If you’re spending money on marketing campaigns and using Leadpipe, you want to know what’s actually working—not just stare at charts and hope for the best. This guide is for folks who are tired of vague “insights” and want real answers they can use to tweak, fix, or double down on their campaigns. Whether you’re new to Leadpipe or just sick of sifting through noise, here’s how to pull out actionable info from your campaign performance reports.
Step 1: Set Expectations (and Ignore Vanity Metrics)
Before you even open a report, get clear on what you actually care about. It’s easy to get distracted by big numbers that look impressive but mean very little for your goals.
Action: - Write down your campaign’s real objectives. Is it signups? Sales? Demo requests? Don’t let Leadpipe (or anyone else) tell you what success looks like for your business. - Decide which metrics actually tie to those goals. Ignore the rest.
Pro Tip:
If you catch yourself celebrating “impressions” or “reach” but you can’t connect them to results, you’re probably wasting your time. Focus on numbers you can act on.
Step 2: Find the Data That Matters
Leadpipe gives you a ton of data—some useful, some just noise. Don’t let the sheer amount of info overwhelm you.
What to look for: - Conversions: Did people do what you wanted them to do? (Buy, sign up, download, etc.) - Conversion Rate: Out of everyone who saw your campaign, how many took action? - Cost Per Conversion: Are you paying a sensible amount for each result? - Lead Quality: Are these leads actually becoming customers or just filling out forms?
What to ignore: - “Likes” or “shares,” unless your only goal is brand awareness (and even then, be skeptical). - Metrics that don’t move the needle for your specific goal.
Step 3: Break Down Performance by Channel, Creative, and Audience
Don’t look at campaign numbers as one big blob. The devil’s in the details.
Channel:
Which platforms are actually driving conversions? Sometimes what works on Facebook flops on LinkedIn, and vice versa.
Creative:
Which ad images, headlines, or calls to action are getting people to move? If Leadpipe shows you performance by ad creative, dig in here.
Audience:
Are some segments converting better than others? Maybe your “ideal” target isn’t who you think it is.
Action: - Use Leadpipe’s breakdown tools to sort results by channel, creative, and audience. - Make a quick table or list of the top and bottom performers in each category.
Pro Tip:
If you see one creative or channel vastly outperforming the others, don’t overthink it. Shift more budget there and see if it scales.
Step 4: Look for Patterns—Not Just Outliers
It’s tempting to chase the one ad that went viral, but real improvement comes from spotting repeatable patterns.
How to spot patterns: - Compare similar campaigns over time. Does a certain message always outperform? - Look for consistent winners among audience segments. - Track performance changes after you make adjustments (e.g., changing a headline or targeting new locations).
Honest take:
One-off spikes are usually luck, not magic. Patterns you can repeat are what matter.
Step 5: Dig Into the Funnel (If You Have It)
Leadpipe can often show you more than just surface-level engagement. If you can see funnel stages (like clicks → signups → demos → deals), use this to see where things break down.
Action: - Check conversion rates at each stage. - Find the drop-off points. Are tons of people clicking but nobody signing up? That’s a messaging or landing page problem. - Don’t just blame the ads—sometimes your follow-up or sales process is the leaky part.
Pro Tip:
If you can’t see the full funnel in Leadpipe, export your data and match it up with your CRM or sales tools. It’s a pain, but it’s worth it.
Step 6: Watch for Time-Based Trends
Campaigns don’t perform the same every day. Look at how results change over time.
Things to watch: - Did performance drop after a certain date? (Could be ad fatigue, seasonality, or a competitor launching something new.) - Are weekends better or worse than weekdays? - Did a change you made (new creative, different targeting) move the numbers?
Action: - Use Leadpipe’s date filters to look at week-over-week or month-over-month changes. - Annotate your own major campaign changes so you remember what might’ve caused a spike or drop.
Step 7: Don’t Get Fooled by Small Numbers
It’s easy to read too much into small sample sizes. If only a handful of people saw or clicked on something, you can’t draw big conclusions.
Rule of thumb:
If fewer than 100 people did a thing, treat any “insights” as guesses, not gospel.
Action: - Wait for enough data before making big moves. - If you’re working with small audiences, be extra skeptical of sudden changes.
Step 8: Decide What to Change Next (and How You’ll Measure It)
Once you’ve dug through the data, it’s time to do something with it.
Action: - Pick one or two things to adjust—maybe shift budget to a top-performing channel, swap out a bad creative, or refine your audience. - Set a clear “success” metric for your next round. If you’re testing new copy, maybe you want to see a conversion rate bump of 10%. - Mark your calendar to check results after a set period. Don’t just fire and forget.
Honest take:
You don’t need to overhaul everything at once. Small, measured changes are easier to track and improve over time.
What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)
Works: - Ruthlessly focusing on metrics tied to your business goals. - Running small tests and doubling down on what wins. - Comparing apples to apples (same audience, same budget).
Doesn’t work: - Chasing every new metric Leadpipe adds just because it’s there. - Relying on “engagement” numbers unless they tie to real results. - Making major changes based on tiny data sets.
A Few Final Tips
- Export your data: Sometimes Leadpipe’s built-in reports are clunky. Pull the raw data into a spreadsheet for deeper analysis or to combine with data from elsewhere.
- Document your findings: Keep a log of what you try and what happens. It’ll save you time (and arguments) down the road.
- Talk to your team: Share your insights with sales, product, or support. Sometimes they spot patterns you miss.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, Repeat
You don’t need a PhD in analytics to get value from Leadpipe reports. Start with your real goals, focus on metrics that matter, and ignore the rest. Make small changes, see what happens, and keep going. The “secret” is just doing the basics well—and not getting distracted by flashy charts that don’t move the needle.