Most marketing reports are written for marketers. The toughest reader is the finance lead, and they ask much simpler questions.
Can your report answer them before they’re asked?
1. Does this number match ours?
Platform revenue and booked revenue rarely agree. Returns, cancellations, currency and timing all move the figure. So say which number you’re reporting, and show the reconciliation before someone asks for it.
2. What would have happened without the spend?
The return on ad spend a platform reports includes sales that would have happened anyway. If you have an incremental figure from a test, lead with it. If you don’t, say so plainly. Nobody in finance trusts a number that’s too clean.
3. What did it do to margin?
Revenue at a negative margin isn’t growth. Report contribution after media cost where you can, and flag the campaigns that buy revenue at a loss.
What to do this week
Take your last monthly report and put those three questions next to it. Which one can’t you answer? That’s the one to fix first.
Limits
These questions don’t replace a measurement plan. They’re the minimum a marketing report should survive.