Marketing measurements that matter

More than half of the 200 Chief Executives who responded to a recent survey wanted to see their digital marketing metrics directly associated with sales figures. Nearly two thirds said that too much of their marketing budget is spent on activities that don’t deliver meaningful results. 

According to the survey, most business leaders are unconvinced by tactical digital analytics such as retweets, likes, followers, and impressions. 

 

The argument is that marketers should use social media to collect insights into what customers want to buy and to engage them in more meaningful conversations that will build trust. 

 

To do this effectively, digital marketing efforts need to be more precise and targeted, using the platform’s analytics in a more purposeful way. There are also plenty of other analytics tools for social media available, which are within the reach of most small businesses, that can provide useful insights. 

 

Add to this Google Analytics and other website tracking information to see where your site traffic is coming from and how visitors behave. 

 

For businesses that want to know more than the number of followers they have or the likes they have received, the key is integrated marketing campaigns. 

 

While the goal will be to achieve more revenue, there are several steps along the way. Many businesses struggle to find measurable approaches because their customers are unpredictable. Often, they rely on measurements based on previous experience of the numbers of people who will complete the journey through the sales funnel to make a purchase. 

 

The trick is to have reliable ways to track people’s behaviour. 

 

Your social media metrics and website analytics will help but here’s another option. 

 

To follow people accurately through your sales funnel, reach out to potential customers that you aren’t already connected with online using printed advertising. Include a QR code in your advertisement to take them to a dedicated private post or hidden webpage. You will know that everyone visiting that social media post or webpage has arrived because of your advertisement. 

 

Give them a promotional code that’s unique to the post or page and you will be able to see when they redeem it online or use it when they call you. 

 

You can test your designs, messages, and offers by simply updating the QR code for your next advertisement and you will have a direct record of what works best.