did not work.
6. The decisions and next steps: what continues, what changes, what stops, and by when.
7. What is not yet known. Saying "we do not have this number" is better than presenting one that is not reliable.

What a report can do without

• Vanity metrics on their own: likes, followers, reach, with no link to enquiries.
• Dozens of charts nobody consults.
• Technical terms with no explanation.
• Pages of context that repeat what was already agreed.
• Promises of results on a fixed date, which nobody controls.

Signs that a report does not help

• It has thirty pages and no decision.
• The numbers have no source or comparison.
• It only shows what went well.
• It does not say what will be done next.
• It always arrives late, or irregularly.

What you can ask of whoever makes the report

• To explain each number in a sentence, in plain language.
• To say where the data comes from and how it is checked.
• To always include a sentence on what changed and a proposed decision.
• To keep it to one page, with appendices only for whoever wants to go deeper.
• To deliver it at the same time every month.

How the report meeting should go

Instead of going through the charts, it is better to devote the meeting to three things: what changed, why and what we decide. Fifteen minutes is enough. Whoever made the report explains; whoever decides asks; at the end, the decisions are written down, with an owner and a date.

If you make your own report

The same rules apply. Start with the numbers from how to read Google Analytics and the sheet from the year review. If you want to automate parts, see which reports you can have without a manual spreadsheet, without forgetting to check the totals against the source. In Digital Marketing, reports are clear and always come with a decision.

The one-page report

Make today the template for your monthly report, on one sheet, with seven lines: three to five numbers (with source and comparison), what was done, what was learned, the decisions, what is not yet known and the date of the next. Fill it in with last month, even if some numbers are missing. Show it to whoever decides and ask: "does this help you decide?". If the answer is no, ask what is missing. Adjust the template until the answer is yes. Then use it every month without changing it, so you can compare. If someone makes reports for you, share the template and ask them to use it.

In short

• A good report fits on one page: a few numbers with source, comparison, what was done, what was learned and decisions.
• It can do without vanity metrics alone, dozens of charts and promises of results.
• Ask for explanations in plain language and the right date every month.
• Devote the meeting to what changed, why and what is decided.

Quick questions

How often should there be a report?

Monthly for most SMEs. Weekly for what changes fast, such as enquiries, and quarterly to look at direction.

Can I ask for the raw data?

You can, and it helps: raw data allows checking. But the main report should be clear, on one page.

What if the report shows poor results?

It is among the most useful. An honest report, saying what did not work and what will change, is worth more than one that only shows what went well.