Tracking B2B Advertising When Buyers Don’t Know Where They Found You
Several years ago I had a client who routinely asked their customers where they heard about the business. Several customers started telling the company they heard about them through their television commercial. Not uncommon. Except this client wasn't running a television commercial.
In one of my college journalism classes, we talked about the importance of interviewing multiple witnesses at accident scenes because everyone sees what happened from a little different angle and a little different perspective.
It's that viewpoint that makes this whole world a fun place filled with unique people. This same viewpoint makes tracking your sales by asking "where did you hear about us?" difficult. Honestly, most of your customers can't remember where they heard about you. Many heard about you from various sources: social media, a billboard and a co-worker maybe.
How do you really know what’s working in your B2B advertising plan? More importantly, which ad or referral finally convinced them to buy?
Recently, a blog post we wrote for a client was quoted in a news story published by a national newswire. It’s good news for our client who gained some exposure. It’s also good news for us because it demonstrates to our client we’re doing our job well. I have hesitated to post about this “success” because the blog post referenced was a remembrance of one of the organization’s supporters who recently passed away. However, I think this particular post and the reference to it offers some lessons non-profit organizations can learn about blogging.
It’s happened. Your nonprofit's board of directors asked you about using social media for your non-profit. Now it’s up to you and your staff to figure out which social networks to use, when to post, and what to post.
If you think about the most polite, social people on earth, you'll think of the South. After all, we're known for our church suppers, our ability to know everyone in our community, and our willingness to help when it’s needed. Mississippi consistently ranks at the top of polls of the most charitable states.
Your non-profit’s budget likely includes a large chunk of funds focused on providing services directly to the people you want to help. Your mission and the hearts of your volunteers and donors are focused on this group. But how do you make sure the people who need your services know you are available to help? How do you attract new donors and volunteers who, like you, want to give back?
