How to track and improve your online marketing

Stop guessing, start measuring

When it comes to online marketing, many small businesses put in the effort - posting on social media, updating their websites, and running email campaigns - but struggle to answer a key question: Is it actually working?

Success isn’t just about how many likes you get or how many people visit your website. It’s about understanding what’s driving real value for your business and using that data to improve your strategy over time.

Set SMART goals for your marketing

The first step to tracking success is setting clear, SMART goals:

• Specific – What exactly do you want to achieve? (e.g., increase website traffic by 20% in 3 months)

• Measurable – Can you track progress with numbers?

• Achievable – Is your goal realistic given your resources?

• Relevant – Does this goal align with your business growth?

• Time-bound – Set a deadline to review progress.

Without defined goals, it’s hard to know what’s working or what needs adjusting.

Understanding key metrics

Not all marketing metrics are created equal. Some look good on paper but don’t necessarily contribute to business growth.

Here’s the difference:

✅ Valuable Metrics: Engagement rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, website traffic sources, and email open rates. These show whether your audience is genuinely interested and taking action.

❌ Vanity Metrics: Likes, follower count, page views. These might make you feel good but don’t always translate into meaningful business results.

Tracking performance across different channels

Your marketing efforts should work together as part of a wider strategy. Here’s how to measure impact across key platforms:

Social media

Use insights from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to track reach, engagement, and conversion actions (like website clicks).

Website analytics

Google Analytics helps track organic traffic (people finding you via search engines), referral traffic (from social media or other websites), and user behaviour (which pages they visit, how long they stay, etc.).

Search performance

Organic search (people finding you through Google without paid ads) vs. social search (users searching for businesses or content directly on platforms like Instagram or TikTok). Both are valuable but understanding where your audience is searching helps refine your strategy.

ROI: What does success look like?

ROI (Return on Investment) in digital marketing isn’t always about direct sales - it’s about achieving the right results for your business. That could be:

• More email subscribers

• Increased engagement from the right audience

• Higher website conversions (whether that’s bookings, purchases, or enquiries)

By tracking these goals consistently, you’ll gain insights into what’s driving success and where to focus your efforts.

Refine. Improve. Repeat

Marketing isn’t a one-time effort, it’s an ongoing process. Regularly reviewing your performance helps you refine your approach and focus on what works.

Instead of comparing yourself to others, measure yourself against your own goals. Competitor insights can inspire you, but your strategy should be tailored to your business and audience.

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My advice for small business owners is simple: your digital marketing efforts should evolve based on your results. Take the time to reflect on what’s working, adjust where needed, and celebrate the wins along the way. And, importantly, keep going!

If you need help understanding your data or refining your strategy? Drop me a message.