Level Marketing / Articles / Sales and analytics
What an advertising report should include
Many business owners get a month-end report full of pretty charts that still doesn't tell them whether the ads are profitable. A good report is a decision-making tool. Here are the numbers and sections every advertising report must include.
Report structure
- Period and goal — which month, and what the plan was.
- Key numbers — the table below.
- Breakdown by campaign and creative — what worked and what didn't.
- What was done — tests, changes, new creatives.
- Conclusions — what the numbers mean.
- Next month's plan — specific actions and expected results.
Key numbers
| Metric | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Spend | How much went on ads |
| Reach and impressions | How many people saw the ads |
| Clicks and CTR | How interesting the creative is |
| Number of leads and CPL | The cost of one lead |
| Qualified leads | How many are real prospects |
| Sales and revenue | Data from the CRM |
| Cost per sale | Ads + fees ÷ sales |
| ROMI | Whether marketing pays off |
For the last three rows, the client and agency have to share data: only the sales team knows which leads became sales. For calculating ROMI, see our ROMI article; for CPL, our CPL guide.
Red flags
- The report shows only reach, likes and followers.
- Spend isn't broken down by campaign.
- Numbers aren't compared with last month.
- No conclusions and no next steps.
- The report is always late.
How the report is delivered
Sending numbers isn't enough — they need explaining. At Level Marketing, every month on the project date our specialist visits the client's office, walks through reach, leads and cost per lead, and discusses next month's plan.
Conclusion
A good report answers three questions: how much was spent, how many sales came in and what changes next month. If yours doesn't, ask for it. This matters when choosing a specialist too — see how to choose a paid ads specialist.
