5 tools we use to track and measure Marketing Performance

Measuring marketing performance is vital in order to gauge the success of what you’re doing. As the old saying goes “if it’s not being measured, then it’s not being managed”. This is especially true of marketing.

At Yellowyoyo we manage a number of clients’ performance marketing (also referred to as paid marketing) and to ensure we are able to accurately report on campaign success and achievement of objectives we use a variety of tools to help us understand performance and where necessary take steps to improve performance.

1. Google Analytics

The granddaddy of tracking tools and has been around since November 2005. This free tool has evolved over time from its original inception, but is still by far the most used tracking tool for websites and marketing the world over.

Google Analytics is added to a website using a piece of code that reports back to Google on how your website is being used by your audience. You can use Google Analytics to report on a number of key metrics such as:

– Website sessions

– No. of pages visited

– How long people are staying on your website (dwell time)

– Conversions (i.e. leads or other goals you want to track)

– Entry and exit pages

…and a whole host of other metrics that’ll help you understand the performance of your marketing.

2. WhatConverts

We use WhatConverts to track performance of PPC campaigns (pay-per-click) for clients. This tool gives us extra insights over and above what Google Analytics records. For instance, by using a special tracking number, we can record calls and report back to clients on a variety of useful pieces of data including:

– Average call length

– Call recordings

– Missed calls

This allows us to ensure that clients are getting the best value from their paid marketing spend, informing them of problems with their call answering process.

WhatConverts is a tool that also connects to a variety of other software including Google Analytics.

3. CRM or email data

Another place that we track, and measure marketing performance is in CRM or email software. CRM systems are a goldmine of information about prospect and client activity. If setup correctly and linked to your website you can gather data such as:

– Which pages individual prospects have visited

– Their customer journey through your website

– What pages triggered an enquiry or purchase

– Which emails they’ve opened, and links clinked on

We use CRM data to understand the performance of clients’ websites and individual campaigns. By using the data from the CRM system we can target prospects that are lower down in the funnel with content that will help them convert into becoming a client for instance.

4. HotJar

If we want to understand HOW prospects are using our clients’ websites, we can install and use an app called HotJar. The tool has huge power to provide valuable insights and data that can be used to improve performance.

Some of the key features of HotJar include:

– Screen recording showing actual users navigating a website

– Heat maps showing where users are focusing their attention

– Scroll maps showing how far down people are scrolling on your website

– Exit surveys to understand why someone didn’t make a purchase or enquiry

We can then use the data we gather to make improvements to websites, messaging, user experience and the whole journey.

Exit surveys which would be considered qualitative data can provide useful snippets of feedback that again can be used to improve the experience for customers.

5. SEMrush

Finally, where we are helping clients improve their SEO (search engine optimisation) we would use a tool called SEMRush, this is one of many SEO tools that can be used to gather data on search performance, another popular tool is Ahrefs.

SEMRush will report on a magnitude of SEO metrics that help us keep clients informed as to their progress in organic search. Examples of data that can be extracted from SEMRush includes:

– Search engine positions of targeted keywords

– Opportunities to improve ranking of keywords

– Number of back links linking to your website

– Toxicity of back links (a score used to rate how toxic a link is in Google’s eyes)

– Competitor analysis and audits

– Competitor keyword analysis

As with all these tools, the data is only as good as the person interpreting it. You need to understand what metrics actually matter and the context in which they’re being used.

Each of these tools will provide the data and insights you need to measure, track and improve your marketing performance if used correctly.

Got a question about this article?

We’d love to help. You can contact us at hello@yellowyoyo.co.uk or leave us a message here.

Steve