In the fast-paced world of Australian digital marketing, it is easy to jump from one campaign to the next without pausing to see what actually worked. A marketing retrospective is your most powerful tool for continuous improvement, ensuring your Brisbane small business stops repeating costly mistakes and starts doubling down on high-ROI activities.
Running a retrospective isn't just about looking at a spreadsheet; it’s about fostering a culture of honesty and data-driven decision-making. By the end of this guide, you will have a repeatable framework to audit your efforts and refine your strategy for the next quarter.
Prerequisites
Before you gather the team (or sit down for a solo review), ensure you have the following:- Access to Analytics: Google Analytics 4, Meta Ads Manager, or your CRM data.
- The 'Why': A clear understanding of the goals you set at the start of the period.
- A Collaborative Space: A physical whiteboard or a digital tool like Miro or Trello.
- Time: Allow at least 60–90 minutes for a comprehensive session.
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Step 1: Set the Ground Rules
Before diving into the data, establish a 'blame-free' environment. The goal is to identify process failures, not personal ones. In the Australian business context, we value 'fair dinkum' honesty, but it must be constructive.- What you should see: A shared document or board with a heading like "Retrospective: [Campaign Name/Quarter]" and a reminder that the goal is collective growth.
Step 2: Review Your Original Objectives
You cannot measure success if you don’t remember what you were trying to achieve. Open your original marketing plan or proposal. Were you looking for brand awareness, leads for a local service, or direct e-commerce sales? Compare your current position against these initial KPIs.Step 3: Gather the Quantitative Data
Numbers don't lie. Pull your key metrics into a central view.- Google Analytics: Look at sessions, bounce rates, and conversion paths.
- Social Media: Check engagement rates and click-through rates (CTR).
- Financials: Calculate your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
Pro Tip: Don't just look at the 'vanity metrics' like likes or followers. Focus on the metrics that actually impact your Australian Business Number (ABN) bottom line—leads and revenue.
Step 4: Visualise the Timeline
Create a simple timeline of the period you are reviewing. Mark when campaigns launched, when major news events happened (like a public holiday or a sudden change in Australian consumer sentiment), and when any technical issues occurred. This helps correlate spikes or dips in data with specific actions.Step 5: The "What Went Well" Phase
Start on a positive note. Ask the team (or yourself) to list everything that exceeded expectations.- Did a specific Facebook Ad creative perform exceptionally well?
- Did a local Brisbane community sponsorship drive unexpected foot traffic?
- Screenshot Description: If using a digital board, you should see a column filled with green 'sticky notes' highlighting wins.
Step 6: The "What Didn't Go Well" Phase
Be brutally honest here. Identify the campaigns that flopped or the tasks that took way longer than budgeted.- Common Mistake: Glossing over failures to save face. If you spent $2,000 on Google Ads and got zero leads, write it down. This is where the most valuable lessons live.
Step 7: Identify the "Roadblocks"
What stopped you from being more successful? These are often internal factors. Perhaps the website was slow to load (a common issue with local hosting), or the lead follow-up process was too slow. Identifying these 'friction points' is essential for improving your workflow.Step 8: The "Start, Stop, Continue" Exercise
This is the most practical part of the retrospective. Based on steps 5, 6, and 7, categorise your future actions:- Start: New ideas you want to test based on what you’ve learned.
- Stop: Activities that are draining budget or time with no return.
- Continue: Successful tactics that should be scaled or optimised.
Step 9: Root Cause Analysis (The Five Whys)
For your biggest failure and your biggest success, ask "Why?" five times. Example:* "The campaign failed." Why? "No one clicked the ad." Why? "The offer wasn't compelling." Why? "We didn't research the local Brisbane competition's pricing." This gets you to the actionable truth.Step 10: Assign Action Items
A retrospective without action is just a complaint session. For every 'Start' or 'Continue' item, assign a person responsible and a deadline.- What you should see: A list of tasks in your project management tool (like Asana or Monday.com) with names and dates attached.
Step 11: Document and Share
Create a summary of the key takeaways. This ensures that six months from now, you don't repeat the same mistakes. Share this with stakeholders or keep it in a 'Marketing Playbook' folder.---
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Issue: "The data is messy or missing."
- Issue: "The team is being too quiet."
- Issue: "We don't have time for this."
Next Steps
Now that you have audited your performance, it's time to apply those insights to your next campaign.- Update your marketing calendar with your 'Start' items.
- Reallocate budget from 'Stop' items to 'Continue' items.
- If you're struggling to make sense of your data or need a professional eye to review your strategy, the team at Local Marketing Group is here to help.
Ready to turn your insights into a high-performing strategy? Contact us today for a comprehensive marketing audit.