Since internet marketing hit the mainstream, marketers in every industry have relied on similar metrics to determine whether their strategy is successful. Ask anyone in a marketing department and they can quickly tell you the number of website clicks, the number of followers on Twitter and the number of views on YouTube they have.

In Above the Law article “Don’t Measure The Easy When It Comes To Internet Marketing,” Seth Godin argues that these numbers are easy to calculate (oftentimes, they’re figured out for us) and easy to understand, but they don’t necessarily tell us what we really want or need to know.

Businesses in entirely different industries are using the same set of metrics. A law firm has different marketing goals than an engineering firm or a nonprofit, but no matter the industry, clicks and views are the standard. Even within the legal industry, law firms of all practice areas are using the same techniques regardless of their size, type or ideal client. If we have different goals, shouldn’t our metrics be different?

It might be tricky to figure out the best metrics for your firm, but having accurate and relevant data is infinitely more useful than having numbers that, ultimately, don’t mean anything. Good data can transform your marketing strategy and your entire firm.

So, how can you start measuring more meaningfully? Here are three tips to start.

  1. Work backwards. You can’t measure something if you don’t know what it is you’re measuring. When determining your metrics, you must begin with the end in mind. How do you define success? How will you know when you’ve achieved it? Once you answer those questions, you can find the metrics that will help you measure what you want to know.
  2. Remember your goals. Ditching traditional metrics in favor of ones that are more difficult to measure can be frustrating and time consuming, so keep your goals in mind to stay motivated. Start small and remember that better data can have a positive impact on the whole firm. Survey key decision-makers at your firm to find out what data would be helpful for them, and find a way to measure it.
  3. Focus on revenue. Marketing can be creative, interesting and fun, but at the end of the day its purpose is to bring in more clients. Your metrics should reflect that. Figuring out how your online marketing is impacting the bottom line is much more difficult than adding up how many social media followers you have, but it’s essential if you want to ensure your online marketing strategy is working.