The big picture is important, but the details are what can make or break your marketing efforts. As self-proclaimed data nerds, our team is always digging into the details to understand the why, what, and how of a campaign and its results. Keeping an eye on the big picture helps us to determine our objectives and goals, but it's the details that get us there. Without paying close attention to the details, little things get overlooked that could potentially sabotage our efforts. 

Here are three examples of small details that can have an immeasurable effect on marketing efforts:

Website speed. Sometimes all it takes is one extra second to lose a potential customer. What seems like such a minor detail in the grand scheme of things can significantly harm your conversions. Google reports that a one-second delay in mobile load times can impact conversion rates by up to 20%. Fifty-four percent of people say that as the load time for a website increases, so does their frustration. While a small lag in your website's load time may seem minuscule to you, it is paramount for consumers who have come to expect a speedy online experience. Because Google knows that customers prefer a fast online experience, they give preference in search engine results to websites that meet their threshold for site load times. So, not only could a few seconds delay be driving customers away from your site, but it could also be burying it deeper online. Ultimately, the details of your website (especially your load time) can make or break your online marketing efforts.

Call to action (CTA). This is arguably the most important component of your content marketing, whether it's an email, blog post, whitepaper, or service page on your website. Even the most riveting content won't produce many results without a call to action.

These few lines of text drive consumers to action. Simply put, they tell the consumer what you want them to do: click a link, call a phone number, purchase an item, etc. This small detail is essential to producing a desired action and, yet, is often overlooked or, worse yet, not included at all. While a strong CTA serves as the finishing touch on any type of content, we would argue that it should be the starting point for you. Determining what action you want people to take and then working backward from there will help you guide people in the right direction throughout, ultimately ending at a strong, inspiring call to action.

Data tracking. We've said it before and we'll say it again: these are the details that matter most. Without insight into your marketing data, you cannot measure what's working and what's not. The degree to which you pay attention to these details can literally make or break your marketing strategy. Data tells you what is resonating with your audience, what is generating results, and what needs to be refined and optimized. Putting new marketing and advertising options into place is fun and exciting but every campaign will fall flat without properly measuring your results. 

Staying on top of the details can result in a better experience for your customers and an overall better ROI for your marketing efforts. Remember that the small things are what add up to big results and optimum performance for your campaigns. It's also worth noting that the small things are what can lead to eventual overwhelm for a lot of business owners. That's where the real benefit of a marketing agency comes into play — not only are we there to guide your overall strategy but our dedicated account managers, web developers, and graphic designers are constantly keeping an eye on the details of your campaigns. It can make all the difference!