These days, marketers need to focus on meaningful metrics -- data that indicates whether an investment in marketing strategies and tactics is really paying off. ROI in marketing should be associated with "smart metrics," such as the conversion rate from prospects to customers or the cost per lead generated.
In a blog post for HubSpot, Rachel Sprung reminds us there are marketing metrics that are pointless to track, among them:
- Email opens
- Facebook likes
- Ad impressions
- Blog comments
- Reports on your entire database
Her point is well taken. The raw numbers associated with the first four in the list are meaningless; from a marketer's perspective, they represent nothing more than a popularity contest -- activity that tells you nothing about leads, prospects, or customers. Item #5 is equally suspect; the most useful database reports are not aggregated, but instead recognize unique audience segments. As Sprung writes, "not all contacts were created equal. Some are from one persona, others are from different industries, and still others are from different locations. By not segmenting based on these characteristics, you are doing yourself a disservice."
So don't let your colleagues, or even worse your superiors, force meaningless marketing measurement upon you. The only legitimate way to measure success is to determine how your marketing efforts translate into qualified prospects and sales.
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