Yesterday, the government announced The Recession is over. Now what?
Although this announcement is based on macro-level statistics and you might not be feeling a significant change right now in your local area, it is a sign that things are moving in the right direction. So, in the past few years, you’ve made your adjustments, sharpened your sword to survive the downturn and learned some new tricks. So, when conditions improve, what do you do?
The best suggestion I have is NOT to return to old habits. The biggest change I noticed our clients making was a headlong plunge into measurable marketing purchases. The days of big purchases without tracking ended... finally. There was a big migration toward paid search because it is web-based and fully measurable. And, most importantly, there was a mass adoption of tracking telephone numbers for use in print ads, television ads, web sites and more. This new habit of tracking... it’s a good one that should be maintained no matter where the new economy goes.
Matter of fact, I think it’s irresponsible if you are not using tracking numbers. Why would you not want to know the results of incoming calls? Not only do they measure the volume of responses from a particular placement but the technology behind the numbers offers a massive amount of information. In fact, most of our clients who use tracking numbers record the calls and listen to how their front desk is handling the calls. Now that is a great way to manage that area of communications in your practice or business!
As things improve, I am spending a lot of time encouraging anyone who will listen to keep their eye on the ball when it comes to tracking technologies. When you have a long period of time, like this Recession, where you have had to buckle down, fatigue sets in. When you have a financial threat or downturn, a natural reaction is to bunker down and head for a degree of safety, which tracking technologies provide in the form of details and information. So, when the dust settles and you begin to feel comfortable again, a possible reaction is to relax. I know I am keeping my clients on point during this time, so I am speaking to you readers who are not regular clients here: Don’t quit using measuring technologies like tracking numbers and if you aren’t using them, start now!
Tracking numbers are the least expensive and most valuable marketing tool out there. The cost for one of our tracking numbers works out to $40/month/number. That is a ridiculously low cost to measure hundreds or thousands of dollars of marketing efforts each month. Tracking numbers are unique numbers tied to specific tracking technology to use for measuring marketing results. They are easy to use and can be used anywhere. Place a unique number in a print ad, a television ad, on your web site, on a direct mailer... you will find out exactly who calls from that piece and what happened on that call.
This attention to detail and use of technology should become part of your post-Recession marketing plan. The smart businesses have stepped up to rely on this sort of technology and information for smart decision making. If you would like to try tracking telephone numbers for your marketing, please let me know at donald@dogstarmedia.com. We can get you set up in a matter of days and you can REALLY know what is going on with your marketing.
