How to Track the Growth of Your Startup

Startup founders are always on the lookout for their next big idea, but that's not the only challenge they will need to face. They should also consider tracking their organization’s potential for success.

Keeping track of critical metrics can do more than help you see where your business is heading. It also gives you a good view of what works and what doesn't. With this information, you will be able to make important strategic decisions that can help you maintain your gains.

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The growth of your startup hinges on how well you set specific goals, what metrics you are tracking, and what path your business should take. Here's a guide to help you measure your startup's current and potential growth.

1. Know what to measure

Before anything else, you need to know which metrics will give you a good idea of your startup's health across various areas. If you want to know how it's performing in terms of revenue gains, look at the number of sales conversions it generates each month.

You can also check how much it costs to convert a single warm lead. This amount is known as customer acquisition cost and it gives you an idea of whether you're getting substantial returns from your marketing efforts.

Brand awareness is also a crucial metric to measure. People are more receptive to businesses they are familiar with, so building and measuring brand presence helps you determine if you are reaching out to your target audience.

When it comes to measuring the growth of your startup, always consider the goals you want to accomplish. That way, you will have a more accurate understanding of where your business is headed.

2. Look toward customer sentiments

In most cases, you can't always rely on quantitative tools to measure your brand's success. You will also need to gather qualitative data that consists of actual reviews and reactions from customers who used your product or service.

There are several ways you can measure customer sentiments. Apart from sending out survey forms and encouraging them to leave a review on your Google My Business Page, you should also determine the amount of social media engagement (including click-throughs, shares, and reactions) your startup gets on social media networks like Facebook or LinkedIn.

You could also measure the performance of your customer service team. Responding to any question or issue no matter how trivial could significantly impact your brand reputation. When a customer leaves a bad review showing their disappointment towards the customer service team, you should take this as an opportunity to improve this area of your startup. By measuring customer sentiments, you can map out where your startup is lacking in boosting customer retention and loyalty.

3. Check for current and historical trends

Managing a startup is all about knowing the latest disruptions and how it’s affecting your target market. You need to identify recent trends in your sector or niche. From there, you need to see if your products or services align with current trends.

It also matters to track consumer preferences over time. What changes affected a person’s decision to purchase a certain product? Are there any gaps you will need to fill in? What improvements or innovations will you pursue to keep up with market changes? Asking these questions will help you narrow down your marketing campaign and optimally allocate your budget towards high-opportunity areas.

4. Get a KPI tracking tool

A key performance indicator or KPI is a metric that shows you how well your business is performing in line with the specific objectives you have set. Tracking KPIs is impossible without using the right software since you need to translate raw data into actionable insights. Fortunately, there are several KPI dashboard software that allows you to set KPIs and see your startup’s growth trajectory using simple visualizations.

When choosing a tool for tracking KPIs, look for one that covers all aspects of your startup, from marketing to the organization’s financial health. You should also consider a tool that lets you customize and set how often KPI reports are generated. Using a KPI tool will help you gather and analyze crucial business data all in one place. Moreover, you also get to spend more time making decisions and seeking new business opportunities.

5. Know what the competition is doing

Sometimes, you will need to look at your closest competitors and see if they are making changes to their business strategies. Any pivot could have a significant impact on your future plans, so take the time to analyze your competitors’ latest campaigns and determine whether your business isn’t banking on these trends.

Competitor analysis goes a long way in helping you understand how well your startup adapts to recent threats and stays ahead of everyone else.

If you want your startup to grow, you need to spend time analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data. It can get tedious, but it will be worth your while as your startup keeps growing.

by Web Desk via Digital Information World