If you’re running outreach or lead gen campaigns with Closelyhq, you probably want proof that all your time and budget isn’t just disappearing into the void. This guide is for marketers, SDRs, and founders who want actual answers about what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus next. We’ll cut through the fluff and walk step-by-step through tracking and analyzing campaign metrics in Closelyhq—nothing more, nothing less.
1. Set Up Your Campaigns for Tracking (Don’t Skip This)
Before you can analyze anything, you need to make sure Closelyhq is actually tracking the right stuff. Sounds obvious, but a lot of people gloss over this and end up with half-baked data.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Name your campaigns clearly. “Outreach-June-2024-CTO” is way better than “Campaign 7.” You’ll save yourself endless headaches.
- Define your goal. Are you after booked calls, replies, or just getting eyeballs on your message? Closelyhq can’t read your mind. Pick a metric that matters.
- Map your steps. If you’re running multi-step sequences (e.g., LinkedIn + email follow-ups), be explicit about what happens in each step. This makes attribution and troubleshooting much easier.
- Connect your accounts properly. Double-check that your LinkedIn/email accounts are synced and not hitting caps or getting blocked. If your account disconnects mid-campaign, you’ll end up with weird gaps in your data.
- Use tags and segmentation. Closelyhq lets you tag contacts and campaigns. Use this to slice your data later—think segment by persona, industry, or offer.
Pro Tip: A little setup discipline here saves hours later. If you’re running more than a couple of campaigns, keep a quick spreadsheet of campaign names, goals, and tags.
2. Know Which Metrics Actually Matter
Closelyhq tracks a bunch of metrics, but not all of them are worth your time. Here’s a quick breakdown of the ones that actually move the needle:
- Connection Rate: Out of all your connection requests, how many people actually accepted? If this is low (under 20%), your targeting or messaging probably needs work.
- Reply Rate: Of the people you messaged, how many replied? This is your main “am I getting attention?” number. Good campaigns see 10-20%.
- Positive Reply Rate: Not all replies are equal. Track how many are actually interested, not just “no thanks.” You’ll probably need to tag these manually.
- Meeting/Booking Rate: If you’re pushing for meetings, this is your money metric. Track meetings booked as a percentage of total outreach.
- Bounce/Failed Sends: If you see a lot of failed messages or connection blocks, fix these before you scale. It usually means you’re hitting limits, or your account is getting flagged.
What about vanity metrics like “messages sent” or “profile views”? Glance at them, sure, but don’t obsess. They don’t pay the bills.
3. Find and Use Closelyhq’s Reporting Tools
Once your campaigns are running, head to Closelyhq’s dashboard to see how things are stacking up.
Where to look:
- Campaign Overview: This is your starting point. You’ll see connection rates, reply rates, and a timeline of activity for each campaign.
- Contact Activity Log: Drill down to see individual actions—who connected, who replied, who ignored you. You can filter by tags, campaign, and date.
- Segmented Reports: Slice and dice by tags, timeframes, or even by specific steps in your sequence. This is where tagging up front really pays off.
- Export/Download: Sometimes you just want the raw data in a spreadsheet. Closelyhq lets you export campaign stats and contact lists for deeper analysis or reporting outside the platform.
What works:
- The built-in charts and tables are decent for a quick read on performance.
- For more advanced segmentation (e.g., compare CTO vs. VP outreach), use the tagging and filter features.
What doesn’t:
- Don’t expect super-fancy attribution or revenue tracking. Closelyhq is built for outreach, not full-blown CRM analytics.
- Don’t obsess over tiny day-to-day swings—look for trends over weeks, not hours.
4. Interpret the Data—Without Fooling Yourself
It’s easy to get lost in the numbers or chase the wrong metric. Here’s how to keep your analysis honest:
- Look for patterns, not blips. One slow Tuesday doesn’t mean your campaign is dying. Watch for trends over several days or weeks.
- Compare apples to apples. If you’re running two campaigns to different audiences, compare them side-by-side. Don’t mix results from cold and warm lists.
- Check your pipeline, not just replies. Lots of replies don’t mean much if nobody’s booking meetings or buying. Focus on metrics tied to your actual goal.
- Watch for drop-off points. Where in your sequence are people ghosting you? If step 2 tanks, your follow-up might be too aggressive or off-message.
- Don’t ignore negative signals. If you’re seeing more bounces, blocks, or “remove me” replies, pull back and rework your targeting/message.
Pro Tip: Sometimes it helps to pull the raw data into Excel or Google Sheets for custom charts. If you’re running lots of campaigns, this is the fastest way to spot outliers.
5. Adjust Fast—But Don’t Panic
The whole point of tracking is to get better over time. Here’s how to use what you’ve learned:
- A/B Test Your Messaging: Try different subject lines, connection request messages, or follow-up templates. Run two versions at once, then compare reply and meeting rates.
- Refine Targeting: If one segment is tanking (say, founders vs. VPs), double down on what’s working and pause what’s not. Don’t be afraid to kill underperforming lists quickly.
- Tweak Cadence and Timing: Sometimes, just adjusting when you send messages (e.g., midweek vs. Monday mornings) can bump your reply rates.
- Document Changes: Make a habit of noting what you changed and when. Otherwise, you’ll never remember why campaign A did better than campaign B last month.
- Don’t Chase Noise: Give new tests at least a few days before calling them a win or a flop. Outreach is lumpy—one hot lead doesn’t mean you’ve cracked the code.
- Stay Human: No tool or metric replaces actual conversation. If people reply with questions or objections, update your scripts to address them.
6. What to Ignore (Seriously)
There’s always a temptation to track everything. Resist. Here’s what you can safely ignore:
- Open Rates on LinkedIn: LinkedIn doesn’t show this, and most third-party estimates are a guess at best.
- “Views” Without Action: Who cares if someone saw your profile but didn’t reply?
- Minor Platform Glitches: Sometimes a stat will look weird for a day. Unless it’s a trend, don’t lose sleep.
- Super-Granular Attribution: If you’re not running multi-channel, multi-touch campaigns with a big team, you don’t need to know which day and hour every reply landed.
Focus on the basics: did your message land, did they reply, and did you get the meeting or result you wanted?
7. Level Up: Pulling Data into Your Own Dashboards (If You Really Need To)
If you’re managing big teams or want to combine Closelyhq data with your CRM, you might want more firepower.
- Exports: Closelyhq’s export feature gives you CSVs for campaigns and contacts. You can build your own dashboards in Google Sheets or Excel.
- Integrations: Check if Closelyhq offers Zapier or webhook support. This is the best way to automate pushing results into Slack, a CRM, or reporting tools.
- APIs: If you’re technical, look for API access. It’s not always available, but it’s the cleanest way to automate reporting.
Just be honest: for most users, the built-in dashboard is enough. Don’t spend 10 hours building something you’ll never use.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Tracking and analyzing campaigns in Closelyhq isn’t rocket science, but it does take a bit of discipline. Set up your campaigns right, focus on the metrics that actually matter, and don’t get distracted by noise or vanity stats. Most wins come from making small adjustments, watching the trends, and repeating what works.
Don’t overthink it. Start simple, review your numbers weekly, and tweak as you go. The best campaigns are rarely the most complicated—they’re just the most consistent.