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Here’s How To Measure The Real Impact Of Your Online Marketing



Running a digital marketing campaign is a demanding process. You need to be sure that every campaign you run is worth the effort.

In the world of online marketing, there are so many options for campaigns that it can be tempting to run several back-to-back or even all at once. However, this is a trap that experienced digital marketers know to avoid.

At Bookscouter.com, we know that a smart digital marketing campaign is a continuous experience between your website, audience, social media, mobile devices and third-party sites. This results in a dizzying array of variables to control.

Attempting to run multiple digital marketing campaigns may be possible, but you’ll likely end up with inferior results.

Focusing on fewer, more optimized campaigns will give you a better return on investment.

 It’s a smart choice, but if you do so, you need to be certain the marketing campaigns you’re managing are effective.

Measuring the success of your digital marketing efforts is important, and there are several ways to start.

 

How to measure digital marketing success

Consider every aspect of a digital marketing campaign when measuring its success. Of course, there are so many metrics that it can be overwhelming. Thankfully, some are easier than others. Here a few of the most important metrics to track.

 

Traffic generation

Did your marketing campaign result in a significant increase of site traffic for your business? Was the traffic from new or return visitors? Where is the traffic coming from? Knowing how much (and what type) of traffic an online marketing campaign brings in is one of the most important metrics to consider.

 

Click-through rate (CTR)

The click-through rate (CTR) used to be considered one of the most important metrics of a digital marketing campaign; however, it fails to consider those people who may not click-through, but will search for your site later on. This is still an important metric to measure, but it’s no longer essential.

 

Conversion rate

This is an important metric to track, but it’s a complicated one. Conversion goals can mean different things besides a sale. Goals can include interacting with your website or generating leads through filling out forms. Ensure that when you’re measuring conversion rates, you’re taking all types of conversions into account.

 

Cost per click (CPC)

This is simply calculated by the cost of clicks per ad (based on the keywords used) divided by the number of clicks the ad gets. A high cost per click usually means you need to choose different keywords.

 

Cost per lead (CPL)

CPL is a useful metric for comparing digital marketing campaigns in different channels. Campaigns that have a high CPL might be scrapped to focus on other campaigns.

 

Social metrics

Social metrics measure various aspects of campaign exposure and social interaction. Some of these measurements include number of new followers, comments, likes, retweets, and mentions.

 

Competitive insight

Another technique that isn’t a metric—but is useful to measure the success of your digital marketing campaign—is to look at your competitors. Is your campaign more successful than theirs? Less? If their campaign seems to be considerably more successful than yours, don’t be afraid to learn from them and adapt some of their tactics for your own use.

 

Avoid these online marketing mistakes

If you find that your digital marketing campaigns are falling short, it may be due to a few common, deadly mistakes.

 

Mistake #1. Not establishing specific goals

There’s such a variety of options in digital marketing that if your marketing team doesn’t set specific goals at the start, you’ll be lost before you even begin.

 

Mistake #2. Not defining the target customer

Casting a wide net to try to catch every possible customer may seem like a good tactic, but it isn’t. This is a mistake often made by amateur marketers. Experience has shown that campaigns targeted at specific groups of customers are more effective.

 

Mistake #3. Hosting a poor landing page

If your campaign manages to bring people to your website, you need to keep them there. Most users will click away in a hurry if they land on a bland landing page.

 

Mistake #4. 

Not adapting to changes

Everything changes faster in the digital world. Don’t cling to marketing techniques that worked for you before if they’ve lost their effectiveness. One recent change to be aware of is the rise of mobile devices. Ensuring your digital marketing campaign is mobile-friendly will go a long way toward its effectiveness.

 

Mistake #5. Not measuring your campaign

If you aren’t measuring the efficacy of the campaign, you can’t know if you’re wasting time and resources. Use the metrics mentioned earlier to measure your campaign.

Running a digital marketing campaign is a demanding process. You need to be sure that every campaign you run is worth the effort. Constantly measure the success of marketing initiatives, and don’t be afraid to let unsuccessful ones go.

 

This article has been edited and condensed.

James Tomol is a Content Specialist for Bookscouter.com, established in August 2007 as a way for students to sell their books to earn cash and pay off debts. Today, BookScouter has become the largest referring site to a number of the country’s largest book buyback companies, performing over 200,000 searches daily. Connect with @BookScouterCom on Twitter.

 

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