“Wow, this is the best campaign recap I’ve ever received!”
As a seller, have you ever heard this from a customer? The odds of getting this type of feedback are low. Don’t feel bad because most campaign recaps are mediocre at best. Most are a bunch of data that do not tell a story. Most are forgettable at best.
What Does a Good Campaign Recap Do?
In any sale you make, it's important to monitor, evaluate, and report on results. Campaign recaps should do more than report on impressions delivered and clicks (AKA = a "data dump"). A strong campaign recap should be used to sell the results of the campaign in an effort to retain, renew, and grow an account. You will greatly increase the likelihood of developing a campaign recap that will resonate with your client when you fully understand their desired business results and focus on how the predetermined measures of success are driving those results.
Ask These Questions Before You Develop a Campaign Recap
Before you present your next campaign recap, take some time and answer these questions. Can you say "YES" to all of these?
- Does your recap include an Executive Summary or Campaign Overview that restates the desired business results, outlines the main points of the campaign and speaks to the audience that is receiving the recap (i.e., digital agency, novice digital advertiser, etc.)?
- Have you determined multiple measures of success that you will report on to show how the campaign is performing and working to achieve the desired business results?
- Have you incorporated all the details of your campaign (i.e., impressions delivered, dates, targeting, digital and traditional capabilities used, etc.)?
- Have you included images of the creative used in the campaign?
- Do you have access to their website analytics, such as Google Analytics, or someone within the organization that can share website metrics with you to support performance, such as increases in website traffic, time spent, etc.?
- Have you used the data from your reporting tools and/or their analytics to specifically support each of the measures of success you identified?
- Have you stayed away from reporting additional details and metrics that do not support your predetermined measures of success?
- Have you translated the data into a story, laying out a clear narrative of how the data supports the desired business results?
- Have you included recommendations on how to optimize this and future campaigns to drive their desired business results?
Is Your Recap Ready to Deliver?
Were you able to answer "YES" to every one of these questions? The more questions you are unable to answer with a "YES," the more likely your recap needs more work before it is ready to deliver to your client.
If you have a long list of "No's," don’t freak. Take them one at a time and convert them to "YES!" Do this, and don’t be surprised when you hear this from a satisfied customer, “Wow, this is the best campaign recap I’ve ever received!”
