Marketing data for beginners
Are you ready to step into the CEO position of your business?
It comes down to this - knowing your marketing numbers. Looking at the data and understanding what it is telling you! I know that can feel daunting and messy.
That is why this week we are focussing on all things SEO and data marketing hopefully to help you feel a bit more at ease with the analytical stuff!!! She has the knowledge and the tools to help you get started!
Start feeling empowered by your marketing data and not terrified of it.
Starting to analyse your marketing data
Marketing data may seem like a lot to take on, but that’s why we want to break it down to the basics for those of you who may just be starting out and getting to understand the world of DATA.
Before you begin to analyse your marketing data, make sure you have set goals in place and a strong strategy to help you reach these goals, after all this is the foundation to make any business venture as smooth and successful as possible. Also, make sure to understand if the channel you are on suits the goals you have for your business; each channel will work in different ways to help you achieve your goals so work out which ones work best for you.
Make sure to also know and understand your audience, these are the people that make up your marketing data so understanding them is your best bet on maximising your effort.
For these aspects overall, also look at putting a note in your calendar for weekly, monthly (or daily for Google Analytics) looks into your data, this alone will keep you accountable and on track PLUS remember the more practice and the more you look at the stats, the better!
Get to know the tools you will be working with
Google Analytics will be your best friend in this so don’t be afraid to play around with it and explore your data that way. In doing this, you’ll be able to understand the analytics of each platform specifically and see what is working as well as what isn't.
It is also a good idea to play around with different tools, as well as Google Analytics, to get a greater understanding of the numbers - if you need some suggestions or more guidance, check out our recent blog on the basic tools you can use to create awesome content.
While it is all good and well to look at the numbers you of course need to comprehend what you are looking for. We all create to inform and educate our audience on what we do and how they can improve their lives in some way shape or form. But, how do we know if our content creation is actually working, well that’s when the numbers come in! So, if you need some more information on that, then check out that blog now.
Getting to know the tools you are using and what exactly you’re looking for will take practice, but once you know it’ll be the most helpful thing for the future success of your time and effort, EVER!
The big questions to ask yourself about your marketing data
These are some of the key questions you can ask yourself when you're looking for answers in the analytics of your marketing!
1. Question: What channels drive traffic to my website?
a. When asking this question also ask “why do I believe this?”. For example, do you think this channel is for you and your business just because you’re on it the most?
2. Question: What channels give you the best leads?
3. Question: Where do most of the clients come from?
4. Questions: Where do your BEST clients come from?
These are marketing funnel-based questions that can help you navigate the many statistics that you’ll come across when looking into your marketing data. So start simply by asking these things to yourself, taking notes, and writing them down, from there you can look at the numbers and know what exactly you’re looking for and know what to put effort into.
Understand why you are tracking
Now, we don’t just track this data and look at the numbers for no reason, we are looking at the story it is telling us. What do we mean by this? Well, the numbers tell us a story of our business as well as the aspects and people that make it up! It can tell you so much about your audience, the right channels for you, where to focus, and what responsibilities you can let go of.
It’s all about being inquisitive within your statistics and not being afraid to ask questions, test, trial, and, of course, measure. If something isn't working in the numbers, ask yourself why, look into it and try new things; you need to make your effort worth what you are getting back!
A great way to see what works, and make changes to things that don’t, is to make assumptions! Yep, take an educated guess. Focus for 3 months on one ‘assumption’ and see if it works, then revisit the numbers and make changes from there.
At the end of the day, marketing without the numbers is marketing blind; you’ll never be able to fully understand what is working and what isn’t. If you understand the numbers now it will save you so much time and energy down the track!
How often should you look at the marketing data?
Whilst this can be specific and subjective for each person, here are some suggestions!
For general admin we recommend daily looks into your analytics if you are consistent, if not, then try this weekly - you need a strategy that you can pivot and change in real-time for a daily look at numbers to be effective.
For your socials all over, try monthly. This allows trends to peak and flow and allows things you may be trialing to have full effect.
Think of marketing data like playing real-life Cluedo. If you are launching you can work out exactly what you need to change to create impact, it could be a website page, social media posts, more IG stories, posting in FB groups, etc. Analytics are amazing to help us narrow this down and find where to put the most effort.
Final thoughts
Data tracking can be overwhelming at times but overall it will help you get comfortable within what you are posting, planning and launching. You could be doing all the things but don’t know exactly what is working for you, but the numbers and statistics can help you gain the confidence to make choices that will work towards your goals.
Once you step out of solopreneur ‘mindset’ and it’s the CEO we see ourselves as, we need to look at big picture vision - the next level version of you. The data allows you to make life simpler, cut out the noise and make choices with purpose.
Start simple and small and build up over time, it gets easier. And, if you need more guidance or information when looking at the data, what the numbers mean and the measurement behind it all, we have just the thing for you!
The Content Queen Marketing workshop is here to help you navigate the numbers and more! We're hosting this LIVE zoom to help you paint the picture and plan your Q2 content marketing strategy from what is WORKING (or not working) for you on Instagram, your blog, podcast - on your content channels!
We will be LIVE on Zoom on March 24 at 8:00am AEDT | March 23 at 4pm EST (1pm PST) | March 23 at 10pm CST (9pm BST). Click right HERE to join, we’d love to see you there!