Google and Meta ads · Plain-English reports
Ad campaign reports: what a customer costs, what earns and what only spends
An ad report should answer one question: is it worth it? You get a short summary of what an enquiry and a customer cost, what earns and what only spends.
Do any of these sound familiar?
- You get a report full of abbreviations and charts that tells you nothing.
- You don't know what one customer from advertising costs you.
- Facebook says one thing, Google another, and the till shows a third.
- You pay for ads and can't say whether they pay off.
- You are afraid to ask what the numbers in the report mean, so as not to look like a beginner.
A good report is a few numbers you understand and a clear sentence about what to do with them.
What it is
What plain-English reports are
It is a short campaign summary written so you can understand it without knowing anything about advertising. Instead of charts for their own sake, you get answers: how much you spent, how many enquiries came, what one enquiry and one customer cost, and which campaigns pay for themselves.
If a harder term appears in the report, I explain it in a sentence. For example, customer acquisition cost is the amount spent on ads divided by the number of customers who came thanks to them. ROAS in a shop is revenue divided by ad spend, meaning how much comes back from every pound.
The report ends with conclusions: what we keep, what we cut, what we test next month. That way you know what to expect and what to spend on, not just what happened.
What you gain
What you get from the reports
You know whether the ads pay off
You see the cost of one enquiry and one customer and compare it with what you earn on one sale. The budget decision becomes simple.
You see what earns and what only spends
Campaigns and channels are ranked by result. It is easy to see what to scale and what to switch off.
You understand it without explanation
The report is written in plain language. You don't need advertising knowledge or have to ask someone what each number means.
You have arguments in money conversations
When a partner, accountant or boss asks why you run these ads, you have concrete numbers and clear conclusions instead of general assurances.
Example
What it looks like in practice
Before
AfterAn illustrative example based on situations I often meet in small businesses.
Step by step
What it looks like from your side
- 1
We agree what success is
Your part: a conversationTogether we define what counts as a customer or an enquiry, and how much it is worth to you.
- 2
I gather the data in one place
Your part: access to accountsI bring together data from Google, Facebook and your website tracking, so you don't have to look in three panels.
- 3
I write the report
Your part: nothingA short summary with numbers, conclusions and a plan for the next month. No unnecessary charts.
- 4
We discuss it, if you wish
Your part: a decisionWe go through the results and I answer your questions. You decide what stays and what we change.
What you get
What you get
- A one or two page report written in plain language
- The cost of an enquiry and a customer for each campaign
- Google and Facebook compared in one place
- A clear view of what earns and what only spends
- An explanation of every harder term in one sentence
- Conclusions and a plan for the next month
“A report should help you make decisions, not impress you. If after reading it you don't know what to do next, then I wrote it badly.”
Who plain-English reports are for
- Business owners whose agency sends a report full of abbreviations and charts that tells them nothing
- Businesses that want to know what their enquiry and customer acquisition really cost
- Owners who must justify ad spending to a partner, an accountant or a board
- Businesses running several channels at once, such as Google and Facebook, who want to compare them in one place
Frequently asked questions
What is customer acquisition cost?
It is the sum spent on ads divided by the number of customers who came thanks to them. If you spent a certain amount and got a few customers from it, you know what one costs. Cost per enquiry is worked out the same way: the cost of one phone call or form.
What does ROAS mean?
ROAS is the revenue from sales divided by ad spending, meaning how much money comes back from every euro, pound or złoty put into ads. I use it mainly for online shops. For service businesses I more often look at the cost of an enquiry and of a customer.
How do we know which customer came from an ad?
From the tracking set up on your website, so first I check that it works properly. For enquiries that reach you by phone or email, it is worth asking customers how they heard about you. That way the report shows a picture closer to the truth.
How often will I get a report, and in what form?
Most often once a month, as a short document of one or two pages, plus a conversation if you want one. We can also agree less or more frequent summaries. The scope and frequency go into the offer.
See also
What else brings you customers
Free consultation
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A no-obligation chat: I'll tell you what will really bring you more customers and what it costs. I reply within 24 hours.
