Should you Sack the Offline Yellow Pages What they don't want you to know

Marketing whether it is online or offline can be expensive. Too often a company will advertise offline but never measure the outcome of those marketing efforts. In tough economic times, marketing campaign funds can be very limited so why wouldn't you track how successful or miserable the campaign is? Too often companies will start a marketing campaign to build brand awareness but it does no good if you don't know how effective that campaign was. Some companies have said they lack the software to really measure the outcome. This is no longer a viable excuse. No matter if the marketing is done offline or online, businesses must measure the outcome. Our goal is to show you some simple ways to measure the outcome of your marketing campaigns. You measure your phone calls by having a report automatically made available for you on a monthly basis. For around $25.00 per month you can register a 1300 number and have it routed to your local business number. The benefits are twofold.
You measure your phone calls by having a report automatically made available for you on a monthly basis. For around $25.00 per month you can register a 1300 number and have it routed to your local business number. The benefits are twofold.

First, customers are more likely to pick up the phone and call because it's cheaper to just make a phone call. Rates are minimal, and should just be factored into the cost per client. If you are concerned about this cost then chances are you are not measuring you marketing activities or may not appreciate the cost per lead. If the objective is to receive phone calls, then at least register a 1300 number. For Australian businesses check out '1300 Numbers Australia'.

The second benefit is you have monthly reporting to work out your cost per lead. The same phone still rings, but the difference is each call redirect is being recorded for reporting. This type of report can show you the duration of your calls as well as how many people are calling you. For example if you spend $5,000 per year, and you receive 2 phone calls per month, your cost per lead would be $208.

Measuring your marketing outcomes will determine if you are getting the most for your money or if you need to change tactics. There is no viable excuse to not measuring your marketing outcomes. Period.

Marketing for the mere sake of branding is no reason to not measure the outcome. When it comes to tough economic times, many companies curt back on their marketing budgets. Wouldn't it be wonderful to know exactly how your marketing campaigns are affecting your business? Cutting back due to the economy is disaster in the making. By measuring your marketing outcomes it will allow you to cut back on areas that are ineffective.