Two Tools to Automate Your SEM Reporting
Although every SEM may wish it to be, building client reports is not a revenue generating activity. I personally would rather be in the trenches studying trends and optimizing my accounts instead of making a report look pretty for a client. However, building and presenting reports is a crucial aspect to maintaining account performance and a good relationship with my clients. This is why, rather than fighting it, I looked for ways to speed up and improve my reporting. Two platforms I frequently use, and strongly recommend for every search marketer, are Google Data Studio & Supermetrics.
Google Data Studio, used in conjunction with Supermetrics can save you countless hours, and deliver better service to your clients in the form of live reports that automatically update without time consuming manual data pulls.
Google Data Studio and the Google Analytics Dashboard have similar customizable spaces for presenting data. However, Google Data Studio emphasizes user accessibility and Data visualization. Think of Data Studio as an improved version of Google Analytics Custom Dashboards. Google Data Studio’s ease of access allows reporters to easily send a link to clients with live data that will automatically update.
In virtually every marketing agency, reporting requires a significant time investment for data exporting and manipulation, often in either Excel or Google Sheets. You also often need detailed break-downs by channel (if you are advertising beyond Paid Search) and how they are performing to goal. Unfortunately, Data Studio only connects to Google owned properties like Google Ads and Google Analytics by default. This means that even Bing data cannot be added without a lengthy process of exporting to a Google Sheet and then linking that sheet to Data Studio. This is where Supermetrics comes in to save the day.
Supermetrics is an API that allows marketing platforms, like Facebook and Linkedin to send data directly into Data Studio. It also allows report makers to create Data Studio reports for multiple platforms that can also update automatically. Also, the ability to create reports on Google Sheets that update dynamically allows you to create more complex reporting with more diverse variables and calculations built in.
Using Data Studio and Supermetrics you will be able to create complex reports across digital channels. For example:
- Custom reports that can update any values you client needs to track.
- Self updating data for reports.
- Reports that are neat, customizable and easily accessible by clients
- Reports connecting all networks into one report
If you want to get started automating your reporting check out my next blog: How to make automated reports with Data Studio and Super Metrics.
