What Can Be Measured Can Be Improved!
Why did the Internet take off so quickly? Because it is the most measurable media ever. Every visitor action can be measured. Which means it can be improved. This week can be better than last week. And next week will be better still. "Analytics" -- as these measurements are called -- give us the clues to what works and what doesn't. And this what make a cycle of "continuous improvement" possible.
Test, Test, Test
No marketing expert can tell you for certain what will "work" in advance. But we can adapt almost instantaneously, testing new approaches quickly -- keeping the good, deleting the bad.
It's on the Internet where marketing became a true science. In the past, there was room for speculation and theories about what design or copy resonated best with customers -- and why. Online, there is no such fuzzy thinking. The numbers tell the story. The numbers never lie. We just need to listen.
Easy, Fast, Inexpensive
Testing new marketing ideas in other media takes months, sometime over a year. On the Internet, you get your answers in a matter of days. The creative development is easy, fast, and inexpensive. There's nothing to print. Nothing to mail. Reports are updated in real time, in-the-moment. Here are some of the tools we like to use to give you actionable marketing intelligence:
- Google Analytics
The original gold standard to show you what happens when people visit your website. And, it's still free. - Survey Monkey
Surveys are essential to get at how people really feel about what you offer. Here again, Survey Monkey can be used for free (basic version) or at a nominal cost (advanced features) - Social Media
There's way too much hype about Social Media. Even today, it generates very little revenue. But is a great way to take the pulse of your target prospects and learn how they react to your particular offering.
- PPC Advertising
It's possible to build an entire business on "pay-per-click" advertising on Google or Facebook. Online advertising is easy to control. No waste. And you only pay for actual results, i.e., visits to your site