Studio Owners..Are You Tracking Your New Leads? Read This First!

By Deneen Laprade, AFS Community Expert

As a Marketing Coach, I want you to take charge of your marketing and I urge you to make this question an integral part of your sales process. It needs to be asked by you and once answered, it must be recorded by you. And that’s the real message in this article: Track the results of each and every marketing campaign you deploy.

You spend time and money on your marketing efforts and like everything else in life; you want to know both are being spent wisely. The only way to do that is to track the results and analyze them to predict future decisions.

There are a variety of simple, yet very effective tools available that provide the data you’re seeking: The number of leads generated by each marketing vehicle deployed within each unique campaign.

Let’s take a look at some of them here.

1. Purls [personalized url]   

As professionals in a service oriented business, we realize the importance of knowing and using our client’s names to show them they are unique and we appreciate them. You will really grab their attention by inserting Purls in your next campaign. (The URL itself is a link to a Landing Page, which is discussed next.) The great thing is you can use purls on both print and in digital pieces with the same positive results.

 2. Landing Pages

These are digital forms, located on your website that capture lead contact information. Most of the time an exchange needs to be made, as in you need to give them something in order to get their personal information. Usually a free trial offer or a gift will do.

Sometimes the link to the Landing Page will be a Purl, as described above. More often, the campaign will be identified somewhere in the URL. The ad design encourages prospects to ‘click here’ to register or learn more. Once they complete the form, you have real-time, tangible proof that a lead was generated.

There are a variety of simple, yet very effective tools available that provide the data you’re seeking: The number of leads generated by each marketing vehicle deployed within each unique campaign.
 

3. Call Tracking

There are a few benefits to this tool. Not only are you able to establish the number of leads generated simply by how many times the phone rings, but often the calls are recorded. You can hear what prospects are asking and how staff is responding. Use these recordings for training purposes and to learn more about prospects so you can strategically tailor future offers.

4. Lead Tracking Software

The possibilities are almost endless. Programs, downloads, CRM software licenses and web-based platforms all exist to help you track and analyze the leads your efforts generate. They range from simple to complex and can be free, have a one-time charge or require monthly fees. This is an ideal way to take the lead data you generate, centralize it and easily follow how often you’ve contacted each, by what methods and so much more.

5. Social Media Lead Generation

Social media networks are marketing platforms that allow businesses to connect with their clients and more importantly, prospects. This can be a lucrative marketing channel once you learn how to focus on the metrics that generate revenue and by implementing a strategy that is built to support lead generation. If you use social media networks to promote your business, take the time to learn the best application and type of information you post to improve shares, likes, followers and so on.

So, as you can see, a variety of tracking tools exist to add to each marketing piece. There are no excuses now that you know better! What about tracking the source of incoming calls and walk-ins? That brings us back to the title of this article, “How did you hear about us?” It’s just that easy. Make it part of your business culture to ask every potential client how they learned about your business.

In addition to a good, manageable CRM system, have a communication system in place to inform staff (or even just to keep track yourself) of the campaigns and promotions currently taking place, what vehicle was used, what the offer is, when it expires and so on. Record the individual responses from each prospect.

There are several benefits to employing these strategies: First, you’ll learn which vehicles are having an impact in your market, which allows you to evaluate the time and money spent and the return on investment. Second, you can better answer the question, “Will I repeat this campaign next year at this same time?” The only way to truly know the answer to that is to track it. Additional benefits to tracking responses are that you’ll see a trend in which offers bring in the most leads. $0 start-up fees or Free Fitness Assessments may be great offers from your perspective, but how are your prospects reacting to them? Unless you can quantify the results of your campaigns, you can never truly measure your ROI.

In this 21^st Century, with technology of all shapes & sizes it’s easy to implement systems that provide you with the numbers you need to make informed decisions about your marketing plan. No longer should you say “I think I got x leads, but I’m not really sure.” Tools and solutions exist that make it easy to quantify the results, to then determine future efforts. At the end of the day, making the most of the time, money and energy spent and knowing what you’re doing is effective (or not, in some cases) provide the answers to guide the next action steps you take to grow your business. Market. Track. Analyze. Repeat!