The Perfect Marketing Report Part II: 4 Things to Exclude

It can be overwhelming to leave out anything that you have data and insights on from your marketing report, so we are here to help you pick the rubies from the buckets full of rocks–not every shiny red stone is a ruby.

4 Things to Exclude in Your Marketing Report

1. Buzzwords

Buzzwords are just shiny red stones. Jargon adds no value to your report and, if anything, distracts from the point you are trying to make. Keep it simple and easy to understand. When you put your point across in an accessible way without embellishing it so much that its basic structure is unrecognizable, you allow the reader to understand the logic behind your points unencumbered by fancy buzzwords.

2. Metrics Not Tied To Organizational Goals

Like vanity metrics that don’t add any value, there are a ton of marketing metrics available to you. But just because you have them doesn’t mean you have to put them in the report. Just because you went through the trouble of carrying 3 buckets of rocks, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all those rocks are valuable. Yes, there are some rubies in there, precious ones too. But when you present them to a gems dealer among the other rocks that mean nothing, they will question your credibility in determining what is and isn’t valuable.

Sort the irrelevant metrics from the valuable information before you present your report. In fact, if you’re presenting specifically to a ruby expert and you happen to find some valuable emeralds, despite the value, leave them out too, and present only the rubies. Your organizational goals should determine what goes in your report and everything else that doesn’t match those goals should be left out.

3. Visuals That Don’t Add Value

Keep your visuals simple so that they don’t end up confusing the viewer. As is the case with using complicated jargon and buzzwords, complicated visuals and graphs that are hard to interpret at the first look would distract whoever reads them. Instead, they will compel them to put more energy into either adjusting their eyes to jarring colors, tilting their head to read, or trying to understand the correlation between too many variables. This gets even worse if a graph they spend time to understand ends up being too obvious or irrelevant to the report. Don’t add visuals for the sake of visual appeal if they don’t actually add value to the point your report is trying to make.

4. Data That Doesn’t Add Value

A good report tells a story and gives clarity, so don’t add data that’ll end up confusing your viewers. Too much data is buckets full of rocks that can weigh heavily on a viewer’s mind. Pick only the most precious data that contributes to the report in value and insight. These rubies of information will enrich a report but can get lost if presented with rocks. Don’t feel compelled to add rocks of information just because you collected them. Leave out any data that lacks value

Summing Up

Anything that doesn’t add value to a report should be left out, whether buzzwords and fancy graphs or irrelevant metrics and data. However, it isn’t always easy to tell a shiny red rock from a precious ruby, which is why it is prudent to leave the careful sieving to machines that will not make mistakes. AI can sort relevant from irrelevant data and make your marketing reports for you with no ruby left behind and no rocks included.

DiGGrowth—an AI-driven no-code marketing intelligence platform—gives you the ability to justify your marketing spend by demonstrating the ROI of your marketing activities. Know how DiGGrowth can help you automate and generate custom marketing reports.