The only way to know, is by proper tracking. I have been helping people market their businesses for over 15 years & only about 1% of businesses are tracking properly.
Most business owners ask their customers, clients or patients at the point of sale,”How did you hear about us?” This will not give you accurate results, as they might have heard about you through a 3rd party or seen your name in a magazine, newspaper, billboard, etc. The truth of the matter is that the “3rd party referral” probably didn’t have your phone number readily available & chances are the customer doesn’t have that magazine or newspaper anymore as they have a very short shelf life in any home. Folks generally will not drive to a billboard they’ve seen to get your phone number either.
All of these advertising mediums are GOOD – but must be done in conjunction with local directory advertising to reap the full benefit of that campaign. It has been proven statistically that people will look for you in a community directory to find out how to get in touch with you. Other studies have shown that if your competitor has what I call their “Resume,” i.e. an ad, in the directory & you do not, you have a very good chance of losing that potential customer, client or patient.
The BEST way to track your marketing is to get the person answering the phone to ask, “IF YOU DON’T MIND ME ASKING, WHERE DID YOU GET OUR PHONE NUMBER?” You will get a very different response and have a better picture of where folks go to call your company! This must be done consistently on every single call, however, to be completely accurate.
We are now offering call tracking numbers that can help you find out what is really working for you! The bottom line is, we all like to think we have spent our marketing dollars wisely, but the truth is most of us really don’t know if that is the case. We are able to help you make good decisions by implementing a PROVEN tracking method that eliminates ALL questions & concerns. Call us today to find out how we can help you track ALL of your advertising by the use of this system!
Paul Gray
President/CEO
Business Directories of Texas
