If you run go to market campaigns and actually care about what’s working (and what isn’t), you’re in the right place. This guide is for marketers, founders, and anyone who needs to prove their efforts move the needle—not just look busy. We’ll dig into how to use SureConnect analytics to make sense of your campaign performance, skip the fluff, and figure out what’s worth your time.
Why bother with campaign analytics?
You can dump a pile of money and hours into a campaign, but without solid analytics, you’re just guessing. SureConnect offers tracking tools that are supposed to help you see which channels and tactics get results. But let’s be honest: Most analytics platforms look great in the sales deck and then collect dust. The trick is knowing what to track, how to actually use the data, and when to ignore the noise.
Step 1: Set up your campaigns for tracking (don’t skip this)
Before you even think about dashboards, you need to set up your campaigns so SureConnect can tell what’s what. This is the step everyone tries to rush—and then they wonder why nothing lines up later.
Do this: - Make sure every campaign has a unique name. “Q2 Push” doesn’t cut it. Try “2024-Q2-Webinar-Launch-June.” - Use UTM parameters (or whatever SureConnect calls them) on every link you share—emails, ads, social posts. No exceptions. - If you’re running offline campaigns (events, postcards), generate QR codes or trackable URLs through SureConnect.
Pro tip:
Keep a simple spreadsheet of campaign names, links, and channels. It’ll save you from future headaches when you’re trying to match data to reality.
What to ignore:
Don’t bother tracking every tiny tweak. Focus on the stuff that actually changes outcomes—like audience, offer, or channel—not “banner color test #7.”
Step 2: Understand the SureConnect dashboard (and what matters)
Once your campaigns are feeding data into SureConnect, it’s tempting to get lost poking at every chart. Resist. Most teams waste hours on vanity metrics or features they don’t need.
Here’s what actually matters for go to market campaigns:
- Traffic sources: Where’s your audience actually coming from? Not just “organic,” but which posts, emails, or ads?
- Conversion events: What counts as success? Signups, demo requests, purchases—define this up front.
- Attribution: Does SureConnect do first-touch, last-touch, or multi-touch attribution? Pick one and stick with it for now.
- Cost per conversion: If you’re spending money on ads, track what you’re paying per signup or sale—not just per click.
Ignore these (for now): - Time on page (unless bounce rates are crazy high) - “Engagement score” (unless you know exactly how it’s calculated) - Any chart that makes you squint and say, “Huh?”
Step 3: Set up goals and conversion tracking
SureConnect lets you set up goals—this is where you tell the platform what a win looks like. If you skip this, you’ll end up with plenty of data and zero insight.
How to do it: - Go to the Goals/Conversions section in SureConnect. - Set up a goal for each key action (e.g., “Demo Booked,” “Signup Complete,” “Download Whitepaper”). - Tie each goal to the right URL, button, or form event—be specific. - Test the setup by running through the funnel yourself. Make sure SureConnect actually registers the event.
What works:
Specific, business-relevant goals. If you care about demos booked, track demos—not just page visits.
What doesn’t:
Tracking generic “engagement” metrics or every little click. You’ll drown in data and never spot a trend.
Step 4: Build and customize your reports
The default reports in SureConnect are a decent starting point, but they’re not tailored to your business. Spend a bit of time customizing—future you will thank you.
Recommended reports: - Campaign performance summary: See traffic, conversions, and cost for each campaign side-by-side. - Channel breakdown: Compare email, paid ads, organic, events, etc. - Funnel analysis: Where do people drop off? Are there bottlenecks before conversion? - Cohort analysis: (If available.) See how different groups or time periods stack up.
How to build a useful report: - Pick one key question per report (e.g., “Which channel drives the most demos?”). - Filter out noise—exclude internal traffic, test leads, or tiny segments. - Schedule reports to hit your inbox weekly or monthly. Don’t try to check every day.
Pro tip:
If a report makes you feel smart but doesn’t change what you do next, it’s probably not worth running.
Step 5: Actually use the data—adjust, test, repeat
Here’s where most teams fumble: They pull reports, maybe show a chart in a meeting, and then keep doing the same thing. The real point of analytics is to change your campaigns for the better.
What to look for: - Which channels have the lowest cost per conversion? Double down there. - Are there campaigns with lots of traffic but lousy conversion rates? Fix the offer, the landing page, or kill it. - Did a new campaign flop? Figure out why—wrong audience? Bad timing? Don’t just hope it improves.
Quick wins: - Stop spending on channels that don’t convert, no matter how “good” the click numbers look. - Move budget or time to campaigns that show real results—even if they’re not the sexiest. - Use SureConnect’s segmentation to spot surprising trends (e.g., one email list way outperforms others).
What to ignore:
Don’t chase every dip or spike. Look for consistent patterns over a few weeks or months, not day-to-day noise.
Step 6: Avoid common SureConnect pitfalls
No analytics tool is magic, and SureConnect is no different. Here’s what to watch out for:
- Attribution confusion: Make sure everyone knows how SureConnect is counting conversions. If you report last-click but your sales team cares about first-touch, you’ll talk past each other.
- Data lag: Some reports aren’t real-time. Don’t panic if numbers look off for a day.
- Integration hiccups: If you’re piping data from other tools (CRM, ad platforms), double-check that nothing’s breaking in the handoff.
- “Set and forget” syndrome: Review your tracking setup every month or two. Campaigns change, websites change, tracking can break.
Step 7: When to look outside SureConnect
SureConnect does a lot, but it can’t do everything. Here’s when you might want to supplement with other tools:
- Deeper funnel reporting: If you need to tie marketing to closed deals and revenue, you’ll need CRM data too.
- Qualitative feedback: Analytics show what happens, not why. Talk to prospects, run surveys, or check session recordings.
- Advanced attribution: If your sales cycle is long or complex, you might outgrow SureConnect’s built-in attribution.
Don’t get sucked into tool-chasing, though—most teams can get 80% of what they need from a single, well-set-up analytics platform.
Keep it simple—and act on what you learn
Measuring campaign performance with SureConnect isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Focus on tracking what matters, ignore the rest, and use the data to make real changes. Don’t wait for “perfect” reports or try to please every exec—just spot what’s working, cut what isn’t, and keep improving.
Analytics aren’t the goal. Better campaigns are. Keep it simple, keep iterating, and don’t let the dashboards distract you from doing real marketing.