Reflection on Metrics 

A widely accepted practice in organizations is that what gets measured gets done. Critically reflect on the metrics learned this week to measure the effectiveness of internet marketing programs. Were those metrics really capturing the performance results that marketers essentially need for achieving tactical and strategic business goals?

Do you see the need for developing new sets of metrics that will be more relevant with this evolving marketing channel?

Explain your reasoning.

            I think that the metrics that really capture the performance results that the markers essentially need for achieving tactical and strategic business goals are not the one time evaluations. I agree with the text in Internet Marketing: Integrating Online &Offline Strategies Roberts & Zahay, (2013) “The issues involved in testing a prototype versus a fully functioning site suggest that several small-scale test at various mileposts along the way might be more productive than any single larger-scale test” (p 331). Many little tests on many different metrics are possible but choosing the right measure to test seems to be the difficult part that marketers face. What makes the metrics so hard to choose from you may ask. Well, the metrics could be done on just about anything. How many people come to the website, how many people continue to the next page, who checks out and who does not, how many abandoned carts a site has along with how many people start to check out and do not finish, these are just a few of the infinite amount of test you could so to gather information on a sites performance. “Whatever the situation, metrics point the way” (Roberts & Zahay, 2013, p 399).

            The metrics that are developed to capture the performance, tactical, and strategic business goals are the metrics that help you understand the markets objectives or the ones that tell you what you are doing against your objectives. The hard part is choosing the right metric to use to find out the information. This is a job that should not be pushed to the side but embraced by the market manager that is handling the clients marketing needs. It is very important to do these small tests to better the success of the site. “Metrics -numbers- alone do not meet marketing and management needs. Only when the metrics are carefully chosen and reported in sufficient detail to guide strategic choices are business needs met” (Roberts & Zahay, 2013, p 402).

            The need for developing new sets of metrics that will be more relevant with the evolving marketing channels is in demand already. Social media and mobile metrics are presenting a new environment to test. The metrics are growing with the new creations of apps and social hot spots. The interpretations of these new fronts are becoming a challenge in its self. Taking action and identifying the important metrics, sorting information and gathering required data that is accurate, and getting rid of the access data is a huge part of taking on these new features offered be the internet and mobile devices. The need for new sets of metrics is a must in my eye.

Roberts, M. Zahay, D. (ed.). (2013). Internet Marketing: Integrating Online &Offline Strategies(3^rd ed.). South-Western, Cengage Learning.