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It's
High Time to Measure
Your Online Promotional Investment
Online
business owners are looking at their online promotional investments with
greater frequency and scrutiny. Audits measure more than just profit
and loss, they also measure return on investment (ROI) and this is
valuable information when planning future objectives. The article points
out the benefits a company can take advantage of by measuring the ROI of
marketing, advertising and promotions and seeing whether these vital
activities are being used to their full potential.
While
many executives think of promotions as a superfluous expense item, it
has proven to be a critical component of tight budgets in the present
economy. This is been driven by several factors, most notably the new
perception of how important marketing, promotions and advertising is for
growth. But understanding its crucial nature is not enough. Company's
marketing programs are often poorly measured, rendering their full
potential unrealized. Given the current depressed economic climate, it
is essential for a company to be able to measure the ROI from all its
promotional investments.
Companies are looking to increase the number of new prospects while
shortening the sales cycle by improving their promotional efforts
without increasing budgets. It is important to know which tactics within
the program are working and which are not, so strategies can be set
accordingly. The push for ROI is intended to justify marketing and
demonstrate its effect on the company’s bottom line.
The Solution is to implement yearly, semi-annually, and
monthly audits to help executives, top management, and investors ensure
they are doing the right things to help drive growth for their
organizations.
An
audit is an evaluation of promotional practices and results. By
measuring campaign performance, strategists outline a framework for
effective business planning. This helps to maximize positive external
perception and demand generation.
Many
companies choose to measure the quality of their promotions by
determining marketing effectiveness based on the number of leads
generated. Audits must be based on factors such as quantity of leads,
sales cycle reduction, and lower cost per sale. This audit should be
periodically revisited to see if the changes have had a positive impact
on sales performance or growth of company value. The audit will also
indicate where adjustments may be required, such as positioning, or
demand generation on the sales cycles.
There
are no permanent “right” answers in promotions. Customers’ needs and
wants are moving targets, and programs require frequent testing to find
the most profitable formula. Whatever industry your company serves,
your company executives should insist on developing robust measurement
practices to assess the value of your promotional efforts.
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