Running specials, advertising and new public relations campaigns for your business are all well and good, but how do you know if your efforts are a success?  Far too many business owners spend time and/or money on marketing without understanding the value they are receiving in return, if any.

The first step in gauging the success of a marketing campaign is having clear, measurable goals.  Admittedly, marketing ROI cannot always be easily translated into financial return.  For instance, if you pay a press release service to write and distribute a press release highlighting a recent event in which your company sponsored a non-profit, it will be difficult to measure how many new clients are acquired as a result of that piece.  Additionally, you cannot know how this publicity will translate into new, repeat, customers.  A single client may bring in $50 with a single sale, but you may make $6000 in repeat sales from that person.  Here are three easy ways that you can measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaign. (more…)

Most people are a little nosy when it comes to finding out what other people “really” think about them.  Socially, this can be an extremely bad pastime.  However, in business, you should always know what is being said about your brand and who/what you are being linked to.

One of the most simple and cost effective tools to use to gauge this activity is Google Alerts.  With Google Alerts you can select keywords to monitor.  Every time these keywords are used on the net, Google will send you an email notification.  I suggest using your company name/ products as keywords.  This is a valuable marketing for the following reasons: (more…)

Oftentimes, small business owners find themselves with an extremely small, or nonexistent, marketing budget.  What few of them know is that great marketing is not always costly.  One of the best ways to grow a business is giving the product or service away!

Yes, you read correctly.  Putting your product in the hands of connectors can be a great way to encourage a windfall of new business.  Have you opened a new online jewelry boutique?  Why not give a few of your pieces to the local fashionista who is always posing on camera?  This is an especially smart move if you know her to be someone who issues recommendations freely.  Not only will you have great publicity pictures of her wearing your pieces, but you will likely start to get calls from her friends and followers. (more…)