“What does success look like to you?”
This is the question I lead with when I sit down with a client to determine their Internet marketing strategy. Usually their response is, “I want to be number one in Google.” That’s a noble goal and one probably every business in the world shares.
The problem with having a goal like being number one in Google is that it’s a deceptively inaccurate way of measuring success. We’ve had plenty of clients reach that coveted first rank in SERPs just to give us a call saddened by the fact that they aren’t suddenly a celebrity with their phone ringing off the hook.
A better goal would be to convert more of your visitors next month into email consultation requests. This can be measured by a simple conversion rate: the number of visitors divided by the number of contacts. Improving your site’s conversion rate means you don’t need to reach a wider audience to get more business. Conversely, you may already have an amazing conversion rate, so the goal could be to simply improve the number of people visiting your site while maintaining your ability to convert.
Even better goals revolve around a strategy. Our marketing team will sit down regularly with clients to figure out what specific area of their practice they want to improve. These are great meetings to have because not only do we gain a better understanding of how we can directly help the client, but the client starts to think like a marketer. The results go from, “I want to be number one in Google” to “I can’t believe I did so many rhinoplasties last month. “Let’s try Tummy Tucks next!”
Measuring how a goal’s success or failure affects the bottom line transforms the way you think, how you market your business, and how your website works for you. Make your goals work for you.
