I’ve been throwing money at various marketing channels, but I’m not sure if it’s paying off. Spreadsheets are giving me a headache. How do you guys measure the effectiveness of your marketing spend? Do you have a system that doesn’t require an accounting degree?
I track sources and add totals to compare.
Man, I feel you on the marketing headache. Here’s what works for me:
- Use a basic CRM tool
- Tag each lead with its source
- Track conversion rates and revenue per source
I tried spreadsheets too, but they were a pain to maintain. Now I just review my CRM data monthly. Takes about 30 minutes.
Key is to be consistent with tagging leads. I even ask repeat clients how they found me this time. Sometimes they mention an ad or post that brings them back.
Don’t stress about perfect ROI calculations; just look for trends. If LinkedIn’s bringing in good clients and Facebook’s not, you know where to focus.
Remember, some marketing effects take time. A blog post might not bring instant leads, but it can boost your reputation over time.
Bottom line: Keep it simple, be consistent, and adjust based on what you see.
I just ask customers how they heard about me. Write it down in a notepad with the job amount. End of the month, add it up. Compare to what I spent on ads. Easy to see what’s working.
Keep it simple. I track two things: where new clients come from and how much they spend. Every job, I ask how they found me. Write it down. End of the month, tally up new clients and their job totals for each marketing channel. Compare that to what you spent on each. Spreadsheets are overkill. A notebook and calculator do the job. You’ll see quick what’s working and what’s not. Adjust from there. Don’t overthink it. Focus on what brings in paying work, cut what doesn’t.
I’ve been there with the marketing mess. Here’s what I do now:
I’ve got a basic Google Sheet. Nothing fancy. Two columns - one for where the client came from, one for how much they paid.
Every time I finish a job, I add a row. Takes like 30 seconds.
At the end of the month, I use the ‘Sum’ function to total up the money from each marketing source. Then I check my bank statement for what I spent on ads.
Quick comparison shows what’s working. If I spent $100 on Facebook ads and got $500 in jobs, that’s good. If I spent $200 on a local paper ad and got nothing, I know to drop it.
It’s not perfect, but it’s way better than guessing. And it takes me maybe 10 minutes a month to review.
Main thing is to be consistent. Ask every client how they found you. Even the regulars - sometimes they’ll mention a new ad that brought them back.
Don’t stress about getting it perfect. Just having some numbers is better than flying blind.
I use a basic notes app on my phone. When a new client comes in, I jot down where they found me and the job amount.
At month’s end, I group the jobs by source and total them up. Compare that to what I spent on each marketing channel.
It’s quick, simple, and shows me what’s working without any fancy tools or math.