Client Reporting: Best Practices for Effective Communication with Clients

II. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free web analytics service provided by Google that enables marketers to track and analyze the performance of their clients’ websites and digital marketing campaigns.

Google Analytics also provides information on a number of metrics, including visitors, pageviews, bounce rate, average session duration, conversion rate, as well as demographics, user behavior, and traffic sources.

III. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a popular Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tool that provides website owners, marketers, and SEO professionals with an impressive variety of tools that can analyze and improve their website’s search engine rankings.

It offers features such as site audits, backlink analysis, competitor research, keyword research, and rank tracking.

IV. Tableau

Tableau is an analytics platform that allows users to see, understand, and share data in a visual way.

It provides a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor to create interactive dashboards, charts, and reports, without requiring extensive coding or technical knowledge. Tableau is also AI-powered.

V. Klipfolio

Klipfolio is a dashboarding and data analytics platform that allows users to connect to multiple data sources, create custom data dashboards, and share insights with others.

It supports a wide range of data sources, from spreadsheets and cloud-based databases to social media platforms and marketing automation tools. 

VI. Madgicx

Madgicx’s One-Click Report allows users to create cross-channel reports in just a few clicks for Meta (Facebook+Instagram), Google, TikTok, and Shopify, all in one place. It also lets them add unlimited channels and accounts to their reports.

One-Click Report boasts 15 pre-made templates, which are all fully customizable using an intuitive drag-and-drop editor. Moreover, it also allows users to create their own reports from scratch.

All the reports can be shared using a public link or by downloading them as PDF files. The public link allows anyone to view the report in real time – even if they have no Madgicx account. This is especially useful for sharing reports with clients, teammates, and managers.

3. Establish Key Performance Indicators

When creating client reports, you need to decide which Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to include in your client reports. The client questionnaire should come in handy here. 

As you might’ve already known, KPIs are measurable values that show you how well your project is performing.

Here are some examples of common KPIs:

4. Provide Monthly Reports

With the assistance of automated client reporting, you can provide regular client reports and ensure that your clients remain updated and informed about the work that’s been done. Truth be told, having a strict reporting schedule can reduce a lot of effort in your quest to provide value to your existing clients.

Monthly automated reports detail the value of your services and show how well you have been able to address client problems or concerns. This helps build trust between client and provider and helps you update your current marketing strategies.

Furthermore, doing periodic reporting also boosts client success, since you’re consistently presenting evidence about which strategies are working and which ones need improvement. Also, make sure to check with your clients on how often they would prefer to receive reports.

5. Create Cross-Channel Marketing Reports

To enhance client reports further, incorporating efficient data transformation tools is key. These ensure the accurate and insightful presentation of data across various marketing channels, enriching the decision-making process.

Cross-channel marketing reports are documents that provide an overview of your client’s performance across multiple platforms. 

These reports include the performance of email marketing, mobile apps, and client-focused reporting on SEO, PPC, or social media in a way that shows you how conversions take place. The customer journey doesn’t have to be a mystery anymore.

We recommend that you create this type of reports because they show the effectiveness of each channel you’re currently using.

6. Focus on Your Progress

Any client celebrates the smallest progress. Make sure that they are always kept in the loop about any relevant wins. It’s important to closely monitor it so that your client’s expectations can be met. In just a few minutes, you can check your reporting dashboard and assess what’s working and what isn’t.

Here are three examples of progress worth sharing with a client:

• Increased website traffic – An increase in website traffic or page views should not be so easily dismissed. Take the time to share the progress with your client by sharing periodic reports about their website with them.
• Conversion rate optimization – Better conversions means more sales. More sales? More chances of becoming profitable.
• Conversion rate improvement – Better conversions means more sales. More sales? More chances of becoming profitable. Show that you’ve been working on conversion optimization strategies by sharing progress in the form of improved conversion rates.
• Cost savings – Cost-saving measures, such as reducing ad spend or optimizing a process can both impact the amount of money saved. Let your client know that you care about how wisely they invest their hard-earned resources.

7. Be Honest and Transparent

When one of your main goals is to be transparent with your client, that means you’re doing digital marketing right. 

Here are some tips to help you become more transparent:

• Define goals and expectations – Decide which metrics, KPIs, and benchmarks you will use to measure success and progress and ensure your client is on board.
• Communicate progress updates – Keep your client informed about progress throughout the project. This can be done through regular meetings, phone calls with a business phone number or email updates.
• Support your reporting with data – Use compelling and actionable data to provide evidence and insights to support your reporting. Data visualization and plain language should help your client understand what the data means.

8. Keep Your Client Reports Simple

Complicated report templates are a definitive no-go. Let’s face it, there aren’t many clients who are willing to go past a learning curve when they’re impatient about exploring their analytics.

Here are some tips you can follow to keep reporting simple:

• Focus on crucial information – Only include information that is relevant to the client and the goals of the project. It would be a bad idea to overwhelm them with too much data or overly-technical details.
• Summarize the key points – Use automated client reporting to provide clients with a clear summary of the key takeaways, such as changes in performance or progress toward various objectives. This helps to make the report more easily digestible.
• Use plain language – Avoid using technical jargon or complex terminology. The client reporting software you use should also prioritize this. Use regular language and avoid unnecessary abbreviations that can leave clients scratching their heads.

9. Engage Clients Visually

Visual data will always get a data point across much more effectively when compared to overly detailed reports. Creating reports that feature graphs, charts, and tables to convey information visually is the best decision. 

Visual aids can help to simplify complex data and make it easier and more exciting for clients to understand. Be on the same page with your clients by making complex concepts easier to understand. This way, you’ll allow the client to understand your point without having to read through long explanations.

If you can, try to use interactive infographics or dashboards that allow clients to explore the data more deeply. Additionally, by making client reports visually appealing, you increase their chances of being read in full by your client.

Would you like a clear example of what a client report should look like? Get instant access to SocialBee’s social media PDF report to discover how visual elements can help you communicate your progress with your clients.

SocialBee’s Social Media Performance Reports

Access a sample of SocialBee’s social media PDF reports to see their presentation.

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10. Include Actionable Recommendations

Any problem, no matter how small, can be nerve-wracking without having a recommended course of action to lean on. One of the best reporting practices you can implement is to share actionable and comprehensive recommendations with your clients.

Here are three examples of actionable recommendations for a client:

• Optimize for target keywords – Chances are that your client’s website is not ranking well for important keywords. In that case, make sure to provide recommendations for optimizing their website content, including adding targeted keywords to meta descriptions, headers, and body text.
• Boost social media engagement – Work with the client to increase engagement on social media channels, including creating more visual content or organizing social media contests and giveaways when possible.
• Improve website UX – In case the client’s website experiences a high bounce rate or low conversion rate, suggest ways to enhance website usability including streamlining navigation, enhancing website speed, and optimizing the checkout process.

Why Is It Important to Create Client Reports?

Creating client reports can be overwhelming, especially when you don’t really understand why they’re a necessary part of the overall relationship.

Here are the five reasons why creating client reports is important:

• Improves client communication and provides transparency
• Keeps both parties accountable
• Tracks performance and informs your strategy
• Manages expectations
• Reduces churn and improves client retention

1. Improves Client Communication and Provides Transparency

Client reports can improve client communication and provide transparency mainly by building trust. Always keep your clients informed about progress, challenges, and outcomes. This helps to form a strong connection between the client and the service provider.

2. Keeps Both Parties Accountable

You can keep yourself and your client accountable by consistently encouraging feedback and collaboration. That way, if someone wishes to implement a big idea, they should also keep their word. 

Client reports can help both parties set expectations, establish goals, and track progress. This means that if there are any delays or issues, they can be addressed quickly and efficiently.

3. Tracks Performance and Informs Your Strategy

A client report can highlight the performance in a variety of areas, allowing service providers to capitalize on these successes and adjust their strategy to amplify positive results.

To inform your current strategy, you can confidently highlight where you’re currently falling short and promptly identify the areas where improvement might be needed. That way, you can adjust the approach accordingly and accomplish your monthly marketing goals.

4. Manages Expectations

It’s important to set expectations right from the beginning of your collaboration. Service providers can establish explicit expectations for progress and results, and exhibit their dedication toward achieving objectives by issuing routine client reports.

5. Reduces Churn and Improves Client Retention

Client reports can be a powerful tool for reducing churn and improving client retention. They can demonstrate the value of the service provider’s work, highlighting progress and outcomes achieved. 

Consequently, this can help clients understand the value of the service and feel more committed to continuing the engagement.

Also, reports can help clients feel more invested in the project by highlighting progress and success across several marketing channels. This can help them see for themselves that the service provider is making a positive impact on their business.

Frequently Asked Questions