Presenting a campaign recap that clients understand can be frustrating because each individual has a different level of understanding of the process. Successful salespeople can easily generate new business while retaining and growing their existing accounts.
When it comes to using digital solutions to do this, a big part of the success is how effective a seller is at selling the results back to the client while their campaign is running and once it is completed. It’s up to salespeople to prove the value that the company can provide.
Campaign recaps are commonplace in the digital landscape – they are a client expectation of doing business with you. Most recaps are focused on standard delivery reporting. They let the client know how many impressions ran, the number of clicks, their list of keywords, and the average cost per click in search, or completion rates for video. The problem with traditional delivery reporting is that it doesn’t communicate how those metrics translate into results.
A campaign recap should be more than just a delivery report; it should be a tool to sell the results of the campaign. If the client doesn’t understand how the numbers translate into business results, they probably won’t see the value in your solution – and that translates to a cancellation or non-renewal.
Impressions, clicks, open rates; all of these metrics are important, but it’s essential to combine these numbers with a story. In order to sell the results back to your client, you need to communicate a story that connects the dots between what a client feels and what the data shows. It’s the salespersons’ job to connect the dots so that when the results of the campaign are discussed, the client sees the image that you want them to see. An effective campaign recap will:
In order for you to build the right story, you need to have a strong understanding of the desired business results and gain agreement on 2-4 measures of success. You need to understand what they need to see in order to continue to do business with you and include those details in your recap. Resist the urge to share details that will detract from your story. Stay focused on what is most important to them.
If you tell the client that the campaign delivered 300,000 impressions, 500 engagements, and 200 clicks, they may or may not determine those numbers equal success. While you need to make sure that you include numbers and metrics in your recap, you also need to translate what those numbers mean for them. Translate the data into a story that clearly supports the desired business results. Think about their understanding of digital metrics and speak their language, for example instead of reporting a .08% CTR, focus on the number of visitors or potential consumers you drove to their website and what the actions of those visitors were once they were on the website.
Ask for access to their Google Analytics or any other tracking tools they use to monitor their website. Use your reporting and the insights from their Google Analytics to provide them with a more meaningful narrative of the people you are driving to them based on their goals. Use their analytics to share insights. Consider how metrics like overall site traffic, time spent, traffic to specific pages associated with the campaign, new visitors, and how people got to their website drive the business results want. Explain how you factor into that equation and take credit for your role in that success.
Are you presenting a standard delivery report as a campaign recap to clients? It’s time to tweak and customize your presentation so that you’re retaining and growing accounts after each digital campaign. Clients won’t read boring reports, and many won’t remember a complicated report. Overwhelmed by digital campaign recaps? Don’t be! This is your time to shine and prove your value. Monitor the metrics and present insights in a clear way that resonates with the client.