Matrixx0070 When to use
Use this when you have campaign or channel data for a period and need to explain what happened, why it matters, and what to do next — not just dump numbers.
Not for: planning a campaign before it runs (use mkt-campaign-plan) or forecasting with no historical data. If key metrics are missing, note the gap; do not invent figures.
Method
- Establish scope. Confirm the reporting period, the comparison baseline (prior period, target, or year-over-year), and the objectives the work served.
- Assemble metrics that map to those objectives: reach, engagement, traffic, leads, conversion rate, cost per result, revenue/ROI. Decision point: if a metric is missing, flag it explicitly rather than estimating.
- Compute trends. For each metric show current vs. baseline as absolute and percent change, and mark direction.
- Interpret, do not just report. For each notable move, give the most likely driver and your confidence level.
- Separate wins from misses, each tied back to an objective.
- Recommend optimizations. Convert each miss and each unexploited win into a specific next action, ranked by expected impact vs. effort.
- Flag anything that looks like a data-quality issue.
Example
Period: Q2 vs. Q1. Leads +38% (420 → 580) driven by the LinkedIn webinar series (high confidence — traffic source data confirms). But CAC +22% because paid search spend rose with flat conversion (medium confidence). Win: webinars — double down, add a Q3 cadence. Miss: paid search — pause the two worst ad groups, reallocate to webinar promotion. Data caveat: attribution window changed mid-quarter.
Pitfalls
- Reporting numbers with no interpretation — the "so what" is the whole job.
- Claiming causation from correlation; state confidence and the likely driver.
- Cherry-picking wins and hiding misses; both tie to objectives.
- Recommendations that are not actionable ("improve conversions") instead of specific next steps.
Output format
Executive summary: <3-4 sentences on the period's story>
Scorecard:
| Goal | Target | Actual | Status |
Metrics:
| Metric | This period | Baseline | Change | Trend |
Wins: <what worked + why>
Misses: <what underperformed + likely cause>
Optimizations: <prioritized actions with impact/effort>
Data caveats: <...>