Wrapping your head around data analysis and reporting often feels like you’re drinking from a firehose. There are so many variables, numbers, and charts coming at you from all directions that it’s hard to know where to start and when to stop.

• Should you focus on website traffic?
• Enrollment numbers?
• Email engagement?

While the sheer volume of data can leave you frazzled, data is so important because those seemingly random numbers could help you attract more students, engage parents more effectively, and improve your school's performance.

But data is only valuable if you can turn it into action. The key is knowing how to sift through the noise and identify the numbers that truly matter to you.

So, how do you make sense of it all? Whether it’s boosting your website traffic, fine-tuning your email communications, or streamlining your enrollment processes, the strategy lies in how you gather, analyze, and present your data so your school can transform those raw numbers into a powerful tool for improvement.

Step 1: Define Your Goals and Objectives

With so many directions to head, the first step involves setting clear goals and objectives. What do you hope to understand better, track, or measure? Knowing what you want to achieve will guide you in gathering the right data and interpreting it meaningfully.

Find Specific Areas for Improvement

Start by pinpointing the areas in your school's marketing, communications, or enrollment that need improvement. Think about the aspects that could benefit from better data, like:
    •    Website Traffic: If fewer people visit your school's website than you expected, you might want to understand why.
    •    Enrollment Numbers: If enrollment is declining, admissions and enrollment data can help you identify trends and potential causes.
    •    Email Engagement: If current or prospective parents aren’t opening or responding to emails, you need to figure out what can make them more engaging.

Set Clear, Measurable Objectives

Objectives should be specific and quantifiable. Instead of vague goals like "improve website traffic," set a target like "increase homepage visits by 20% over the next six months." Clear objectives help measure progress and determine if your strategies are working.

Here are some more examples of measurable objectives:

    •    Increase Open Rates for School Newsletters: Aim for a 5% average increase in open rates for the weekly newsletter within the next quarter.
    •    Boost Attendance at Admission Events: Set a goal to increase event attendance by 10% at the next open house by the end of the school year.
    •    Improve admissions inquiries: Increase new inquiries by 7% over the next two months.

Align it with School Goals

Make sure your data goals align with your school’s broader objectives, and make sure everyone's on the same page about how the work supports your school's larger mission and vision.

For example:
    •    If your school’s goal is to create a strong community, focus on goals that help increase parent and student engagement, such as boosting the engagement of your weekly newsletter.
    •    If the goal is to improve your marketing performance, concentrate on data related to ad performance and social reach.

Step 2: Gather Your Data

Many systems can collect a LOT of analytics (like GA4), but looking at the right data is what's more important. It provides the information needed to understand current performance and identify areas for improvement.

Identify Your Data Sources

First, determine where you'll get your data. Your communication tools? Your admissions software? The feedback from the carpool lane? Different sources will provide different types of information, all of which can be valuable.

Good examples of data sources could be:

    •    School Website Analytics: Tools like Google Analytics can show how many people visit your website, which pages they look at, and how long they stay. With the built-in site analytics of Finalsite’s content management system, Composer also taps into popular search terms to better know what users are searching. 
    •    Enrollment Management Systems: Finalsite Enrollment analyzes critical admissions and enrollment metrics, communications, and applicant status so you can track inquiries, applicants, enrollments, and more.
    •    Email Marketing Platforms: Finalsite’s mass notification system and its email marketing software, Messages, help track important stats about email delivery, click rates, and other engagement metrics.

Collect Data Regularly

Regular data collection helps you track changes over time and identify trends. Decide how often you need to collect data based on your goals and the type of data, for example:

    •    Website Analytics: Monthly or quarterly reports to monitor traffic trends.
    •    Email Engagement: Weekly reports to track delivery rates, unsubscribed, and click-through rates.

Step 3: Decide What Information to Present

Choosing the right information to present is crucial for effective data reporting so your administrators receive the most relevant and actionable insights without feeling overwhelmed or too in the weeds. They already have a lot to focus on, so present the major ideas and key takeaways.

Focus on Key Metrics

Identify and prioritize the most important data points that align with your goals and objectives. These metrics should provide clear insights into the areas you're trying to improve:
    •    Website Traffic: Number of visitors (and those that are new), page views, average session duration, and engagement rate.
    •    Enrollment Numbers: Total enrollments, new enrollments, and retention rates.
    •    Email Engagement: Delivery rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates.

Present Data—with Context

Provide context for the data to help your audience understand what it means and why it matters. Explain how the data relates to your goals and objectives and what actions can be taken based on the insights.

    •    Compare Against Benchmarks: Compare your data to benchmarks or historical data to show its progress over time. For example, show how current enrollment numbers compare to last year's figures.
    •    Explain Trends: Highlight trends and patterns in the data and explain their significance.  So if website traffic has increased, explain how this might be related to recent marketing efforts or the time of year.
    •    Provide Insights: Suggest specific actions based on the data. For example, if email open rates are low, recommend experimenting with different subject lines, sending times, or personalization.

Step 4: Organize and Format Your Reporting

A well-structured report helps your school leadership quickly grasp the key insights and take appropriate actions. An organized dashboard is really helpful here, especially if your audience is made of visual learners.

Structure Your Report Logically

A clear and logical structure makes it easy for your audience to follow the report. Think about structuring it like this:

Executive Summary
Provide a brief overview of the report, highlighting the main findings and recommendations.

• "This report analyzes the website traffic, enrollment numbers, and email engagement for the past quarter. The key findings show a 15% increase in website visits and a 10% drop in email open rates. Recommendations include improving email subject lines and optimizing website content."

Introduction
Explain the goals and objectives of the report, like "This report evaluates the effectiveness of our current marketing strategies and identifies areas for improvement."

Detailed Findings
Present the data and insights in detail, such as Website Traffic: In the past quarter, we saw a 15% increase in visits by new users to the site. The most visited pages were the Admissions page and the school calendar."

Conclusion & Recommendations
Summarize the main findings and their implications, then present your recommendations based on the data.

• "The increase in website traffic suggests our recent marketing campaign was successful. However, the drop in email open rates indicates a need for better email content."
• "To improve email engagement, consider using more compelling subject lines and personalized content. For website optimization, focus on enhancing the most visited pages."

Key Takeaway

Defining goals, gathering data, choosing the right information, and presenting it to leadership are all crucial steps for making data-driven decisions that have an impact. View data reporting as an ongoing process, and keep refining your approach as you learn, grow, and improve!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connor has spent the last decade within the field of marketing and communications, working with independent schools and colleges throughout New England. As Finalsite’s Senior Content Marketing Manager, Connor plans and executes marketing strategies and digital content across the web. A former photojournalist, he has a passion for digital media, storytelling, coffee, and creating content that connects.