“Fueling” your Messaging – Ingredient #7 ”Monitoring Your Results”
This is it…The last in our series of ingredients that we feel are essential in “fueling” your marketing message.
Our last topic is one of “Monitoring Your Results”. I’ve seen first hand the power of this step when done correctly, and the utter failure if done poorly. Our goal today is to give you a few ideas designed to ensure that all your hard work and “ingredient mixing” results in the best possible outcomes for you and your company.
Without further comment, here are some ideas to keep in mind as you track results:
Consider the timeline that’s elapsed when you begin to measure – What criteria are you basing your expectations on at each measurement interval? Messaging strategies take time to show results, and can be affected by many factors, some internal, and some external. Make sure that you’ve built in a realistic expectation for seeing the results you’re seeking, and don’t be afraid to include these factors when doing your evaluations. In essence, you’re looking for a “directionally correct” result which should increase over time.
Has your messaging been consistent? Whatever aspect of “messaging” we might speak about, the key to getting great results is in the consistency. When you did your research into establishing the criteria you’d use for engaging your audience, you created a “blueprint” of what you felt was educational and meaningful to them. You also had a goal for how often the messaging was to be refreshed and repeated. How did you do?
Choose the right evaluation tools – Evaluating your messaging can take on different forms, depending on the topic you’re seeking to evaluate. When evaluating “brand building” for example, you might look at things like increased website traffic, video views, referral links, etc. But when evaluating your audience “engagement”, you might look at things like social media “likes”, shares, and comments. Also remember to regularly check to ensure that your messaging is staying in line with your core values and beliefs. Be fluent in understanding the measurement tools you’re using as well – Google Analytics, CRM software, etc. There’s a wealth of data to be mined, but knowing how to get it and how to apply it to perceive its value is all important.
Ask for audience feedback – Clients and prospects are more than willing to let you know how you’re doing. Don’t be afraid to ask for their help in evaluating your messaging. After all, hitting a “home run” with them is really all that matters as you continue to build your business.
OK – We’ve completed our look at all 7 ingredients for successfully “fueling” your messaging. I hope you’ve enjoyed the series, and sincerely hope that we’ve helped you in some small way to improve on setting your goals, create engaging custom content, evaluate and target your “best” prospects, and carefully evaluate your efforts.
I’ll have one final blog for the year, to be posted the week before Christmas. Here’s to finishing the year with a strong effort!
