Poorly planned and executed digital marketing strategies lead to low-performing campaigns and low-quality results. If you’re unsure how the campaign is performing, where it needs improvement, or if you’re getting all you can from it, why are you marketing?
The difference is in the data.
Your digital marketing strategies should use actual data and be continually optimized to match campaign goals. If you’re anything like us (ahem, #hugenerds), the statistics, math, and numbers of marketing are the core of its appeal.
If you forgive the pun, metric-driven marketing strategies bring it all Full Circle.
You’ll better understand where you’re going, how you’re getting there, and what you need to modify to make it happen. This begs the question of what to track, where to follow it, and how. Here’s our take on how to use data and statistics in digital marketing strategies.
Data & Statistics In Content Marketing
Every business should be in the game of content creation. No matter where you host your content, from your website or YouTube to social media or podcast episodes, the more information you produce, the more likely you are to be picked up and deemed credible by search engine algorithms.
You can learn valuable market and target audience information from the following statistics by tracking your content marketing efforts.
Traffic Sources
When a visitor arrives at your website or content, where did they come from? These statistics will show if most of your website traffic comes from email outreach, social media, or an organic Google search.
Traffic Volume
How much traffic comes from each source? This data lets you learn where to focus your content creation efforts. If your primary traffic source is social media, it may be time to accelerate social media content production and increase your traffic even more.
Demographic Information
Every piece of content you create is geared toward the information your target audience is searching for.
By tracking demographic data and statistics, you can learn the following:
- Geographical areas
- Average age range
- Average income level
- Gender data
- Consumer preferences
Competitor Analysis
With the right online tools, you can identify and keep a digital eye on everything your competitors are doing. Learn about their market share, traffic sources, trends, and products.
Data & Statistics In Paid Advertisements
From pay-per-click or PPC advertising to social media ads, paid advertising is the fast track to accelerating traffic to your content. Here, you can funnel traffic from search engines like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and the like rather than wait for organic measures to surface.
By paying for advertising, you can get faster results and immediate data. Here are the statistics you should be tracking in your advertising:
Cost Per Click
Your cost-per-click rate reveals how many dollars or cents you’re paying for every click on your ad. This is a great way to measure ad performance, creative performance, messaging, and keyword matches.
Click-Through Rate
The click-through rate is one of the most valuable statistics in your advertising. This reveals the ratio of people who have viewed the ad compared to those who have followed the link. A low click-through rate shows poor ad messaging, unaligned ad creative, or a search query mismatch.
Conversion Rate
Your conversion rate tells how many people performed the desired action on your website or landing page. This could be anything from filling out a form, registering for an event, making a purchase, or following a social media account.
CPM (Per 1000 Impressions)
Impressions are the number of eyeballs that viewed your ad. This statistic measures the cost per 1,000 impressions. This number is also tied to your click-through rate, indicating your ad’s performance. If your ad receives 10,000 impressions but only generates 100 click-throughs (1%), it’s time to reimagine your ad or reevaluate your keywords.
Cost Per Acquisition
What is an acquisition for your business? A subscriber? A product sale? A registration? Whatever your overall campaign goals, this statistic will give you the bottom-line results of your digital marketing efforts.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
This statistic shows how many dollars you’ve earned compared to how much you’ve spent on advertising. For example, if every $50 spent on ads gets you one $150 sale, this would be a 3X ROAS. This is considered a sound but minimum ROAS.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Your ROI is a more comprehensive statistic than ROAS. This measures overall profitability vs. overall costs. There are more financial investments involved than simply the cost of ads. For an e-commerce business, this includes the cost of your storefront, inventory, shipping, etc. A true ROI will calculate all of that.
Data & Statistics In social media marketing
All comprehensive digital marketing strategies include some emphasis on social media. While the essential metrics to track will be the same for ads, they’ll look slightly different on social media.
Engagement
Social media engagement includes the number of people who like, comment, or share your content. A strong content marketing strategy will constantly strive to deliver content that resonates with the target market.
Followers
Account followers or page followers are automatically notified of new content. This can be a valuable statistic in gauging the success of digital marketing strategies on social media.
Impressions
Like ad impressions, social media impressions reveal how many people have been served your content or ad in their social media feeds.
Video Views
Video content has rapidly overtaken online engagement as the number one content type consumers prefer. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts rely on video view counts as a strong indicator of the quality of their content.
Data & Statistics In SEO
Search engine optimization is a necessary element of any online marketing strategy. Enhancing your SEO efforts improves how your website and supporting content communicate with the algorithm and match consumer searches.
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate refers to the number of visitors who click on your website and leave again. A high bounce rate can be problematic in the eyes of the search engine algorithm. Your website could be flagged as a query mismatch or discredited as a source.
Time On Page
As traffic flows to your content, how much time do they spend there? Timers and heat maps will show you if visitors are finding the scope and value they need on your website.
Keyword Rankings
Keyword rankings indicate your position in the marketplace for specific search terms. Keywords are search terms your target audience will use online to find the solutions they need. By incorporating these keywords and key phrases into your content marketing strategy, you will surface as a resource.
Organic Traffic Conversions
Separate from paid traffic, organic traffic is what you’re hoping to capture with a strong SEO strategy. By monitoring organic traffic sources and tracking conversions, you can make the connection between your SEO efforts with your revenue.
Data-Informed Digital Marketing Strategies Are The Most Successful
Metric-driven and data-informed digital marketing strategies offer the best full-scale view of your outreach efforts and where you can improve to get more out of your investment. For an individualized assessment of your metrics or to create a custom strategy, reach out to the Full Circle SEM team today!
