How Can you Manage if You Don’t Measure?
Yesterday I spoke with a business owner who has been in business for 28 years. Over the years I’ve seen his ads everywhere. He was a bit embarrassed to tell me that only recently did he start asking people & recording how they heard about them. Now he moves his marketing dollars where he gets the greatest return. Makes perfect sense doesn’t it? Then why don’t businesses do it?
I hear lots of excuses: “I don’t have the time”, “I forget”, “staff doesn’t ask”, etc. etc. I shudder to think how much money has been wasted on bad advertising choices. If you have a problem, make it a procedure, and it won’t be a problem any more.
One idea is to use your website to measure as it’s a natural measurement tool. Create an online coupon that you direct people to e.g. www.mycompanyname.ca/fryingpanoffer. Have them print out the coupon or get a secret word, then advertise it in a marketing vehicle you are testing.
Put a measurement tool on your website and see if customers are actually visiting that page. Have different pages for different vehicles. Also ensure you check the websites that are referring visitors to your site. I’ve reviewed this information with clients only to have them realize this is the first time they’ve actually seen return for some of their advertising dollar. Some are shocked at what they see.
Remember: measure, analyze, adjust. Marketing is a constantly evolving and changing process. You just need to observe a company called Google to realize the truth in that statement