Our ability to track the results of marketing campaigns is becoming more and more powerful. We can show progress, chart growth and demonstrate return on investment. But reporting on past results tells only a fraction of the story.

Because tracking isnʼt really about looking backwards. Thatʼs part of it, sure. But itʼs only part. If weʼre satisfied to look backwards in an effort to prove or to justify our efforts, we are leaving money on the table.

Tracking and reporting teach us. We learn from the numbers. The findings. The insights. And we make adjustments. We optimize. We make better, more informed decisions. So that the numbers get better the next time a tracking report lands on our desk. And then the process begins anew.

We shouldnʼt think about tracking in terms of looking backwards. Or even looking at today vs. yesterday. We should always look through the lens of “forward.” How can what weʼve done in the past make us better in the future?

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