In an economic climate where every penny counts it still astounds me that so many businesses are failing to measure the impact of their advertising or marketing efforts. This became obvious the other day when I got chatting to the owner of a business which is still going strong after more than 20 years. During a conversation about marketing I asked where the business currently spent its marketing budget and was reliably informed that not only had the same advert had been placed in the same local newspaper for two decades, the firm had absolutely no idea on whether or not it was actually working. This strikes me as a very costly gamble, particularly when you consider that the cost of placing the advert amounted to some £145,000 over the years it had been run and is still running!!

What business today can afford such expenditure without proof that there has been any return on investment in the shape of fresh business? The reality is nobody can and small businesses need to ensure they are investing their money into marketing approaches which are proven to really work for them.

One such approach is tracking software which monitors the business generated by specific adverts. Advertisements are assigned a unique telephone number and when a potential customer calls that line the software will automatically record the data. Such systems are very cost effective and are available for as little as £5-£10 per month which includes a batch of call minutes.

Call tracking isn’t just limited to newspaper advertising and is available to use with a range of mediums including billboards and web advertising. If you’re forking out for a £500 advert every month then it makes sense to invest a little technology to help you decide what is providing you with the best conversions so that you’re no longer relying on guesswork.

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