Marketing measurement provides information for effective decision making. Where should we be spending more money? Less? Which marketing programs are providing a return? Which aren’t?
Here are four opportunities for marketing measurement to consider:
1. Asking. Everyone who makes an inquiry about your tour products should be asked how he or she found you? Asking provides valuable information about which marketing activities are working.
2. Coding. Print advertising and brochures can be uniquely coded. Use codes to track inquiries. For example, brochures distributed through hotels and tourism information centers can be coded differently than trade show brochures. By using codes, you can measure the response rates from a variety of print and web based marketing activities.
3. Surveys. A random sample of customers can be regularly surveyed to provide feedback to improve your operations and to respond to changing customer needs. Using surveys, you can ask participants where they first heard of you, their preferred methods of receiving information [about upcoming promotions and special events], while gathering information about customer satisfaction.
4. Internet. On your website, use statistical analysis software to better understand the way consumers are interacting with your Website. Because extensive cross-marketing can be used, these statistics can be correlated to other advertising activities. Track email inquiries and online ticket sales as well as other web related marketing activities. We use Google Analytics, it’s free, offering a powerful suite of features and benefits. We just signed up for benchmarking (free) that will track our performance against other companies in our industry. Another great free Google tool!
Using these strategies, you will gather the information you require to make more effective marketing decisions. Allocate budgets and resources to marketing activities that deliver the best returns.
