Page 167 - Duct Tape Marketing

Duct Tape Marketing

(Advertising is often discounted when you can commit to a once-a-
month ad as opposed to a onetime ad.)

Track Your Ads
In order to effectively test and evaluate the ROI of your ads, you

need a system to track where a lead comes from. If you only run one
ad at a time, this could be a pretty simple system; but when you have
ads placed in numerous publications, running on the radio, on the
Internet, and through direct mail, it is helpful to devise a system to
code and track your responses. There are some very powerful tracking
software programs and Web-based applications that make tracking
online responses to an ad a snap. You simply code every ad or mailing
with a different URL that identifies the ad and then view your results.

You can, and should, also run what are called A/B split tests where
you may have identical offers sent to two different lists or run on two
different radio stations to test which performed the best. You may also
do an A/B split test by sending one half of a list a mailing with one
headline and the other half of the list with a completely different head-
line. Track the results, and go to work beating the one that had the best
results by changing and testing some other element such as price or
offer against the winner.

Finally, at the very least, ask your prospects, and even your Web
site visitors who fill out a form to request a free report, where they heard
about you. Just tape this question near the phone of everyone in the
office, and tally the results often.

Creating a Small Business Advertising Plan

Beware: Media Sales Reps Ahead
To get started with your small business advertising plan, I sug-

gest that you contact the television stations, radio stations, newspapers,

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