Over the past couple of months, I have read numerous blogs and articles regarding the increased focus from marketers on proving ROI in 2014. The stories have ranged from specific advertising platforms to overall marketing efforts. The demand to prove a positive return on investment is high and difficult. Part of the challenge is that while marketers are looking at individual metrics for each platform they are utilizing, the consumer is typically being influenced and engaging with multiple platforms in their path-to-purchase.
So how do you help to prove ROI in a world where consumers are more connected than ever?
The answer is not black and white, but here are a couple of items you should consider to get you on the right track:
- Begin with the end in mind – know what success looks like for your campaign. Sounds simple, but every campaign should begin with a clear understanding of what goals you are looking to accomplish. Develop your marketing strategy based on the results that you are looking to achieve.
- Make sure that an Integrated Campaign is part of the solution. An integrated marketing solution delivers the power and reach of traditional media along with the depth of information that consumers crave in order to make a buying decision. The consumer doesn’t live in a silo and your marketing efforts shouldn’t live in a silo either.
- Be specific with your goals. Don’t stop at “my goal is to drive sales” – push to learn the details. Are you looking to drive sales with new or existing customers? Over what period of time? With any product or a specific product?
- Determine what you want the consumer to do and make sure that the path for them to execute that action is clear and simple. If you want them to go online or come to a physical location to learn more information about a specific offer, make sure that the website has been updated with those details and they are easily found or that the employees know the details of that offer.
- Know how you are going to measure results before you begin. With an integrated solution, traditional and digital media work together to deliver results, so make sure that you are looking at the campaign as a whole and not the individual parts of the solution. Understand that the stimulus from traditional media or display advertising is what will drive the consumer to learn more, in person or online. If they are learning more online, that may come through direct clicks or visits to a website via a search engine or direct entry.
