Digital Marketing

From this article you will learn:

• How to effectively configure reports in Google Analytics 4.
• How to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns in GA4.
• What are the differences between standard and exploratory reports.
• How to use the key reports in this tool.

In the face of dynamic market changes, companies need increasingly sophisticated analytical tools. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) meets these expectations by offering advanced data analysis.

It's a tool that goes beyond the capabilities of the previous Universal Analytics (UA), with which many users have become accustomed. GA4 provides accurate information, supporting better business decisions. In this post you will find the most important information about this system.

Why configure reports in GA4?

Universal Analytics used to offer about 120 pre-built reports, while GA4 has only 20 by default. Google, however, allows users to fully customize reports, tailoring them to individual needs.

Protip

To realize the full potential of GA4, it is necessary to spend time setting up and learning how to use the interface. However, this is an investment that quickly pays dividends.

How to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns?

To evaluate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, it is necessary to analyze the paths of users' interactions with the site, the app or both. In Google Analytics 4, three main dimensions play a key role: first user-source/medium, session-source/medium and source/medium attributed to a specific event.

These three dimensions offer different approaches to assigning traffic sources:

• The first source/medium is attributed at the user level and represents the site that acquired it in the first session. This is an example of first-click attribution.
• The session dimension is based on the last-click attribution model because it is assigned at the session level and represents the source of that particular session.
• The last dimension relates to the source/medium attributed to a specific event, where Google Analytics attributes the conversion share to the sources/media that appeared in the user's path. The whole thing is based on the default attribution model in GA4, which is data-driven attribution.

Differences between standard reports and exploratory reports in GA4

Google Analytics 4 offers standard reports that provide quick access to basic data on the performance of a website or application. These reports are easily customizable and can be edited to better suit individual user requirements:

Exploratory reports, on the other hand, allow you to analyze data in more detail. With them, you can create advanced summaries, apply a variety of filters, and select the appropriate dimensions and measures according to your needs. They also allow for various forms of visualization, which increases their usefulness in analysis:

Protip

Exploratory reports are a great tool if you care about answering specific business questions accurately. With the ability to visualize data in an accessible way, you will more easily see patterns and draw valuable conclusions. Their flexibility and transparency make using them not only effective, but also convenient.

How to use key reports in GA4?

In Google Analytics 4, you will find reports that are extremely useful for quickly checking your website traffic data and evaluating the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

1. all traffic acquisition report

This report is located in the "Acquisition" category, under the "Traffic Acquisition" section. It allows you to see where your site's traffic is coming from, and provides valuable information about the sources of visits.

You can customize this report by selecting the default dimension and data set to be displayed. It is also possible to change or add more dimensions, allowing for more detailed analysis.

The report allows you to analyze traffic by channel group, source, medium, campaign or source platform. This allows you to easily verify the effectiveness of the activities that attract users to your site. This is a key tool to support the development of any website.

2. e-commerce reports

In Google Analytics 4, you'll find the product sales report under the "Revenue Generation" category in the "E-commerce Purchases" section.

You can modify the report in the same way as for traffic acquisition and other standard reports. The difference is only in the selection of the main dimension in the reports, which can refer to product-level parameters such as product brand, name, identifier, or category.

3. sales reports and purchase path analysis in GA4

In Google Analytics 4 you will find basic sales data. For more detailed transaction information, why not use the reports in the "Explorations" section, which allow you to do advanced analysis and create personalized views of sales data.

4. path to purchase report

Another standard report that deserves attention is Path to Purchase. It will allow you to quickly verify the flow of users along the path to purchase. In addition, you have the option to split the data into dimensions related to location or technology:

5. conversion path report 

Attracting a user to a site may seem relatively simple, but the key question is: how many times does he or she need to visit the site to perform an expected action, such as making a transaction?

It's worth taking a look at the Conversion Paths report, which you'll find in the "Ads" section . This report doesn't allow you to modify it, but it does allow you to filter the data and select the main dimension. You can analyze information based on source, medium, campaign, or channel grouping, which helps you understand what marketing activities are effectively driving users to conversions.

Tips

1. pay attention to data sampling

When analyzing reports in Google Analytics 4, it is worth noting the sampling of data. You can easily identify this with the icon at the top right of the screen.

• A green icon with a checkmark indicates that the report shows full data, without sampling.

• A red triangle with an exclamation mark indicates that sampling or thresholding of data was applied, and some of it may have been moved to the "(other)" line.

A similar situation occurs when the amount of data is too small. In such cases, GA4 applies restrictions to prevent individual users from being identified.

2. use custom channel grouping

Channel grouping in GA4 is a feature that allows you to accurately analyze your traffic by adjusting channel categories to fit your specific marketing efforts. An example would be to create a channel "influencers cat. 1", grouping the top influencers working with the brand.

To correctly assign traffic to the appropriate channels:

• use consistent campaign tagging. With UTM parameters, you can determine which channel the traffic should go to,
• implement the tracking concept in your organization, a structure of UTMs with a uniform naming scheme used by the entire team,
• Consider preparing an internal tag generator to minimize the risk of errors, such as typos in tags.

Create channel groups with care. GA4 allows you to create up to three groups, including the default channel grouping. Once configured, these groups will be visible in standard reports and explorations, making data analysis easier.

3. use custom definitions

Custom definitions allow you to track additional data on your site that is specific to your business or campaign. They allow you to collect and analyze information that is not available in standard Google Analytics 4 reports.

Custom definitions fall into three main categories:

• Custom dimensions - allow you to collect detailed information about users, events or products. For example, you can add a dimension that captures additional user attributes, such as subscription type or account status.
• Custom events - allow you to create special events that are specific to your site, such as button clicks, form interactions or specific user actions.
• Custom Products - allow you to track additional e-commerce product attributes, such as unique product categories or custom attributes that may be relevant for sales analysis.

The benefit of using custom definitions is the flexibility to collect data that meets your individual analytical needs.

4. pay attention to custom data and calculated data in GA4

Another type of definition in GA4 is custom data, which is mainly about events. With these, you can collect data in non-standard units of measurement, such as:

• distance - useful, for example, in analyzing user tracking in mobile applications,
• date - allows recording specific dates related to user interactions,
• Currency - to track transactions in different currencies,
• standard - allows you to track other specific data that is important in the context of events.

Calculated data is another definition in GA4 that allows you to add fields based on the results of calculations. With this, you can easily add metrics such as:

• conversion rate,
• return on advertising spend (ROAS).

It is worth mentioning that the calculated data can also be based on units of measurement. Such calculated fields can be added to reports in the exploration section, allowing advanced data analysis.

The available limit is five calculation fields for standard services and 50 for the 360 version.

Summary:

• Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is an advanced analytics tool that offers flexibility and the ability to accurately analyze data to support better business decisions. The system allows full customization of reports, allowing you to tailor them to your individual needs. It is worth taking the time to configure the tool, as it brings quick benefits.
• GA4 offers three main dimensions for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing campaigns: first user-source/medium, session-source/medium, and source/medium attributed to a specific event.
• Reports in GA4 are divided into standard reports, which provide quick access to data, and exploratory reports, which allow for more detailed analysis and advanced data visualization. These reports help evaluate the effectiveness of marketing and sales activities, such as traffic acquisition, e-commerce, purchase paths and conversions.

From this article you will learn:

• How a strategic approach to keywords affects business results.
• How to use excluded keywords to protect and optimize your advertising budget.
• How to optimize ad budgets by properly managing keywords in text ads on Google Ads.

In an era of increasing competition in digital channels, strategic keyword management is not just a marketing tool, it is the foundation for successful customer acquisition and maximizing ROI, which can determine a company's competitive advantage.

 Integrating business goals into your keyword strategy

Effective keyword management goes far beyond the technical aspects - it is first and foremost a strategic business decision. The key to success is a shift in perspective - instead of focusing on the quantity of keywords, the focus should be on their quality and alignment with business goals. This requires close collaboration between marketing, sales and finance departments to make better investment decisions and maximize the return on marketing expenditures.

Good to know

Quality Score (keyword quality as assessed by Google) has a direct impact on the cost and effectiveness of Google Ads campaigns. The higher the Quality Score, the lower the cost per click (CPC) and the better the ad position. A proper keyword management strategy is the foundation of a high QS.

Strategic use of exclusionary keywords

Effective management of the advertising budget requires not only the selection of appropriate phrases, but above all the elimination of unwanted traffic. Exclusion of unnecessary keywords (negative keywords) is one of the basic elements of Google Ads strategy, having a direct impact on the ROI of the campaign.

This process allows you to precisely reach the right target audience and protect your advertising budget from ineffective traffic. This is especially important for companies operating in specific market segments or offering specialized products and services.

In practice, we can use different types of exclusions:

Strict exclusions 

They are ideal when you know that a particular phrase doesn't bring conversions or is completely irrelevant to your target audience. For example, if you sell premium products, you can exclude phrases such as "cheap" or "free."

Proximate exclusions 

They are particularly useful when you want to block a wider range of searches. For example, excluding the keyword "winter jackets" roughly can block phrases such as "winter jackets for kids" and "cheapest winter jackets."

Exclusions to be expressed 

This, in turn, is a very flexible tool when you want to block keywords in specific contexts. For example, by excluding "shoes" and "children's" at the same time, you can avoid displaying ads in less profitable combinations.

Key areas of application for exclusionary keywords are:

• Precise targeting of specific market segments,
• Eliminating cannibalization between campaigns,
• Protecting the brand image,
• Optimization of advertising expenditures.

The exclusion strategy should be regularly updated based on:

• Analysis of search phrase reports,
• Sales data and the quality of leads acquired,
• Changes in the company's offerings and strategy.

Good to know

In this case, it is worth remembering an important change introduced by Google at the end of 2024 - the ability to add exclusionary keywords in Performance Max campaigns. At the same time, it should be noted that these exclusions only work for Search and Shopping networks.

Strategic budget allocation

Effective use of keyword management tools allows for precise allocation of advertising budgets. It is important to understand that different phrases perform different functions in the purchase path:

Brand phrases:

• highest conversion
• lowest cost of customer acquisition
• require protection from competition

Generic phrases:

• awareness
• higher competitiveness
• require precise rate optimization

Long tail phrases:

• high purchase intention
• lower competition
• require continuous discovery of new opportunities

Case study: keyword optimization in the car rental industry

As part of the optimization of Google Ads campaigns for a client in the fashion industry, we reorganized the structure of phrases in key text campaigns. As a result of the changes, we reduced the cost per conversion by as much as 28.4% in just one month.

This is a significant improvement in efficiency, demonstrating the significant impact that proper keyword management can have on business results.

Summary:

• Effective keyword management requires a strategic approach and regular optimization.
• Exclusionary keywords are an important part of protecting advertising budgets and precise targeting.
• The right keyword selection strategy has a direct impact on Quality Score and campaign costs.
• Integrating business goals with keyword strategy is the foundation of effective Google Ads campaigns.

From this article you will learn:

• How to plan social media communications for the medical industry, taking into account the specifics of the audience, their needs and regulatory requirements.
• How a creative approach and well-chosen humor can help you communicate more effectively with different audiences.
• Which performance marketing tools and techniques yield the best results in the medical industry.

Medical marketing is one of the more dynamically developing areas of marketing, due to rapid technological advances in medicine, increased competition in this sector and growing patient awareness. According to research, the medical technology (medtech) sector in Poland is one of the fastest growing areas of the medical market*. This pace of development is forcing medical marketers to become increasingly innovative and adapt their communications to the changing expectations of both patients and medical facilities.

Social media and performance marketing offer tremendous opportunities to build awareness and engagement, but require the right strategy and an understanding of the medical industry. Importantly, medical brands do not have to be conservative at all - sometimes an unusual approach and humor can yield excellent results, especially when communicating with younger audiences.

1 Challenges in medical marketing

Why is medical marketing so unique? The medical industry places specific demands on marketers:

• Regulations: activities must comply with regulations on advertising medical services.
• Building trust: audiences expect reliable information and authenticity.
• Sensitivesubject matter: messages must be sensitive to patients' needs and emotions.

Understanding these challenges allows you to better align your marketing strategy with the specifics of your industry and the needs of your target groups. Proper preparation and customization of content, in turn, enables you to effectively build trust and engagement among your audience.

2. effective communication on social media

Are you able to capture the attention of your audience within the first few seconds with your actions? Social media is not only a space for education, but also for building a relationship based on trust and engagement. Your success begins with your ability to tell a story in a way that is memorable.

Social media has become an integral part of marketing efforts in the medical sector as well. However, a creative approach is needed to make your communications effective and capture the attention of your audience! What is worth considering?

Educational campaigns in a modern form

Education is fundamental in medical marketing, but its presentation can be more innovative. For example, use short videos, infographics or animations that explain complex medical topics in an accessible way.

Patient storytelling

Telling patients' stories, with their consent of course, can be a powerful tool for building trust. On social media, short, emotional videos or posts can show real stories of treatment and medical support.

Humor and lightness

Although medicine is a serious field, some content can be given in a humorous way. A humorous approach, if properly tailored to the target audience, can attract younger audiences and increase engagement.

Campaigns with influencers

Working with influencers who specialize in health, fitness or healthy lifestyles can increase the reach of your campaigns. However, it is crucial to select partners who share your brand values and communicate in a way that is authentic and credible to their community. This approach not only increases the effectiveness of your campaigns, but also minimizes the risk of losing the trust of your audience.

Real-time interactive content

Live's with experts, such as Q&A sessions with doctors, are a great way to build engagement. Users can ask questions and get immediate answers, which builds brand credibility.

Engaging visual content

Ensure the visual quality of your content. Infographics, animations and short videos that explain complex medical issues in simple terms are tools that are effective in attracting attention on social media.

3. creative campaigns that go beyond social media

Can a medical campaign transcend screens? Imagine a message that enters the viewer's daily life, surprises them in unexpected places and engages them where they least expect it. This approach gives your brand a unique voice and increases the chances of being remembered. 

Social media communication is an important part of the strategy, but effective medical marketing can also include activities beyond this channel. Which ones? 

FOOH 

Flexible forms of outdoor advertising, such as digital billboards or interactive installations, can effectively attract attention in public spaces. By locating near medical facilities or health-related places (e.g., gyms, pharmacies), the message reaches the right target group.

Educational events

Hosting workshops, webinars or open days can be a great way to reach your audience directly. Such events build engagement and allow interaction with experts.

Printed information materials

Despite the digital revolution, traditional flyers, brochures or magazines can still be an effective information medium, especially in medical facilities or pharmacies.

PR campaigns

Cooperation with trade media, expert publications or holding press conferences are activities that build brand reputation and increase visibility.

4. pandemic and changes in medical services

Over the past five years, the medical sector has undergone a subtle but significant transformation. The pandemic did not cause a revolution, but accelerated changes that were already in development. The key change was a shift in perspective - from the traditional in-person contact model to a hybrid model with strong digital support.

Medical facilities have rapidly adapted their communication strategies, replacing traditional promotional methods with modern digital tools.

Benefits of the new marketing approach

Performance marketing in medicine is more than just advertising. It is a precise tool that allows you to:

• accurate patient targeting,
• measuring the effectiveness of each campaign,
• Realistic optimization of advertising budgets,
• Instant message customization.

Technologies that have changed the promotion of medical services

Today, advertising platforms offer almost unlimited possibilities. We can create highly specialized campaigns targeting:

• Specific age groups - we will communicate differently to zetas, and differently to millenials - for this industry we will communicate completely separate services. For example, generation Z may be more interested in dermatology or passes to sports facilities, while millenials may be more interested in physiotherapists and nutritionists.
• People with specific ailments - here with the message we already go directly to the person with a particular medical problem. With both copy and graphics, we need to have a feel for it, but we also can't bore our recipient and disappear from the competition. Here, thanks to A/B testing, we are looking for the golden mean.
• Patients who visited our website, our profiles on social media, added something to their shopping cart - each of these people makes a different decision in connection with our company. The marketer's job is to accurately define the what, why and how: what prompted the customer to interact, why he or she did so, and how to further leverage this in advertising campaigns

5. remarketing - the key to successful conversion

The remarketing mechanism allows people interested in medical services to be reminded repeatedly. The effect? A significant increase in the likelihood of converting interest into a real visit.

Cost vs efficiency

The cost of acquiring a potential patient becomes an important indicator. With paid activities in an environment such as Meta, we get the opportunity:

• continuous testing of messages - matching them to seasons for specific diseases, allergies, preventive tests; 
• tailoring the message to patients' preferences - defining the target group - whether our tone of voice needs to be more formal, but whether we can come out with lighter messages;
• Reduce unnecessary ad spending - use remarketing, split cold and hot, continuous a/b testing, use knowledge of customer behavior on the site.

Performance marketing activities for peri-medical services is a constantly developing topic. Poles often choose online psychological consultations, open to family doctors in this form, but some cases still require doctor-patient contact. Here we need to clearly define the person we want to reach, and show his message, which will be based on differentiators (proximity, free appointments, speed in making an appointment). This is the clue of performance marketing in the case of activities related to the peri-medical industry - to understand who the potential patient is, what ails him and why, like most Poles, he delays seeing a specialist.

Summary

• Medical marketing must take into account legislation, build authenticity and tailor communications to patients' emotions.
• A successful strategy includes engaging content, patient stories, and partnerships with credible creators.
• Accurate campaigns based on data analysis allow you to better reach patients and increase conversions.

Sources:

• https://centrum-medicus.pl/raport-o-badaniu-rynku-medycznego

From this article you will learn:

• How to create an effective influencer campaign strategy focused on specific KPIs.
• What are the key elements of effective vetting and proper selection of influencers.
• How to measure and optimize the ROI of influencer campaigns.

Influencer marketing is often seen as a simple promotional tool - just find a popular creator, send them a product and wait for results. However, the reality is much more complex. An effective influencer campaign requires precise strategic planning and should be an integral part of a company's broader marketing strategy. Find out how to do it right.

Strategic planning of influencer campaign

The foundation of an effective campaign is the precise definition of its goals. Contrary to common practice, you should not be guided solely by reach or number of followers. An influencer campaign can serve various strategic purposes - from building brand awareness, to increasing direct sales, to reinforcing the position of an expert in the industry or reaching new market segments. The key is that these goals should be measurable and closely aligned with the company's overall business strategy.

Protip

The most effective influencer campaigns are those that combine image and sales goals, leveraging long-term partnerships with carefully selected creators.

Verification and selection of influencers

The process of selecting the right influencer requires a multidimensional analysis. In our practice, we use a five-step vetting process:

1. Demographic analysis of the audience.
2. Verifying the authenticity of outreach.
3. A study of the history of cooperation.
4. Commentary Sentiment Analysis.
5. Audit of value consistency with customer values.

For professional verification, it is necessary to have the appropriate experience of a specialist who will be able to spot potential risks and verify the alignment of a given creator with the campaign concept. To verify a creator's reach, it is best to use statistics taken directly from the influencer's account in the form of print screens. Special tools are also useful, including:

• Influtool - shows both the approximate statistics of the creator and his past publications. Both posts and Instastories can be searched by keywords or hashtags. This will allow you to find people who have mentioned a product or a problem that the product solves in the past.
• SocialAuditor - allows you to verify a designated influencer for authenticity of reach. Based on the extracted data sample, it thoroughly verifies the authenticity of the audience, among other things. It detects both fake accounts and mass followers, which allows for accurate verification of a given creator.
• Social Blade - allows you to examine the number of subscribers acquired and the number of people who watch content on the creator's channel over a certain period of time.
• Brand24 - allows you to monitor mentions and sentiment around an influencer. It is particularly useful in assessing authenticity and potential image risks.

Content creation

A key element in planning influencer campaigns is the content creation strategy. It is a mistake to impose rigid scripts or exact scenarios on influencers. Effective content must be a natural blend of brand DNA and the creator's authentic communication style.

In our practice, the model of three pillars of content marketing in influencer campaigns works well:

1. consistency with the brand while maintaining the authenticity of the creator

Each influencer has a unique style of communication that has attracted and kept a certain community with them. Our task is to find points of commonality between this style and the brand's values. For example, if we work with an influencer known for her sense of humor and relaxed communication style, we don't force her into a rigid corporate narrative - instead, we look for a way to express the brand's values in her distinctive style.

2. value for the recipient

Content must not be limited to a simple product presentation. They must provide real value to the viewer - whether in the form of education, entertainment or inspiration. In practice, we often use the 80/20 rule - where 80% of the content focuses on providing value, and only 20% on directly promoting the product.

3 Context and storytelling

A product or service should be a natural part of a broader story. For example, instead of asking an influencer to simply show a face cream, we plan content that shows his or her entire skincare routine, where our product is a natural part of a larger whole.

In the process of creating content, proper validation is also crucial.

In this case, we have developed a two-step approval process:

1. Initial concept consultation - this is where the influencer provides an overview of the content.
2. Final approval - here we already verify the specific material.

Importantly, at each stage we leave room for creativity and the creator's own interpretation of the brief. Practice shows that overly rigid guidelines often lead to content that, while in line with the brief, is inauthentic and therefore less effective.

It is also important to remember to adapt the content format to the specifics of the platform. Content that works great on YouTube may require a completely different approach on TikTok or Instagram. Therefore, in the brief, we only specify the key messages and values relating to the communication, leaving the creator free to choose the right form for his platform.

Case study: Tak Wyszło TV - the power of authentic content

An excellent example of the effectiveness of a well-tailored influencer collaboration is the barter campaign implemented with the Yes Out TV channel. This case perfectly illustrates how the right approach to content creation can bring significant results with a relatively small budget.

Context of cooperation

Yes Out TV is a channel known for its unique format, in which the creator runs along designated routes, creating specific shapes and logos on a map. This creative format was used for material for the Motorola brand.

Protip

Instead of imposing rigid guidelines and artificial scenarios on the creator, it is worth letting him stay true to his format, which can result in exceptionally authentic and engaging material. This is what happened in the case of the cooperation with the channel Yes Wyszło TV.

Mechanics of operation

The collaboration was based on a simple but engaging premise - the creator was tasked with creating his distinctive "map art" in exchange for a surprise package from the brand. What made this campaign stand out was the full creative freedom left to the author to produce the material.

The brand further demonstrated its understanding of the value of authentic content by deciding to donate not small gadgets to the creator, as initially planned, but a high-end smartphone. This gesture significantly influenced the final perception of the entire campaign.

Results

The effects of the campaign significantly exceeded expectations, as the film:

• reached a reach of nearly 840,000 impressions (688,000 on Tik Tok, 151,000 on Instagram),
• generated extremely positive sentiment in the comments,
• has built a genuine affection for the Motorola brand.

The power of authenticity

By allowing the creator to stay true to his format, the brand received content that was natural and therefore more engaging for viewers. Understanding the value of good content translated into a more generous gift than planned, thus building an extremely positive brand image. The campaign proved that with the right approach, significant results can be achieved without investing huge budgets in content production.

Legal and formal aspects of cooperation

Properly securing legal cooperation with influencers is often an underestimated but critical element of a campaign.

Attorney Damian Sawicki, Partner at Sawicki Legal

Contrary to appearances, influencer marketing contracts are not the simplest due to the large number of variables we need to consider for each collaboration. To begin with, we need to pay attention to whether we are contracting directly with an influencer or with an influencer agency. This is crucial in order to adequately cover risks and distribute responsibility.

Precise definition of the scope of cooperation and securing the rights to use the materials created is an absolute must. Special attention needs to be paid to non-compete clauses and proper labeling of advertising content. Lack of regulation on these issues can negatively affect the effectiveness of the campaign or even problems with the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

It is important that the document safeguards all the interests of the client, precisely defines the scope of cooperation and contains tools regulating actions in case of disputes. Properly drafted, it will save us time and avoid misunderstandings during the implementation of activities with the creator.

Comprehensive performance measurement

A successful influencer campaign also requires the implementation of a sophisticated performance measurement system. In our practice, we use a measurement model based on four key areas:

1. quantitative metrics

In influencer campaigns, key quantitative metrics - reach, views, comments and likes - require comprehensive analysis and proper interpretation. Reach determines the number of unique users who saw the content, while views measure the total exposure of the content, taking into account repeat contacts. Comments and likes, on the other hand, perfectly show audience engagement. Successful campaign analysis always requires a combined interpretation of all these metrics in the context of the stated goals and industry specifics.

2. quality metrics

We go beyond basic coverage metrics to focus on the quality of interactions. We analyze not only the number of comments, but their substantive content and sentiment.

Protip

The key elements of success in influencer campaigns are: precise definition of goals and KPIs aligned with business strategy; multi-level verification of influencers; comprehensive performance measurement system; continuous optimization of activities based on data.

3. business indicators

Every campaign must translate into tangible business results. We monitor:

• Direct sales through discount codes,
• Increase in website traffic,
• newsletter base growth,
• An increase in visits or followings on the brand's social media.

4 Long-term effects

We pay special attention to long-term effects, such as:

• Lifetime Value of customers acquired by influencers,
• Increase in Brand Awareness,
• Changing brand perceptions,
• community building.

Summary

• Successful influencer marketing is a combination of strategic planning, precise execution and systematic optimization
• Looking ahead to the next few years, influencer marketing will evolve into even more advanced forms of collaboration, with an emphasis on authenticity and measurable business results. Brands that already build a solid foundation in this area will gain a significant competitive advantage.
• When implementing influencer campaigns, however, it is worth remembering that it is not always a tool for quick sales increases. These activities should be part of a long-term strategy to build brand and customer relationships. A properly planned and implemented campaign can bring not only direct sales results, but also a permanent strengthening of the brand's position in the market.

From this article you will learn:

• How to assess whether the current level of sales in your e-commerce is a cause for concern, whether it is within the correct range.
• How to prove (to yourself and your boss) that campaigns on Instagram actually translate into increased followers and engagement.
• How to anticipate natural ups and downs in sales throughout the year to better plan budgets and promotions.

Statistics is a powerful tool for turning chaotic data into concrete answers and decisions - especially valuable in marketing. Its unique power lies in its ability to combine and analyze information from a variety of sources: from consumer behavior to sales data to campaign performance metrics.
In this article, you'll see what this looks like in practice. Check it out!

Thanks to statistical methods, it is possible to see patterns and relationships that escape simple observation of individual data. While the term "statistical analysis" may sound off-putting to many people, in practice it's a fascinating way to turn scattered knowledge into concrete, useful business conclusions.

So let's look together at three practical examples that show how statistical analysis supports marketing decision-making. Each illustrates a different aspect of data use - from simple significance tests to correlation analyses. Importantly, the cases presented are from real-life situations in which statistics helped turn uncertainty into concrete action.

Casus 1: Noon passes and we still don't have any purchase 

You certainly experience anxiety when e-commerce sales on any given day seem lower than usual. However, is a lack of orders before noon really cause for concern? Let's take a look at how statistical analysis can help you assess this situation. Let's analyze some sample data:

Date	Number of orders	Value of orders
06.01.2025	12	PLN 9,121.32
05.01.2025	112	58 252.32 zł
04.01.2025	28	19 043.08 zł
03.01.2025	51	36 725.61 zł
02.01.2025	3	2 280.33 zł
01.01.2025	5	PLN 3,000.55

In black and white you can see that for various reasons the number of orders in the store fluctuates significantly day to day, but let's perform a simple step-by-step analysis:

1. The average daily number of orders is 35.17.
2. The standard deviation is 38.05.
3. The typical range of variability (mean +/- standard deviation) is -2.89 to 73.22 orders.

What does this mean in practice? Days with the number of orders in this range are completely normal, even 0 orders fall within the typical area of variability, so there is no reason to worry when no orders are recorded before noon.

Protip

Using standard deviation in sales analysis avoids unnecessary reactions to natural fluctuations. You can plan marketing activities much better, manage budgets more effectively, and make decisions based on data rather than emotions. This knowledge allows you to focus on long-term strategy instead of reacting to short-term fluctuations, which are a natural part of e-commerce.

Casus 2: This campaign for traffic on Instagram doesn't seem to be working, because we are catching a few observers each day

As a marketing manager, you're probably wondering whether investing in campaigns on Meta services actually translates into an increase in the number of followers on Instagram. Let's take a look at how you can test this with concrete data. Let's analyze sample campaign results:

Date	Funds spent	Number of visitors	New observers
06.01.2025	208,86 zł	127	16
05.01.2025	PLN 200.04	127	18
04.01.2025	189.23 zł	112	8
03.01.2025	176.48 zł	113	7
02.01.2025	242.73 zł	144	19
01.01.2025	211.61 zł	128	16

Protip

To evaluate the effectiveness of a campaign, it is useful to use Pearson's correlation coefficient. This is a statistical tool that allows you to determine how strongly two sets of data are related. The =PEARSON() function in Excel shows the strength of the relationship between two variables on a scale of 0 to 1, where 1 means full correlation and 0 means no relationship at all between two sets of data.

Analysis of our data shows that:

1. The correlation between spending and profile visits is 0.96, which means that an increase in budget directly translates into more visits. The minimal difference (0.04) may be due to natural fluctuations in advertising costs;
2. The correlation between spending and new observers is 0.82, so this is still a very strong relationship. We can attribute the missing 0.18 to people who organically observe the profile, for example.

Based on the analysis, it is therefore worth recommending the continuation of the campaign due to its proven effectiveness. The key will be to regularly monitor the correlation coefficient and systematically work on optimizing the cost of acquiring an observer. This can be achieved by conducting tests of various advertising formats, constantly improving targeting and constantly improving the quality of content published on the profile. Such analysis allows you to make decisions based on hard data, not intuition, and can provide a solid basis for discussing budget increases or modifying your social media strategy.

Casus 3: We are planning activities for next year

The beginning of the year is the perfect time to analyze the seasonality of sales and plan marketing activities for the next 12 months. Let's take a look at sales data from the past year:

Date	Sales	Moving average (60 days)	Standard deviation
January 2024	PLN 186,000	PLN 195,000	PLN 23,000
February 2024	PLN 198,000	212 000 zł	pln 24,000
March 2024	PLN 245,000	252 000 zł	pln 27,000
April 2024	pln 278,000	pln 275 000	pln 30,000
May 2024	pln 289 000	pln 282 000	pln 31,000
June 2024	pln 267,000	pln 272 000	pln 29,000
July 2024	zł 198 000	pln 215,000	pln 22,000
August 2024	PLN 242,000	pln 248 000	pln 25,000
September 2024	pln 256,000	pln 262 000	pln 28,000
October 2024	PLN 298,000	pln 285,000	pln 32,000
November 2024	389 000 zł	352 000 zł	48 000 zł
December 2024	458 000 zł	442 000 zł	52 000 zł

The moving average helps us smooth out the natural fluctuations of sales and see the real trends. We calculate it in Excel using the function =WORLDNIA.CROW(), taking the last 60 days. By doing so, we can see that:

• the highest sales occur in November-December (an increase of about 60% compared to the annual average)
• July and January are the months with the lowest sales (down about 30% from the annual average)
• A stable level of sales is maintained in the March-June period.

The standard deviation shows the natural variability of sales from period to period. We observe that during the holiday season (November-December) the deviation is highest, which indicates greater unpredictability of sales. On the other hand, in the summer months the deviation is the lowest, and this indicates more stable sales. An interesting fact is, an increase in the standard deviation often precedes an increase in average sales, which can be a helpful indicator in predicting upcoming sales trends.

Based on this analysis, we can plan:

• Increase advertising budgets during naturally higher sales periods (October-December).
• Prepare special promotions for fall periods (July, January).
• Maintain a stable level of communication during periods of average sales.
• Adjust sales targets to natural seasonal fluctuations.

Such analysis allows not only to better plan budgets, but also to realistically assess sales performance in the context of typical seasonality.

Statistics in the service of marketing

You already know how to use statistical analysis to get concrete, data-backed answers to key marketing questions. It's not complicated formulas and difficult calculations, but a practical tool to help you make better business decisions.

Remember that, like any tool, statistical analysis requires practice and understanding. It's worth taking the time to learn the available functions and formulas, because the benefits of using them far outweigh the initial learning effort. It's an investment that will pay off in the form of more accurate decisions and better marketing results.

Statistics is not a mathematical monster, but your ally on the road to achieving better results in marketing. 

Summary:

• Thanks to statistical methods, it is possible to see patterns and relationships that escape simple observation of individual data.
• The use of standard deviation in sales analysis avoids unnecessary reactions to natural fluctuations. Sometimes even 0 orders in a given period need not be a cause for concern.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a campaign, it is useful to use Pearson's correlation coefficient. The moving average, in turn, helps smooth out natural fluctuations in sales and spot real trends when planning activities for the new year.

From this article you will learn:

• Which metrics are key to evaluating the effectiveness of a Facebook campaign.
• How to interpret and optimize key ratios.
• What actions help improve campaign performance.

When creating Facebook ads, it is easy to get lost among the dozens of available metrics. However, it is the ability to focus on the most important metrics that often determines the success of a campaign. In this article, I'll show you which ones really matter and how to use them to achieve better results.

The success of a Facebook campaign does not depend on tracking all possible exponents, but on skillfully using the most important ones. Therefore, focus on: CTR, VTR and CR - they will best show you the effectiveness of your actions.

CTR (Click Through Rate) - click through rate.

CTR is one of the primary indicators of how engaging your ads are. It shows the percentage of people who clicked on an ad relative to all users to whom it was displayed. It can be assumed that a good CTR for Facebook ads is usually above 1%, and a low CTR  is the one below 0.5% (suggests that the content is not hitting the needs of the audience).

Protip

Keep in mind that for specific industries and products the indicated values may be different, and you will get the best results by comparing so-called apples to apples, that is, for example, two different ads in the same campaign.

How to improve CTR

• Test different ad formats (video, carousels, single images).
• Use distinctive colors that stand out in the feed.
• Create catchy headlines with a clear message.
• Tailor the message to a specific target audience.

VTR (Video Through Rate) - video viewing rate

VTR shows what percentage of users watched your video to the end. It's a key metric for video campaigns that helps you understand whether your content is effectively holding your audience's attention. It is especially important because more and more of the content being consumed, especially on Instagram, is video.

How to improve the VTR

• The first 3 seconds are crucial - start with a strong opening.
• Create short, dynamic materials (15-30 seconds).
• Add subtitles - up to 85% of users watch video without sound*.
• Test different video formats (vertical vs horizontal).

CR (Conversion Rate) - conversion rate

CR shows what percentage of people who clicked on an ad performed the desired action (such as a purchase). Although the main influence on CR is the quality of the landing page, we can support its growth through appropriate advertising activities.

How to improve CR

• Drive traffic to optimized landing pages.
• Test different target groups and different forms of communication.
• Take advantage of remarketing by targeting people who have shown interest.
• Create a consistent message between the ad and the landing page.

Key metrics in Facebook Ads campaigns - case study 

While working for one of our clients in the medical industry, we hit a stumbling block while trying to optimize a campaign. What was the problem? Well, in this industry, all basic targeting options, albeit remakreting, are disabled.

So in order to improve the effectiveness of the campaign, we focused on optimizing the creatives themselves (both static and video), which allowed us to improve VTR and CTR. This, in turn, indirectly translated into a twofold reduction in the cost per lead, thanks to which we filled doctors' schedules at the facility.

Summary:

• Regular monitoring of CTR, VTR and CR allows you to quickly catch problems and respond accordingly.
• The key to improving results when running Facebook Ads campaigns is to constantly test different formats and communications.
• Campaign optimization is an ongoing process - there is no one-size-fits-all solution that will work in every situation.

Sources:

• https://www.nexttv.com/news/mobile-videos-often-watched-without-audio-study-finds