What a useful monthly marketing report looks like
One page, five sections and a clear list of next steps. The structure we use for every client report.
Many marketing reports are long, full of charts and say very little. The business owner flicks through, sees lots of green arrows and still does not know whether marketing is working. A good report answers that question on the first page.
The five sections
1. Headline results against target
Three to five numbers, each compared with the target and with last month. For most clients these are new customers, cost per customer, revenue from marketing and total spend.
2. Spend by channel
Where the money went, and what each channel returned. A simple table is enough. If a channel cannot show any return, the report should say so plainly.
3. What worked
Two or three specific wins, with a short explanation of why. “The Sunday evening SMS outperformed the Friday send” is more useful than “engagement increased”.
4. What did not work
Equally specific. A report with no failures is not honest, and failed tests are often where the most useful lessons are.
5. Next steps
A numbered list of what will change next month, who is responsible and how you will know if it worked. This is the part the business owner should read first.
- Metrics nobody acts on, such as impressions on their own.
- Screenshots of dashboards without explanation.
- Jargon. If a term needs explaining, explain it or drop it.
Keep the format the same every month
Consistency makes trends easy to spot. When the layout changes every month, it becomes hard to compare and easy to hide bad news.
Pair it with a short call
A fifteen-minute call to go through the next steps is worth more than ten extra pages. It is also where the most useful information comes from: the business owner often knows why a month was unusual, for example a supplier delay or a public holiday.
If your current reports leave you with more questions than answers, ask us for a sample of the template we use.