News: Tracking Your Business, Publication Deadlines

Everyone is always asking, "How did you find me?" "Where did you hear about us?" And, what responses are you hearing? "The internet," "a friend," "a referral list," or my favorite, "I've seen you several places."
business tracking

Everyone wants to track their business and everyone wants to create a perception about where their business is coming from. There's nothing wrong with that; yet, is there? It's smart to try and look at what's bringing you the most business so that you know where to put your advertising efforts and hard-earned dollars. But what's wrong with that? I've worked with many wedding professionals, and I'm pretty sure I've only seen one company do this effectively!

Tracking business is nearly impossible. Why? More times than not, it's MULTIPLE PATHS that leads a bride to your door front. What do I mean by that? When you see a company for the first time, are you picking up the phone and calling on them? Probably not. But, if you see them in print, then see them online, at a bridal show, and then on a referral list, chances are by the 5th, 6th or 7th time you see them, you've begun to trust the name and you're more likely to call on them. Even better, when you do call on them, if you've seen them multiple times, you're more likely to spend money with them.

Many, many, many wedding professionals believe they can do one bridal show and stay top-of-mind and that it will produce all of their business. Many, many, many businesses believe they can live on referrals because they've built their business on advertising and networking and now that they've found success, they'll sit back and let everyone come to them.

It takes the smartest business owners, the ones that realize that marketing isn't a stop-and-go process, but an ongoing experiment for as long as you own your business, who understand the multiple-paths reality.

Marketing begins and ends with budgeting. The number one objection we hear about advertising is, "I can't afford it," or, "It's not in the budget." While we don't all have unlimited budgets, we do have to reinvest in ourselves somehow and in multiple ways. Industry experts agree that an average of 10% of your desired revenue should be reinvested in your marketing and advertising. That means if you want to make $100,000, you must spend $10,000 to market and promote yourself. I've seen some companies go as high as 20%, but when you're making 6 figures, I've been told it's more than worth it!

Now, when you finally decide to write the check and invest in your company, you have to decide where to spend it. As with any marketing company, do your research. Find the most targeted and visible opportunities to invest in. Work to get the most for your dollar. How many publications can you get into? How many online sites can you secure? How many bridal shows will fit within your expenses? Remember multiple paths and work out a plan to be seen in the most number of places that have the reach and scope you're looking for!

Then, when the time comes, you will begin tracking. Tracking business, like I've said before, can be one of the hardest things to do. When consumers find you through multiple paths, it's often the last place they saw you that gets the credit! When you ask brides, "How did you find us?" If they say, "the internet," which web site was it? Oftentimes, they don't remember. Did it originate from a search engine, a secondary listing, or did the online search originate from print? When the bride states, "A friend," was it a friend that used your services, a friend that saw your ad or web site and told the bride to check you out, or a friend that's heard or read good things about you? It's such an elusive answer! Not all referrals come from first-hand experience which makes tracking a referral so much more difficult. When a bride says, "a referral list," did she take the action to call you over the others because she's more familiar with your name? Are you advertising elsewhere so that when she sees you on referral lists, it means more to her? Would you not have gotten the call if she wasn't already familiar with your company? Is your competition getting the actual sale because she's more familiar with their business?

When a bride books you at a bridal show, is it because she's more familiar with your name than your competition? Does she spend more time with you because she trusts you more? When she says her friend Sally used you, did she call as soon as she got the referral or did an ad in a magazine or an online listing remind her about the referral? When she's looking at endless online listings of options, does she click through to a web site or spend more time researching you because she's seen you in a magazine, at a bridal show, or on a referral list?

You see, the truth is that it takes multiple paths to seal the deal! More times than not, it's not the first time she sees your company that makes her pick up the phone. It could originate with a print ad and end with a bridal show, or it could start with a referral and end with an online search. You must be seen in multiples places the brides are using to find her vendors.

Instead of asking the brides, "How did you find us," and leaving it at a one option response, ask her to check all of the places she's seen you. Give her a list to choose from and be specific. List all of the places you are spending money and also the free opportunities like Facebook and Twitter. Let her check all that apply. Consider listing some where you don't put time or money to see if you're missing an important resource. Then you're ready to compile the data.

See what is truly working for you by looking at your multiple paths, not just seeking out the last place she heard about you. When Budweiser runs a million dollar commercial during the Super Bowl, they're not standing at supermarket checkouts asking consumers where they saw them. They look at where they need to be positioned, they budget the money, and they let the advertising do the work. If sales are up, their complete marketing campaign is working. They can't put a value to how many people are buying Budweiser because they see their branding on the hood of a NASCAR car. But rather, they understand that they must be seen in multiple places all of the time to keep their name top of mind. If you're not in front of consumers, they can't even consider you. Consider that!