Every business owner loves metrics… at least they think they do, until they see them! The first thing they always ask is: “Is this good?” But that’s the wrong question. The right question is “Compared to what?” Let’s break this down.
Benchmarks Are Bullsh*t, Unless You Know How to Use Them
Industry benchmarks are like BMI charts. They give you a range, but they don’t know you. They don’t know your offer, your audience, your budget, or your brand equity. So if you’re trying to match “industry average” just to feel better about your numbers… Congrats! You’ve officially set the bar at mediocre.
Instead, we suggest using benchmarks like this:
- To know what’s possible
- To flag when something’s broken
- To ask smarter questions
For example, let’s say your email click-through rate is 2.3%. Is that good? It depends.
E-commerce average? 2.01%
Your last month? 3.4%
Your competitors’ Black Friday blast? 7%
Suddenly, 2.3% is a problem, but only because you know what to compare it to.
Here’s What Actually Matters
You want context. You want growth. You want to make money! What you don’t care to do is win a metrics award. Here’s how we at Brillity Digital use benchmarks the right way:
Platform Benchmarks Tell Us If You’re Leaving Money on the Table
Facebook Ads – When Creative is the Culprit
We worked with a client who couldn’t break past a 1% click-through rate. They were technically “on par” with industry benchmarks, but leads were drying up and costs were climbing. It was time for us to step in:
- Swapped generic lifestyle photos for actual on-site photos
- Changed ad copy to include a limited-time promotion to encourage action
- Narrowed the audience to local zip codes versus a broader audience
These changes resulted in our click-through rate jumping to 2.6%, the cost-per-lead dropped by 52%, and they had record sales that quarter!
Google Ads – Keyword Bloat and Bidding Misfire
A B2B service client came to us panicked. Their CPC was $6.43, double their industry’s average, and conversions also dropped considerably. We diagnosed the problem:
- They were bidding Maximize Clicks” on broad match keywords
- 70% of traffic was irrelevant or from tire-kickers
We restructured:
- Switched to manual bidding with enhanced CPC
- Built tight, exact matc,h and phrase match ad groups
- Increased the negative keyword list by 100+ terms
After these adjustments, CPC dropped to $2.89, the conversion rate more than doubled, and quality leads started rolling in!
We Benchmark YOU Against YOU
Let’s say your return on ad spend (ROAS) went from 1.8 to 2.6 in 3 months. That’s a win! Even if the industry average is 3.1. Why? Because progress compounds. If your business’s metrics are steadily climbing every month, you’re beating 99% of businesses sitting still.
We Set Custom Targets, Not Cookie-Cutter Metrics
Let’s say you sell a $10,000 B2B service – a 1% conversion rate is massive! But if you’re selling $30 leggings? The same 1% could mean you’re bleeding cash. The “right” metric depends on your:
- Offer
- Funnel
- Margin
- Sales Cycle
- Lifetime Value
Without context, you’ll make bad decisions. And bad decisions will result in wasted ad spend, a confused strategy, and lost growth.
Brillity’s Final Take
Don’t just look at your numbers. Learn from them!
Benchmarks don’t tell you how good you are. They tell you what’s possible and where to aim higher. At Brillity Digital, we don’t chase averages. We chase what moves the needle for your business. We suggest asking better questions. Building better systems. And if you’re ready to stop playing the numbers game with a blindfold on – let’s talk! We’ll help you optimize what actually matters for your business.
