So far no one has responded to yesterday’s poll question inviting you to measure/estimate your cost per lead. I realize that I posted this entry on a spring Saturday and didn’t push you to respond. However, maybe the topic doesn’t interest anyone that much. (The poll also included a link to a SMPS Marketer article with some additional insights on metrics — as a bonus, you will be able to read the entire publication online, in the association’s first experiment with an online-only version of their magazine.)
The limited response (so far) however also causes me to take pause and listen. Sometimes client (or potential client) silence to your marketing message is a loud signal that you aren’t connecting with their interests — or you are taking them for granted. In some cases, of course, silence could mean just the opposite: Everything is going well so no need to rock the boat (or people might simply legitimately be taking some time off — it is the weekend, after all.)
However, listening often yields powerful insights and, not surprisingly, helps us to connect and build rapport and respect with current and potential clients. So if you could combine the ability to listen AND measure, you have found a powerful marketing resource, indeed.
This is perhaps the biggest strength and advantage of social media: Blogging, Twitter, Emails, Webinars, Facebook, LinkedIn and more. You can hear a pin drop with social media because readers’ response is immediate and intimate. You can pull together statistics and data for the total number of participants in real time while connecting one-on-one with individuals who wish to tell you more, directly.
For example, with this blog, I can track in fine detail the number of readers, where they originate geographically, what they are viewing on the page and where they are leaving to if they click on a link from within the blog elsewhere. Tools like Google Anayltics, Statcounter.com and Webmaster Tools allow me to see what is happening and, largely, why.
However, the really interesting stuff occurs when individual readers comment, complete a poll, request some more information or somehow engage or connect with me directly. These are crucial moments. Sometimes they mark the first step in turning into profitable business; sometimes they represent a heads-up or the opportunity to correct a mistake. (I’m thankful blogs are so easy to correct. As an example, I received a call on Friday saying that I had misspelled some-one’s name in a blog posting and could correct the error within minutes while letting the person who provided the incorrect information know as well, averting possible embarrassment at an upcoming public event.)
Obviously, I’m not advocating that you put a stop -watch besides you when you get down to one-on-one listening but maybe some variation of that idea would be helpful. The more you listen, the more you understand your market. The more you measure, the more you understand if what you are hearing matters.
