What Gets Measured Gets Done: The Power of Measurement

At Spark Creative, we live by the saying, "What gets measured gets done." This insight, from management guru Peter Drucker, is grounded in human behavior research showing that we are more likely to achieve our goals when we measure them. This principle is super relevant in marketing, where regular measurement can significantly improve results.

Consistent measuring of your marketing activity helps you focus on outcomes, increasing the likelihood that you'll act on the information gathered. It creates a feedback loop that allows for continuous improvement, making sure your marketing strategies are always aligned with your business objectives. Here are a few steps to help you effectively measure your marketing content to optimize for better and better results:

1. Make SMART Objectives

Before jumping into measurement, make clear and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives for your marketing tactics. These objectives will act as the foundation for your measurement efforts, providing clear targets to aim for and benchmarks against which to measure success.

2. Set Relevant KPIs

Once your objectives are set, identify the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will help you track progress towards these goals. KPIs are specific metrics that show whether your tactics are working against your objectives and can include website traffic, conversion rates, social media engagement, email open rates and more. Each objective set in Step 1 should have its own set of KPIs.

3. Implement a Measurement Process

Add measurement into your ongoing marketing process. It’s that simple. This takes time and effort, but the improvement in results you’ll see will be well worth it. Use free tools like Google Analytics, social media platform insights and digital surveys to gather data regularly. And with digital content, you can monitor performance in real time and optimize as needed.

4. Regular Reporting and Team Discussions

Establish a regular reporting schedule to review and discuss results with the brand and marketing teams. This could be weekly, monthly or quarterly depending on your brand’s needs and level of activity. Collaboratively reviewing what's working and what isn't, brainstorming solutions and adapting strategies accordingly is a key component of measurement success.

So, how will effective measurement help my brand?

In so many ways! With strong measurement processes in place, you can:

• Make Informed Decisions: With accurate data available always, you can make informed decisions about where to allocate resources, which tactics to adapt and which to drop.

• Improve ROI: By focusing on what works, you can maximize the return on your marketing investment.

• Enhance Accountability: Regular measurement creates accountability within your team. When everyone knows the targets and how close (or not) they are to achieving them, it develops a sense of responsibility and innate motivation to perform better.

• Continuously Improve: Measurement creates a culture of continuous improvement. By consistently looking at performance and making data-driven improvements, you can ensure that your marketing efforts work better over time.