How to Make a Perfect Report for Your Customer

Your client liked your pitch and your enthusiasm. You've managed to apply the winning strategy. There is only one thing missing that will help you tie everything together, once again to strengthen your position, your credibility and improve your relationship with clients. 

So what is the missing link that will help connect all the dots? A perfect report, of course. 

When you are regularly reporting about your steps and results, it helps establish more meaningful connections. Communication is the key to establishing great contacts with your customers, and getting feedback about your results can leave you with a sense of accomplishment and give you an idea where to head next. 

So how to craft a perfect report which will amaze your clients, where metrics will be understandable, and where you can highlight your achievements? Let's find out.

Your clients are the center of your work

Your clients are busy people. They want you to value their time and take care of their needs. You came a long way from initiating the first contact and pitching your idea - and now it is just about maintaining the relationship, making it a long term. 

When you think about your business reports - how often do you send them? Every week, every month, or every three months? Reports are a good indicator that everything's going smoothly and according to plan. We mentioned that they are great for communication. But you need to make sure to make them more engaging and approachable. You don't want to show them 20 pages of law data and spreadsheets written with the smallest font possible.

Which are the elements of an excellent report? Helpfulness, clarity, and content that is easy to digest. Don't go into details too much, or you are at risk of making your clients bored. Instead, remember to highlight what is important and show them where you were once you started and where you are now.

Where to begin with crafting a perfect report?

"Oh, how I like making reports, I can do that all the time" - said no one ever. Creating meaningful reports is complex and time-consuming, but they are one of the most critical aspects of your work.

You need to showcase just the right data to show how close they are to achieving their goals. Reports are there to ensure that business is on the right path and developing in the right direction. So, where to start?

Let's talk about the result first

Of course, no matter how much your clients like you, they will want to know if the money is well spent. So show that their resources are distributed to maximize the efficiency and tie the financial part with the data and your goals as well.

That is a great way to show your true dedication and your capabilities. You need to ensure your clients that they are in the right hands.

Make everything transparent

Always remember that transparency is of the utmost importance in business relationships. Make sure to mention what went great and, even more important - what went wrong. Then, let them know how you made everything work in the end. By doing so, you will discover that you are not afraid of the obstacles that will eventually pop on your way but that you love a good challenge.

Being transparent about every step of the process will help you gain more trust.

Make your business interactions more frequent

Remember that you’re both working toward the same goal. So it is always good to work on more frequent interactions and reports. But, of course, we are not talking about micromanaging - we are talking about brainstorming the ideas, finding the best solution, and applying them.

Make sure that you are on the same page, that the goals and deadlines are realistic. Schedule video calls and always take notes about what they want to accomplish. The better your understanding of their goals is, the richer results will be in your perfect report.

Most common types of project reports

Depending on the industry you are in, there are several types of reports. The most common types of reports you will often create for your clients include:

• Digital marketing reports - you need to showcase all the data about your SEO efforts, email marketing campaign, reports about organic growth, etc. Campaigns indeed take a lot of time to show some serious results - therefore, it is essential to show that you applied your winning strategy. 

Digital services are important for your client's brand, and they will indeed want to see a quick return of investment. We know that the clients are sometimes hasty, and they want to see results as soon as possible. So it would be best if you assured them everything is going according to plan and the results will come.

• Social media reporting - social media is also one of the most popular ways for brands to promote their product and establish a more substantial presence. 

So when you are crafting the report, you need to make sure that you include how many new followers you gained, how people interacted with your content and how many people saw your content, increased traffic on the client's website, and as well conversions. 

It might be overwhelming for your client, so you need to double-check if they understand the metrics.

• Reports about the ongoing project - you need to represent the current state of your project, showcase which milestones you've reached, and talk about your short-term plans. Project reports may include budget requests, deliverables, approval of the new milestones, and a quick overview of the project.
• Research reports - your client gave you a task to do research and bring your very own interpretation of the results. For example, your client needs market research for the new product launch, and you need to explore the demographic. To explore how the product will resonate with the target audience, which features and benefits they want to get.
• Industry reports - the goal of these reports is to help your clients find their place on the market. It includes an understanding of trends, markets, and competitors.

As you can see - reports are various, but all of them can be perfect if you make them engaging, interesting, back them up with essential data and ensure your clients that their resources are spent reasonably. 

In conclusion 

Maybe no one ever said that creating reports is a fun thing to do. But, that was the case before Plutio took the spotlight. Now you can show data in real-time with interactive graphs, and your clients will find it really easy to follow the progress. 

Create eye-catching reports that will show just the right info and cause that "wow" effect from your clients. Check it for yourself! Perfect report is one click away!