Measurable results are nebulous these days–if you try to list KPIs in your online marketing campaigns, you could come up with 50 metrics and they might even be precise. This is a very common mistake–it becomes a whole lot of meaningless data. Managers tend to focus on data–lots of data–but I don't think they ask questions. That's the important part in order to figure out what's meaningful and what actions need to be taken.

What are the campaign goals?

It's a very simple question. Goals–or lack thereof– are what topple digital marketing campaigns in most companies. As humans, we like to work for a purpose. If there's not someone defining and communicating clear, simple goals for the campaign and getting key players to take action, campaigns become meaningless.

A couple of years ago Avinash Kaushik published an article addressing this issue . He talked about 5 easy steps to spark this type of thinking.

When companies hold meetings to talk about "overarching campaign goals," people reflexively yawn. Think about it, when you hear 6 or 9 goals, will you even be able to remember them all? If a campaign has more than 3 goals, the metrics around it become overwhelming. So keep things simple, so you can be quick and nimble.