If your digital marketing agency is reporting on metrics that are frequently changing or date ranges for long-term strategies like search engine optimization are constantly in flux, then no, you can’t trust them.
You’re welcome for getting to the point. Now let me explain.
Reporting is easy to manipulate and is a very real temptation when agencies are dealing with difficult clients or are feeling lazy.
Agencies need breathing room to do their best work and you as a business owner can give that to them by trusting them fully… Until they prove otherwise.
Reporting On Digital Marketing Performance
One way a digital marketing agency can be found untrustworthy is by manipulating their data visualizations in their reporting. You can spot these inconsistencies by looking at their reporting over time.
If you see date ranges, comparisons, or chart axes change frequently, then something may be up. Some advertisers might say, “Well, it didn’t improve month over month but it did improve from last year so I’m just going to change the comparison so I can get all green on this report”.
Take a look at how I can make this drop in conversion rate look less severe by changing one axis.
Tempting right? And no data was changed. It is all “honest”. However, not ethical in my opinion.
Digital Marketing That Is Trustworthy
Data can’t always be trending up. This is something I explain to my clients at the very beginning of the relationship. Much like the stock market, there are factors that influence a campaign’s performance; some of which can be controlled and some that can’t.
If that is understood, a client can trust that I’m watching out for them regardless of these factors and know that I will always find the reason and let them know whether or not it is in my control to influence the outcome in their favor. And many times, thankfully, I can. But this needs to be understood by both client and agency if the relationship is to be long-lasting and profitable for both parties.
Agencies work best when our clients are successful. That’s why the model works so well!
So be on the lookout for agencies that are just trying to make a quick buck and work with ones who have your back, no matter what the data says.