1. Are we optimizing our campaigns in realtime and why is it important?
   
   To simplify it, optimizing means making changes for improvement, and realtime means in the moment. By utilizing tools to serve and monitor digital campaigns, you are able to see data, like website visits and lead submissions, as they are happening and make changes to your campaign to improve the results.
   
   Just a few years ago marketers would run a campaign and evaluate the results once it was over. You may find that one message is working better than another and think, “next year we’ll focus on that”, but with the right plan in place, those changes can easily be made in the middle of the campaign to ensure every dollar works hard for you.
2. What are our digital campaigns and tactics based on?
   
   In the time it’s taken you to read this sentence, a handful of flashy new digital tactics have been thought up and pitched. It is easy to get hung up on the next big thing or some new technology. Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for things, but my point is you should never select a tactic simply because its new and flashy.
   
   Ask your marketing team why each digital tactic was recommended. If the answer isn’t something along the lines of, “We pulled data and research on our target audience segment and found that these tactics are the most effective way to reach and influence them”, then, eek.
3. So what?
   
   One of the greatest advantages of digital marketing is the data it provides. However, just because you can track a metric, doesn’t mean it’s important. When looking at reporting, your question should always be “So what?” We had a billion impressions. So what? We drove 2,000 people to our website. So what? It is vital to have clear, measurable objectives, and a sound strategy in place before a single ad is served so that you know exactly which metrics matter for your bottom line.

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