The Marketing Measurement Round Up: Edition #51

Welcome to another edition of In The Loop: The Marketing Measurement Round Up ??

What you can expect from this newsletter: As a marketer, you know that measurement is essential to success. But with so many different metrics, data points and tools to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to start. That's where In The Loop comes in. Each week, we'll deliver the latest marketing measurement trends and best practices to help you measure your marketing effectiveness and improve ROI.

From our perspective

Many marketers are placing their trust in Google Analytics 4, but at what cost?

The reality is, GA4 doesn’t tell the full story.

• Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok function more like traditional media, generating impressions rather than direct clicks. GA4 struggles to track these efforts effectively, leading to underreported impact.

• It offers only two attribution models, and the maximum conversion window is just 90 days. For businesses with longer sales cycles, this limitation means losing valuable data.

• While GA4 tracks events like form submissions, it doesn’t collect personally identifiable information. Without this, linking marketing efforts to later-stage actions, such as opportunities or closed deals, becomes impossible. Tracking form submissions is useful, but if they’re not converting, what’s the point?

• On top of that, it falls short when it comes to measuring offline conversions, such as in-person meetings, events, and offline sales, which all contribute to overall impact.

In short, Google Analytics isn't reliable enough on its own.

To overcome these limitations, a more comprehensive approach is needed, one that:

?? Collects first-party touchpoints as leads progress through the buyer journey, alongside all conversion events i.e. forms, phone calls, live chat enquiries, etc.

?? Leverages advanced measurement solutions such as multi-touch attribution, MMM, and incrementality testing to assess both online and traditional media. By triangulating these insights, businesses can develop a more accurate and unbiased view of performance.

?? Drills down into specific channels, campaigns, tactics, and even individual ads or keywords, filtered by criteria such as country and business metrics, to answer key leadership questions about performance.

This delivers deeper insights, greater confidence, and a clearer understanding of what drives results.

The latest in marketing measurement

1. Google Tag Manager to Update Google Ads Integration in April

Google has announced an upcoming update to how Google Tag Manager. It's aiming to streamline data collection and enhance tracking reliability, which is set to take effect on April 10.

Key changes:

• Google tag loads first – GTM containers containing Google Ads and Floodlight tags will now automatically load a Google tag before firing events.
• Simplified feature access – Users can enable Enhanced Conversions, Cross-domain tracking, and Autoevents directly from the Google tag settings.
• Improved data collection – If the Customer Data Terms of Service are accepted, User Provided Data collection will be enabled automatically across all events.

Our thoughts

This update is a positive step toward improving tracking accuracy and ensuring a smoother flow of measurement data, potentially leading to better campaign insights and optimisation. With easier access to features like Enhanced Conversions and Cross-domain tracking, marketers can enhance attribution and customer journey analysis.?

However, one key consideration remains. Google Ads attribution operates within its own ecosystem. For example, if Google Ads uses a last-click model, a user might click on a Google ad but not make a purchase right away. If they later return via an Instagram ad and complete the purchase, Google Ads will still take full credit for the sale—even though Instagram contributed to the conversion. Marketers should be aware of this when evaluating campaign performance

2. Google Ads expands PMax negative keyword limits

Google Ads is significantly expanding the negative keyword limit for Performance Max campaigns, raising the cap from 100 to 10,000 per campaign, bringing it in line with Search campaigns. Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin announced the update on X, emphasising that the increased limit maintains system flexibility while providing advertisers with greater control. She also advised advertisers to use negative keywords strategically to avoid restricting conversions. The rollout is expected to be fully available to all Performance Max advertisers soon.

Our thoughts?

Many digital marketers saw the previous 100-keyword cap as a major limitation, especially for brands struggling with large volumes of irrelevant search queries. This update has been widely welcomed by industry professionals, as it allows advertisers to refine targeting, reduce wasted ad spend, and improve return on investment.?

Content we think you'll benefit from

Use Facebook offline conversions for improved reporting and optimisation

We dive into Facebook offline conversions and show you an easier way to send your data to the ad platform for better reporting and smarter bidding.

How to integrate Salesforce with Google Ads to share pipeline data

Learn how to integrate your Google Ads and Salesforce account for better algorithmic targeting and in-platform reporting.

New Research: Google Search Grew 20%+ in 2024; receives ~373X more searches than ChatGPT

SparkToro and their partners, Datos, A Semrush Company , analysed the average number of searches per user across Google over two years to uncover new insights into Google search trends

Need help with your marketing measurement?

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With Ruler, you get:

• A full-funnel view of the customer journey
• Accurate revenue attribution at the channel, campaign, content, and keyword level
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• Visibility into 'dark social' and zero-click channels, helping you measure and forecast the impact of offline and hidden touchpoints

Book a demo today and start making smarter marketing decisions with data you can trust.