What are the top data reporting metrics for executive stakeholders in Marketing Operations?

In higher education, most universities have a strategic plan that takes month (read, years!) to write and historically sits on a shelf. Over the last few years, I would find myself going back to my area of influence in the plan and say how is this software, hire, project, request supporting what the shared governance of the university is expecting of me? It is not rocket science. A road map has been given. It is far too easy to stay in a marketing silo; a communications silo; an administrative silo. If a key goal is increasing the visibility of the brand - I ensure the metrics that I'm reporting on ALWAYS highlight that in the strategic plan. That helps ensure I have executive leadership support and that the teams know our impact

1. Return on Investment (ROI) 2. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) 3. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) 4. Conversion Rate 5. Churn Rate 6. Engagement Metrics Data alone doesn't tell the whole story. It's important to interpret these metrics in context and use them to inform our strategy.

Within the marketing realm we have metrics on top of metrics. When I'm asked about which metrics should they track, I always ask them what are their strategies, what are they trying to do, and what is their end goal. Tracking social likes and engagement is worthless if they don't focus on their social channels. Determine what their goals are then develop the metrics around that vision.

While this goes without saying, of course companies want to focus on quality over quantity ... UNLESS the goal is quantity. Generally, in a brand awareness campaign, you WANT quantity as you are building that brand and pumping up your SEO to appear higher on search engines. However, if you want to increase your leads to pass to sales, you want QUALITY over QUANTITY. So, you need to determine what it is you want to accomplish and build your strategy around that, then use specific metrics to track your progress!

Different programs can create visuals for you from marketing automation platforms to even Excel. One of the most challening parts of following your metrics is presenting them to stake holders in a way they understand. We marketers understand the difference between open rates as compared to unique open rates as well as click-through rates, but not everyone else does. I was consulting with a company and had to explain the difference between open rates and unique open rates a few times to the owner. Sharing the metrics with others can be a challenge, so making them easier to understand with various visuals can help boost your credibility as a marketers AND help them see the amazing things we do!