Stop Planning Without Data — Small Business 2024 Marketing Review Checklist

If you’re a small business owner, chances are you’ve done this: set up your marketing plan for the next year, full of goals, ideas, and optimism… only to realize a few months in that none of it actually moves the needle. Why? Because you planned without looking at the data.

Planning without data is like setting sail without checking the map — you might move, but you’ll likely drift into the wrong waters.

Here’s how to review your 2024 marketing data for your small business and set yourself up for a stronger, smarter 2025.

Step 1: Know Your KPI's (And What They Mean)

Every business is different, so your Key Performance Indicators may vary. Start by asking:

• Social engagement: Are your likes, comments, and shares translating to real leads?

• Web traffic: Are visitors doing anything meaningful, or just browsing?

• Conversion actions: Are people signing up, buying, or calling?

• Tracking: Are you actually tracking these actions, or guessing?

Without tracking, everything else is just a guessing game.

Step 2: Review your Small Business Marketing Data By Business Model

Different types of businesses need different lenses on their data.

1. Service-Based Businesses

• Metrics to check: consultation requests, form submissions, phone calls.

• Quick check: Which service pages got the most traffic? Did those pages lead to actual bookings?

2. Retail / eCommerce

• Metrics to check: product views, add-to-cart actions, completed purchases, average order value.

• Quick check: Did promotions or social campaigns actually increase sales?

3. Content / Engagement-Driven Businesses

• Metrics to check: newsletter sign-ups, content downloads, video completions.

• Quick check: Are you reaching the audience you want, and are they taking action afterward?

Step 3: Ask the Tough Questions

• Are you spending money on marketing channels that aren’t producing results?

• Which campaigns underperformed, and why?

• Which efforts overperformed, and how can you replicate them in 2025?

Be brutally honest. This is not the time for ego or wishful thinking.

Step 4: Make a Checklist for Your 2025 Planning

Here’s a simple framework for reviewing your 2024 marketing data:

✅ Identify your top 3 goals from 2024.

✅ Collect your performance data for each channel.

✅ Compare engagement vs. actual conversion.

✅ Identify gaps where you weren’t tracking properly.

✅ Flag campaigns or strategies that didn’t work and brainstorm improvements.

✅ Highlight top performers and consider scaling them.

✅ Set realistic, data-driven goals for 2025.

Step 5: Don’t Plan Alone — Get Some Guidance

Looking at raw numbers can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure which metrics actually matter. That’s where Above The Noise Marketing comes in:

• We review your data.

• Identify what’s actually moving the needle.

• Build a practical, realistic marketing plan for 2025.

No fluff. No guesswork. Just actionable insight.

Schedule your free consultation today and start 2025 with a plan that actually works.