This may be the Internet Marketing VA but as a business you cannot rely on just your online marketing efforts, you have to be active offline too, but how do your track your efforts and if it is working for you?

It is important to know WHERE your business is coming from, the “scatter and hope” approach is not one any business owner should take; so here are 3 tips to help you determined what offline marketing is working for you.

  1. Discounts and Codes
    The most obvious of the three and most savvy companies do it.
    Use a discount code that a potential customer can quote when they call or buy online, for example in your ad display something like this: “Quote ESSEXMAG to get 10% off your first order when enquiring” or “Enter code EMAG1 at the checkout for an exclusive 10% off” an instant indicator of where your sale or enquiry has come from.

TIP: If you run a publically accessible business i.e. a Shop, Bar, Pub or Restaurant display “visit our website for a 2 for 1 discount” or similar and set up a landing page with an e-mail signup form, displaying an “opt-in” to receive newsletters and exclusive discounts. A great way to build your e-mail marketing list AND keep existing customers coming back! (Just remember not to contact those that haven’t opted in and display a privacy note).

  1. Domain Names
    You could purchase some domain names to display in your ad; for example if you have a long domain that will take up lots of space and is difficult to remember. Purchase some .co.uk domains that are short, memorable and relevant to your company for exclusive use in offline advertising. Have the domain you are using diverted to your main website (you can do this yourself or your web company can do it for you). You can then track visitors that are coming via that domain name to your site from that particular ad campaign.

TIPS: Use an analytics package like Google Analytics or Get Clicky to track exact movements of each visitor and sales/conversions.
Set up a landing page for the domain rather than diverting it to the main website, targeting the exact product or market you are trying to appeal to.

  1. 0845 Numbers
    Setting up a 0845 number sounds costly doesn’t it? It doesn’t have to be! Some companies will offer your first 0845 free of charge or for around £15 per annum service fee plus call charges. You can set up a different 0845 number for each campaign or website to track enquiries that come in.

Why not combine all three to maximise your chances of tracking your campaign success? Remember to keep a spreadsheet of what domain, number and codes you are using for each campaign to track your ROI for each ad you have. Too many companies will spend £100’s advertising not knowing if it has worked for them; make your campaigns work for you.