It’s not always easy to see the value in marketing. Did that last caller get in touch because they saw your Facebook advert, or did they click a telephone number on your website via their mobile? Knowing the answer to this you allows you to see exactly what is working for you firm and then to concentrate your efforts for a better return on investment.

It is a proven fact that investing in digital marketing solutions (social media, video, mobile websites, pay per click advertising) can really help improve the business you attract.  However, a scatter gun approach will not do; you need to be sure that you’re using the right solution, understand where your leads are coming from and how people are finding you to make sure your investment is worthwhile.  The top three ways to do this are a) Google analytics b) Conversion rate optimisation traffic and c) Call tracking.

Google analytics

‘Google Analytics’ is very clever. It describes itself as ‘the most powerful analytics solution out there’, and with good reason. It tracks a wide variety of web-based content, from your websites to your Facebook pages and even visits from your RSS feeds. It shows you exactly where your visitors come from and what they do on your site, which keywords are working best and even what page was the last one a visitor looked at.  All of this information is extremely valuable as it helps you to tailor your site to increase the time visitors stay on your site.

Conversion rate optimisation traffic

This tool is perfect for making sure you get your website at its optimum level to attract new business. It can actually follow someone moving through your site, where they stop, where they leave and then send it to you as a real-time video. It can also record where their mouse moves and clicks and can create heat maps to show the most popular areas on your website, again in real time, so you can improve your pages and online forms.

Call tracking

Have you often wondered how certain customers get your number?  When it comes to tracking your marketing, this is possibly one of the most important questions out there but so many people forget to ask.  A full service digital agency that has access to the latest call tracking software will be able to monitor where your calls come from, identifying what got that potential new client to pick up the phone.

Knowing what prompted your clients to call, what they are interested in and what path they took to find you, puts you in a powerful position and will help you build a better picture of what is working for you and what is not. It might be that your competitors seem to be everywhere. But if you know the channels that aren’t working for you, then your investment in marketing channels that work will create greater success for you in the long run.

Spending money on marketing campaigns is an investment and like any investment you need to make sure it’s providing value. The right monitoring tools will help identify where your marketing budget is best spent and cut the cost of attracting new business.

Dez Derry is CEO of mmadigital