How to measure digital marketing: the monthly report a business owner in Albania should ask for
“We have 3,000 new followers and 50,000 views” pays no invoice. “We have 80 bookings from social at 4 euros each” does. The right report has one page and answers one question: how many clients, at what cost, from where.
The only question
How many new clients did marketing bring you this month, at what cost, from which channel? Every other number serves to answer this question or is useless. The owner who asks this question every month gets useful reports; the one who accepts “views” gets pretty reports.
The measurement chain
Views → clicks or visits → enquiries (form, WhatsApp, call, DM, booking) → qualified enquiries → clients → revenue. Every step has its number and a conversion rate. If views rise and enquiries do not, the problem is content; if enquiries rise and clients do not, the problem is the reply or the offer.
Numbers for the site and SEO
Visits from Google (organic) by language. The searches you appear for and positions (Search Console). The most visited pages. Enquiries from the site (form, WhatsApp, phone) with origin. Speed. Comparison with the previous month and year. Tools: Search Console and Analytics, free.
Numbers for Google Ads
Budget spent. Clicks and cost per click. Enquiries (conversions) and cost per enquiry. By campaign and language. Qualified enquiries (from the CRM or the business’s note). Clients and revenue if tracked. Cost per client compared with client value. If the last is missing, the report is incomplete.
Numbers for social
Reach and real followers (not bought). Messages received (DMs, WhatsApp from social). Bookings or orders originating from social (the note in the business). For ads: cost per message and per booking. The posts and formats that brought the most messages. Likes and views stay at the bottom, as context.
Numbers for email and WhatsApp
New contacts on the list. Emails sent, opened, clicks, unsubscribes. Bookings or orders with the email code. For WhatsApp: messages, average reply time, labelled orders. Revenue from the list compared with the tool’s cost.
The “how did you find us” note
The simplest and most underrated tool: at reception, on the phone, in the form, the question “how did you find us?” with answers noted (Google, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, referral, walked past). After a month, you know the real share of each channel even without technical tracking. Combined with platform numbers, it gives the full picture.
The one-page report
At the top: new clients, attributed revenue, total cost, return. Then, per channel: cost, enquiries, cost per enquiry, clients. Then: what was done this month, what worked, what did not, what is proposed for next month. At the bottom: context numbers (visits, followers, views). The same numbers every month, with comparison. Read in five minutes.
How to read it
Channels with the lowest cost per client get more budget. Channels bringing enquiries but not clients have a problem after the enquiry (the reply, the offer, the price). Channels bringing only views without enquiries are stopped or changed. The quarterly trend is worth more than a single month. The decision is made with numbers, not impressions.
What not to measure
Likes as an objective. Bought followers. “First position” for a search nobody makes. Ad impressions without conversions. 30-page reports with charts nobody reads. Numbers without comparison with the previous month. Numbers without the cost next to them.
Free tools
Search Console and Analytics for the site. Meta Business Suite and TikTok Analytics for social. Google Ads and Meta Ads for ads. Google Business Profile for the map. An Excel or Google Sheets file to gather everything on one page. A simple CRM for enquiries. No paid tool is needed to start.
The mistakes
Having no measurable objective. Changing the numbers every month. Not noting where clients come from. Judging after two weeks. Reading only the total. Accepting reports without cost per enquiry. Deciding nothing after the report: the report exists to change the budget.
Example: a hotel’s report for July
New clients: 210 direct bookings, revenue X, total marketing cost Y, return 8:1. Italian Google Ads: 90 bookings, cost per booking €6. Meta Poles: 40 bookings, €9. Organic Instagram: 35 bookings, cost only the fee. January email: 45 bookings, cost almost zero. Organic Google: 25% of visits, growing. Proposal: increase email and Italian Google Ads, reduce Meta Poles in September. One page, five minutes, decision made.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important number?
Cost per new client per channel, compared with client value.
How many pages should the report have?
One, with the same numbers every month. Details in an appendix for those who want them.
Can I do it myself?
Yes, with free tools and the “how did you find us” note. The agency does it faster and with comparisons.
How often?
Every month. Budget decisions every three months on the trend.