Every day I speak with small business owners and marketers of automotive products who are allocating a lot of time and effort into doing various online marketing activities. Much of which include spending money on Google AdWords or working with an SEO consultant or doing sporadic email blasts and, of course, social media. Yet they remain frustrated because they can’t tie it all together and understand what’s actually working and what’s not.
As we migrate to a digital world with digital tactics, it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers; total number of visitors or total number of leads. This is especially true if any of your platforms are generating a high volume. If so, congrats, but don’t start writing Bonus Checks just yet. Instead, take a step back and understand what’s really important: How many visitors are converting to leads? How many leads are converting to customers?
Conversion starts with marketing and ends with sales.
- Make sure you are analyzing your entire sales and marketing funnel . It’s not over after you deliver your leads. Make sure those leads are converting to customers.
- Track which lead channels lead to the most closed deals. Focus on those channels in your upcoming lead generation campaigns. Everything works in cycles. This is the essence of closed loop marketing!
- If you were an accountant, would you check your balances only at the end of the month? Of course not! So, measure your marketing frequently. The same concept applies when delivering quality leads to your sales force. Meticulously measure your lead programs daily (or even multiple times a day) to ensure your efforts are bringing the best results.
What has been your best channel for leads?