One of the most common mistakes in marketing is making decisions based on assumptions rather than fact. You think of an idea for a marketing piece and believe that it is a great idea.
You start using the idea with no tracking mechanism that would allow you to measure the results of that piece. Then if business happens to come in you assume that it must be working and continue to spend time and money on a method that may or may not actually be working.
Frankly, I don't want to spend a dime (or a minute of my time) on marketing that I can't measure.
There are two reasons for this. The most obvious reason is - I want to know if I am wasting my efforts on something that doesn't work at all.
The second reason is - if the marketing piece is working I want to know how well. I want to be able to compare it to my other marketing efforts and determine where my resources are best spent. I also want to be able to test variations of the piece and see if I can improve the response rate. An improvement in response rate adds directly to the bottom line because it doesn't cost any extra.
In other words, if I have a choice between spending $300 on an ad and getting 10 responses or spending the same $300 and getting 20 responses I'd rather have the 20 every time. That's a no-brainer, right?
Yet so often I see marketers using unproven ads and neglecting to test and see if they can improve response rates.
That's one reason I like using free recorded message lines as a response mechanism so much. When the person calls to hear the recorded message they enter an ID number from the ad they read. Each ad or marketing piece can be assigned a unique ID number so that I can know exactly how many responses came as a direct result of that particular piece.
Knowing your numbers and tracking every single ad can save you time and money, and making decisions based on fact is much more profitable and enjoyable than making them based on assumptions.
Shawn Meldrum has spent the last two decades marketing everything from almonds to landscape lighting. He currently specializes in marketing for mortgage brokers, loan officers and real estate agents. For free mortgage marketing articles and much more visit: http://www.mortgagemarketingtips.com/
In just one month three California vineyards have introduced new... Read More
There's just no time to waste in a cyber day;... Read More
Do it Right.I receive postcards all the time. The other... Read More
"When I walked into the grocery store last Saturday, I... Read More
Offering free and exclusive content to ezine publishers and webmasters... Read More
How many Hispanic people live in the US currently. Well... Read More
Do you spend a lot of time and energy courting... Read More
Most professional copywriters would say that headlines account for 80%... Read More
How many times have you been asked to participate in... Read More
Times are a changin'! More women today work outside the... Read More
It was a real eye-opener to hear the perceptions people... Read More
So you just dropped a tidy sum to attend a... Read More
The secret to increasing sales doesn't lie in choosing just... Read More
As a life-long dancer, I know a bit about the... Read More
Your list of customers who have previously bought from you... Read More
Some people have little difficulty attracting and maintaining clients who... Read More
No, customers aren't bloodsuckers (well, maybe a few are!) and... Read More
Here's a simple way you can generate lots of sales... Read More
One of the most powerful, yet over looked weapons in... Read More
"This offer is good but can you guarantee it."Why write... Read More
You've probably bought a book or two at one of... Read More
Starting a business, whether it's retail products or services, must... Read More
1.Evaluation of Existing Products / Therapies2.Assessment of New Products3.Market assessment... Read More
You can use great design and copy to get a... Read More
The usual complaint from companies is that Marketing simply does... Read More
Dear Friend:Don't do it.Don't start your fundraising letters with "Dear... Read More
How to Take Your Law Firm to the Next Level... Read More
How would you use business cards for gift certificates?I asked... Read More
Every now and then I will meet someone who has... Read More
I believe that small business marketing and selling follows a... Read More
"How to Earn the Right..."Marketing your professional services is a... Read More
You can have the best little business ever with wonderful... Read More
According to military historian David Chandler the campaigns of Napoleon... Read More
The term business marketing strategy might sound like it is... Read More
Donors read postscripts. This is a sad but important reality... Read More
One of the reasons direct mail works is the personal... Read More
As you have probably experienced there is a lot of... Read More
Looking for a great way to drive traffic to your... Read More
The buzzword these days is "relationship" marketing. Just what is... Read More
Now that you have had a chance to create a... Read More
You will always have more people that turn down your... Read More
The Logo: a little historyLogotype, commonly know as a logo,... Read More
Article marketing is the latest buzzword for marketers... Read More
Tactical marketing processes are once again undergoing fundamental shifts from... Read More
After spending 30 minutes in a coffee shop with a... Read More
How does a marketing plan relate to an organization's communications... Read More
What?!? Sabotage your own success? Who would do that? Well,... Read More
If ever there was a lazy way to easy profits... Read More
Real estate marketing is a lot simpler than most Realtors... Read More
What benefits will you get from flyers?Flyers are much different... Read More
Marketing Marketing |