What to measure?

For years (over 16 to be exact) we’ve been asked “How do I measure ROI of my marketing efforts?”

Typically our clients look at sales.  If sales are flat they tell us “Our marketing is not working.” If sales are up they say, “How do we know it wasn’t our sales team?”

We’ve always stressed that marketing’s job is to support the sales process.  To make it faster, to generate leads, to help retain clients, to build awareness and build brand. Marketing is not a substitute for sales unless you are selling a widget that requires no human interaction to close the deal.

So, if you are going to measure your marketing’s ROI, look at what marketing is intended to impact.

We work with our clients to set realistic goals, look closely at what is happening and showing that through simple benchmarks and consistent measurement you can not only see the ROI, but also:

• Find hidden caches of leads
• Build loyalty and brand fans
• Open new markets you never would have seen otherwise
• Identify ways to shorten the sales cycle
• Work smarter and save money
• Say yes to more opportunity
• And stop wasting time on fruitless endeavors

Our recommendation is to always measure your investment (both time and money), but be sure you are looking at the right outcomes to make your decisions.  Focus on what you intend your marketing efforts to impact, not what will the outcome will be 5 steps after the marketing has occurred.

How do you measure the success of your marketing?