You know that feeling when everyone keeps telling you to “measure your marketing,” but you’re not quite sure where to start? It can feel overwhelming, right?
Here’s the thing – marketing measurement isn’t just about tracking numbers. It’s about giving yourself permission to do business your way. Think of it as your business GPS, helping you navigate which marketing moves actually work for YOU.
Let me offer a perspective shift that might change everything:
Marketing Measurement equals freedom.
When you know what’s working, you can confidently decide what marketing activities to keep, what to ditch, and what deserves more of your precious time and energy.
Why Small Businesses Need to Measure Marketing Success?
First, let’s bust some common myths that might be holding you back from measuring your marketing success.
You might be thinking that you have to track everything.
Nope! You only need to track what matters for YOUR specific business goals.
Think – the things that truly drive revenue in your business
You might be thinking marketing measurement is only for big businesses.
Not at all! Small businesses and solopreneurs often benefit most from measurement. These are often the businesses with the smallest set of resources – time, money, and energy.
You might be thinking you need complex tools to get started.
You can start with simple, free tools and build from there.
The truth? Marketing measurement gives you the power to choose what works for YOU.
It’s like having a spotter in your business race, telling you exactly which moves are getting you closer to your finish line.
Now let’s break down the 4 key marketing metrics for small business success. Metrics that are easy marketing to track, AND that matter to your business!
- Visibility Metrics
Visibility metrics relate to the way that you get in front of new humans.
- First Touch Point Metrics
First touch point metrics relate to the way that you have first contact with your potential clients.
- Booking Metrics
Booking metrics relate to how your potential clients let you know that they want to work with you.
- Nurture Metrics
Nurture Metrics relate to how you nurture leads and potential clients that are not quite ready to work with you. They’ve indicated that they have interest in some way – maybe the time just isn’t right, or they need more info, or they just aren’t sure that your solution is the one for them, yet.
The key? You don’t need to track everything in each category. Pick the metrics that align with your business goals and marketing style.
Want to dive deeper? Read my blog post “Top 4 Marketing Metrics Every Business Owner Should Start Tracking FIRST”
You don’t need complicated systems to start measuring your marketing!
Simple Tools to Measure Marketing Success for Your Small Business
These are the 4 basic marketing tools you can use to measure your marketing success:
1. Google Analytics: Your website’s vital signs
2. Google Search Console: What keywords are driving traffic to your website
3. UTM Parameters: Track where your traffic comes from
4. Heat Mapping Tools: See how people interact with your website
What should I do with marketing metrics?
My Advice? Track and Record your marketing metrics, so that you can take action on your marketing data!
The lovely thing about this is that you get to pick a system that works for your brain!
- Are you a spreadsheet girlie?
- Does Notion have your heart?
- Do stories make more sense to you?
- Need a visually appealing dashboard to put all the pieces together for you?
Once you have a system for recording your marketing metrics, then it’s time to turn your data into action!
How can I take action on my marketing data?
My 3T Method is a simple framework that allows you to take action on your marketing data!
Track
Set up basic tracking systems for your chosen metrics. Keep it simple – you can always add more later.
Try
Run marketing experiments based on what feels aligned with your business values and energy. Give each experiment enough time to gather meaningful data.
Tweak
Look at your results and make adjustments.
- What’s working?
- What isn’t?
- Where could small changes make a big difference?
Here’s where the magic happens!
Once you have marketing data and you are taking action on it you can:
- Validate your intuition about what’s working (and what’s not)
- Confidently stop doing marketing activities that aren’t serving you
- Invest your time, money, and energy into strategies that truly drive results for your business
- Run new marketing experiments in a methodical way
The best part? When someone tells you that you HAVE to do the “THING” they say – you can check your data and decide if that’s *really* true for your business.
Next Steps: Start Measuring Marketing Success in Your Small Business Today
Here’s your simple action plan:
1. Choose one metric from each category that feels most relevant to your business
2. Set up basic tracking (Need some help? I gotchu!)
3. Give yourself permission to start small and build from there
4. Review your metrics monthly and make one adjustment at a time
Measuring your marketing isn’t about doing everything perfect. It’s about progress and permission to do business in a way that works for YOU.
Want to dive deeper? I’ve got resources to help you measure what matters for your business!
Inside the Marketing Measurement Playbook you’ll discover which marketing metrics to focus on (and which ones to ignore), a step-by-step process to analyze your data without overwhelm, and how to identify (and fix) any gaps in your marketing for long-term, sustainable growth.
The Website Traffic Dashboard Template is a plug-and-play solution that’ll get you up and running in no time if you just want to measure the basics, and you already have a handle on how to set up your marketing analytic tools yourself.
The DIY Marketing Measurement Bundle is a set of resources that will allow you to get started measuring your marketing so that you can feel confidence while making decisions related to your business.
A custom Marketing Analytics Dashboard allows you’ll have all the insights you need to grow your business, without the headache of crunching numbers yourself. Learn more about it here.
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