University Marketing Plan - Stage 4: Metrics Proposal & Reflection

This report, titled "Metrics Proposal and Reflection," analyzes key marketing metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of a marketing plan. It begins by identifying three crucial metrics: content sharing, conversion rate, and website traffic/lead ratio, explaining their significance in assessing marketing and promotional strategies, particularly for a search engine or website-based marketing approach like that of Student World. The report delves into how each metric functions, providing insights into the measurement of audience reach, customer acquisition, and website engagement. The reflection section highlights the learning outcomes achieved, emphasizing the understanding of marketing concepts, communication processes, situational analysis, customer segmentation, the marketing mix (including the 4 Ps), and the systematic process of marketing. It underscores the importance of a comprehensive approach to marketing that goes beyond simple product promotion, emphasizing the value creation for the target audience.

Running head: METRICS PROPOSAL AND REFLECTION
METRICS PROPOSAL AND REFLECTION
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1METRICS PROPOSAL AND REFLECTION
Description of monitoring tools
Monitoring tools are effective in evaluating the effectiveness of the marketing tools and
the marketing strategy. At the same time they can help to provide information about
modifications that might be required in the implementation of marketing functions. Marketing
metrics are important tools for evaluation of marketing functions. Three marketing metrics can
be very effective towards evaluating the marketing strategy that is to be implemented. Firstly,
amount of content shared could be an important metric for evaluating the marketing and
promotional strategy (Farris et al., 2017). Secondly, conversion rate is an important marketing
metrics it compares the audience reach of the strategy with the actual number of customers that
are gained. The third important metrics that can be used is website traffic or lead ratio. These are
important marketing metrics as the recommended marketing strategy of Student world was
search engine or website based marketing. Firstly, amount of content shared is an important
metric as in case of social media it can help to tell actually how many times the content were
shared by people to actually feature on the newsfeed of their friends on a social networking
website (Keegan & Rowley, 2017). This works with most of the social networking websites such
as Facebook, Instagram, etc. Secondly, conversion rate is a very effective marketing metric as it
helps to give a comparative measurement of the amount of people reached with the amount of
people that actually became customers as a result of the same (Mcdonald, 2016). In case of
Student World this would mean the number of students that actually signed up for the website
and the agency. This metric helps to provide a real time data in regards to the marketing
effectiveness. The third tool mentioned was website traffic measurement. Website traffic helps to
find the number of people that have actually come into contact with the website. The
corresponding lead ratio helps to measure the most important leads that have been generated.

2METRICS PROPOSAL AND REFLECTION
Hence, it can be found how much actually interested public have visited the page (Farris et al.,
2017). Marketing qualified leads or MQL or the Sales Qualified Leads or SQL can help to
provide a clear picture of the people that have been effectively reached as a result of the
marketing functions. Hence, this helps to create a better environment for the measurement of the
marketing strategies. All the three tools would be effective as they will be able to measure the
readiness of the audiences reached to use the services provided by Student World. The three
tools can be used individually as well as through a sequential pattern. However, all the three
tools would be effective in measuring the ground level success factors that can promote the
brand. The leads generated can be profitable for the organization. Hence, the focus is on
essentially finding the leads that matter most. Essentially, the marketing factors can be easily
understood and subsequent progress can be made.
Critical reflection
The assessment were very helpful for me while trying to understand the essential
concepts that were related to the marketing techniques. I learnt more about the communicational
process that are needed to be created in marketing endeavors to reach the right kind of people. It
is important that the functional aspects of marketing such as the marketing mix are essentially
taken into consideration. The concepts such as marketing strategy, product placement, pricing
strategy and marketing mix helped to understand marketing from various different perspectives. I
was able to learn how marketing environments can be effectively measured through situational
analysis. In the stage two of the assignment I learnt how customers can be divided into categories
for the ease of implementing different approaches (Hanssens & Pauwels, 2016). The
segmentation, targeting and positioning factors were important aspects for me. The marketing
mix helped me to develop a larger perspective of marketing oriented function of the

3METRICS PROPOSAL AND REFLECTION
organizations. The four Ps of marketing were very important factors that were learnt. The
product, pricing, placement and promotional factors guide marketing value to great extents. This
was essentially learnt and a wider scope for gathering more knowledge on the subject matter was
developed. These aspects that I studied actually helped me to develop significant understanding
of the systematic process of marketing. It also helped me to understand that simply promoting a
commodity is not enough and a large though process actually guides the value creation for
people in the market. This encompasses a large number of planning and activities that are
focused to the optimal development and promotion of any product.

4METRICS PROPOSAL AND REFLECTION
References
Farris, P., Bendle, N., Pfeifer, P., & Reibstein, D. (2017). Key marketing metrics: the 50+
metrics every manager needs to know. Pearson UK.
Hanssens, D. M., & Pauwels, K. H. (2016). Demonstrating the value of marketing. Journal of
Marketing, 80(6), 173-190.
Katsikeas, C. S., Morgan, N. A., Leonidou, L. C., & Hult, G. T. M. (2016). Assessing
performance outcomes in marketing. Journal of Marketing, 80(2), 1-20.
Keegan, B. J., & Rowley, J. (2017). Evaluation and decision making in social media
marketing. Management Decision, 55(1), 15-31.
Mcdonald, M. A. L. C. O. L. M. (2016). Strategic marketing planning: theory and practice.
In The marketing book (pp. 108-142). Routledge.