If you’ve been internet marketing for some time, you know that there are peaks and valleys in the results of your efforts; you also realise that some things work, while others fall flat. So how do you recognise the signs of success?
If you are merely looking at your bottom line, you’re missing out on the point of internet marketing. It takes more than just sales or commissions to determine success. Here, then, are five concrete ways to analyse your internet marketing progress.
1. Social Media Statistics
We all know that using social media for marketing is vital. But do you know how to measure the effectiveness of your social media campaigns?
The purpose of social media is to make connections. Very rarely will you make a direct sale as the result of a post, instead you should concentrate on the number of contacts with which you are making a personal connection.
On Twitter, this can be indicated by the number of direct messages (after the initial “thanks for following”) and retweets. If you can’t tell how many of your posts are being retweeted, use an automation tool such as SocialOomph to alert you of them.
With Facebook, take a look at the number of friends who are posting on your wall. Hopefully, you are responding to each one. If the number is increasing, that’s a positive sign. Should you have a Facebook fan page, the social media site sends you weekly statistics via email regarding the amount of activity and the number of new followers.
2. Website Statistics
Review your website statistics at least weekly. Are the number of hits increasing or stagnating? What blog posts are most popular? Which receive the largest number of comments? How long is someone staying on your site and how deep is the hit? What about the bounce rate? All of these statistics are good indicators of your site’s health.
3. Opt-Ins
If you have an opt-in form on your website (and you definitely should as this allows you to create a database for future communications), take a look at the number of subscribers you are receiving. Is that number increasing? How many subscribers are opting out shortly after signing up?
4. Google Analytics
Google Analytics functions as a site statistics tool but it also provides the information you won’t get from other software. It allows you to examine ROI and add goals – which should be connected to your business/marketing plan – as well as tracking the results. If you are using Adsense to make passive income, then you must use Analytics to determine what is working and what is not.
5. Google Yourself
A final way to see how your internet marketing is paying off is by doing a simple Google search on your name and/or your company name. Who’s linking to you? Who’s referring you? If you wish, you can set up Google Alerts to know instantly when your name is mentioned anywhere on the web. The more you promote your online presence, the more places you’ll find yourself mentioned.
These are not the only ways to determine the effectiveness of your internet marketing progress, but it’s a good start. It’s not all about the bottom line, online success occurs over time, after establishing relationships. Be patient and focus on those things that work and you will eventually enjoy massive success.
