Guide · Advertising & analytics
Advertising reports that matter: what to show and what to ignore
Many advertising reports are long and colourful and say very little: impressions, reach, clicks, click-through rates, followers. They describe activity, not results. A useful report is short and answers three questions: what did we spend, what did we get, and what will we change? This guide describes how to build such reports — whether you prepare them internally or receive them from an agency.
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In short
In short
- 01
Lead with outcomes: qualified leads, sales, revenue and cost per customer by channel.
- 02
Show spend next to results, so efficiency is visible.
- 03
Compare with the previous period and with targets.
- 04
Include what was changed and what will be tested next, with reasons.
- 05
Keep activity metrics (impressions, clicks) as diagnostics, not headlines.
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Guide
The core table
For each channel and major campaign, for the period:
| Metric | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Spend | What was invested |
| Leads (by type: forms, calls, messages) | Volume of demand |
| Qualified leads | Quality, from the CRM |
| Customers / sales | Actual outcome |
| Revenue or gross profit | Value created |
| Cost per qualified lead and per customer | Efficiency |
| ROAS or return on spend | Revenue relative to cost |
Where sales cycles are long, show leads and qualified leads now and revenue later in a cohort view.
Comparisons
- Versus the previous period and the same period last year, to account for seasonality.
- Versus targets derived from affordable customer acquisition cost. See CAC and LTV.
- Between channels, on the same definitions.
Commentary
Numbers need explanation:
- what changed in the period — budgets, creatives, landing pages, seasonality, competition;
- what was learned from tests;
- what will be changed next, and the expected effect.
A report without commentary leaves the reader to guess.
Diagnostics section
Below the core, activity metrics help explain changes: impressions, click-through rate, cost per click, conversion rate on landing pages, frequency. They are useful for specialists; they are not goals.
Vanity metrics
Metrics that look good but do not indicate business results:
- impressions and reach without outcomes;
- likes and followers from ads optimised for engagement;
- clicks without conversions;
- "conversions" defined as page views.
They may matter for specific awareness goals — but then the goal should be stated and measured properly.
Data sources
- Ad platforms for spend and platform metrics.
- Analytics for website behaviour and conversions.
- CRM for lead quality, sales and revenue.
Combining them requires consistent UTM tagging and CRM discipline. See UTM tags guide and end-to-end analytics.
Format and frequency
- A short monthly report with the core table, comparisons and commentary.
- A live dashboard for weekly monitoring. See dashboards.
- A quarterly review of strategy: channel mix, budgets, big tests.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What should we ask our agency to report?
Spend, qualified leads, customers and revenue by channel, with commentary and next steps — and access to the ad accounts so you can verify.
Our CRM data is incomplete. Can we still report outcomes?
Report what you can — leads by channel and calls — and improve CRM records in parallel. Outcome reporting improves as data does.
How do we report brand awareness campaigns?
Define measurable indicators in advance: reach in the target audience, growth in branded search and direct traffic, survey-based recall if available.