Most reports we inherit are long. Impressions, clicks, reach, followers, sessions, time on page. Every line is true and almost none of them tell the team what to do on Monday.
We ask for one number at the start of every engagement. Not because the others do not matter, but because a team that watches everything is not watching anything.
What makes a good number
- It is close to money: inquiries, bookings, orders, or qualified leads
- The team can see it move within a few weeks
- Someone outside marketing would recognise it
Everything else becomes context. We still read it, but it no longer gets to decide whether the work is going well.
What changes when you pick one
Creative gets tied to it. Tests get designed around it. The weekly reading gets shorter, and arguments about whether a campaign “did well” get much easier to settle.