1 must to master overwhelming data
Centralize and visualize any cut with Google Looker studio. Templates and video tutorial inside.
It’s 2024. Everybody and I mean EVERYBODY is up their eyes in data.
what kinds of data to track
how to get that data
how to look at the data
what does the data even mean??
Marketers face a specifically daunting challenge: navigating a sea of fragmented data to extract meaningful insights and make informed decisions. It's a struggle that resonates with many of us—the endless hours spent juggling meta, google ads, google analytics, shopify, etc etc.
We suffer from the frustration of piecing together disparate reports, and the nagging feeling that we're not getting the full picture. But what if there was a way to streamline this process, to bring all your marketing data together in one place, and to unlock the power of real-time analytics? Enter Google Data Studio (now known as Looker).
I’ve been using GDS since 2021 and my life has been so much better for it. By providing a centralized platform to connect all data sources, it creates a comprehensive view of marketing performance metrics, such as Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER) and Advertising Cost of Sale (ACOS). This holistic perspective is crucial for understanding the true impact of your marketing efforts and identifying areas for improvement.
One of the standout features of Google Data Studio is its customization capabilities. With the ability to tailor dashboards to the specific needs of different stakeholders, you can ensure that everyone from executives to campaign managers has access to the information they need to make data-driven decisions. For example, an executive dashboard might focus on high-level metrics and key performance indicators - while a campaign manager's dashboard could dive deeper into granular data points and ad-level insights.
An example page from one of my reports that I look at pretty much everyday to understand the health of the business:
Of course, your reports are only as good as your data, so you’ll need to make sure to create the data sources for GDS to reference. GDS is afterall just a visualization tool.
All of the above tables require a data pipeline from Shopify to a gsheet - in the way I’ve set them up.
One of the most transformative aspects of Google Data Studio is its real-time data capabilities. Since it refreshes basically all the time you have the ability to access and analyze data as it comes in. We can make timely adjustments to their strategies and respond quickly to changes in the market. For instance, if we notice a sudden drop in conversions for a particular ad campaign, we can investigate the issue and take corrective action immediately, rather than waiting for a weekly or monthly report.
Another key benefit of Google Data Studio is its ability to facilitate team collaboration and foster transparency. With shared dashboards and the ability to set user permissions, everyone on the team can access the same data and insights, regardless of their location or role. This not only saves time by eliminating the need for constant back-and-forth communication but also ensures that everyone is working from a single source of truth. We often share screenshots of GDS reports in slack to quickly make points and come up with action plans.
Collaborative reporting also promotes accountability and ownership within teams. When everyone has visibility into the data and can see how their individual efforts contribute to the overall marketing performance, they are more likely to take proactive steps to optimize their campaigns and drive better results.
But the benefits of Google Data Studio extend beyond just internal collaboration. By sharing dashboards with clients or stakeholders, you can provide them with real-time updates on campaign performance and demonstrate the value of your marketing efforts. This transparency helps build trust and strengthens relationships, leading to more productive partnerships and long-term success.
Another example of a reporting table that our clients really love:
The data above is for the email campaigns we manage through Klaviyo - and the metrics we look at here are Rev / Recipient (RPR) and Total Recipients. These are the 2 key determinants for Total Revenue.
The beauty of this table is that you can stylize the data to include rows that represent the number value. In the above, the larger the bar the higher the count - so you can easily see which campaigns are standouts.
Now, there’s a bit of a learning curve. I definitely went a little nuts when I first learned how to work with GDS. But like learning how to walk, it’s 100% worth it and essential.
Imagine if you had to crawl everywhere.
To help, here’s a dummy template that you can play with.
And I’ve recorded a tutorial walking through some tips and gotchas.
First time here? I share insights like these every month. If you know someone who could benefit, share this post with them! Browse our archive of posts from the past - like this one on a reddit research tool to expedite ICP discovery or how to use google trends to forecast demand for your niche.
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Need help with marketing or know someone who does? Drop me a message at alvin@adsbyalvin.com to see how I can help. I’ve grown brands like Airbnb, Upwork, Vital Proteins, and Spotify.
I also share playbooks, templates, and knowledge for all things marketing / productivity that you can download here - like this workflow for creating profitable facebook ads utilizing AI.