Stop drowning in data. Here are the 6 numbers you should check every week.
Most business owners either ignore their marketing data entirely or get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of metrics available. Neither approach is productive. You need a simple dashboard with 6 key numbers that you check every Monday morning. Nothing more, nothing less.
The six numbers are: total leads this week, cost per lead, lead-to-sale conversion rate, total ad spend, revenue from marketing leads, and return on investment. If these six metrics are healthy, your marketing is working. If any of them drift, you know exactly where to focus your attention.
Set target ranges for each metric based on your business model. For example, your target CPL might be £20-35. If it creeps above £35, you know your campaigns need optimisation. If it drops below £20, you might be able to increase volume by raising your budget. Targets turn raw numbers into actionable information.
Automate your dashboard wherever possible. Google Data Studio (now Looker Studio) can pull data from Google Ads, Analytics, and spreadsheets into a single visual report that updates automatically. Spend 15 minutes setting it up once, then spend 5 minutes every Monday reviewing it. That 5 minutes is the highest-value time you'll spend on marketing all week.