Track CreativelyIf you become discouraged about how to track, try to think outside the box and Track Creatively. Often you will find ways that you overlooked when you were thinking inside the box. For example, you can use tracking to evaluate your executives' speeches. Let's say that one of your senior managers is speaking frequently in public, with a primary goal of "building brand equity." Now, brand equity is among the more difficult things to measure. But even if you don't measure it, you can still show some dollar-denominated value. You could build a tracking mechanism into the speech itself. Give interested parties a reason to come forward and give you their full contact information. Give Them Some ValueFor example, one of my clients, a large consulting firm, publishes a certain newsletter on a specialized topic. The topic is one of several areas in which the firm has expertise.When the senior partner is giving a speech, and he comes to a point in the speech where he mentions that topic, he tells the audience: "By the way, we publish a private monthly newsletter on this topic. Normally it's only for our clients, but we will be pleased to give you a complimentary subscription. Just leave your business card with one of our people after we adjourn." This simple technique, which costs almost nothing, has brought in several new clients. And the firm knows exactly where those leads came from. Therefore, the firm knows that the president's speeches are profitable and worth continuing. They are clearly not an unproductive expense. The Main Goal Becomes "Gravy"The speeches would pay for themselves even if all they accomplished were those complimentary subscriptions, so the rest of the value becomes "gravy."In other words, the firm does not have to calculate the value of squishy metrics such as brand equity. Whatever brand equity the speeches generate, they generate – the expense has already been covered. And from long experience, I can tell you that it's better to be able to prove that a program pays for itself by generating sales than it is to "measure" the program's cumulative effect on brand equity. Most CEOs are skeptical of brand equity, mind share, and other concepts that we marketers think about all the time. In other words, when you Track Creatively, a documented secondary benefit can allow you to continue achieving your primary benefit without having to prove that you are achieving it in fact. So, remember to try to Track Creatively. It can save you a lot of time and strengthen your protection from budget-cutters.
Do It YourselfBy the way, if an executive speaker complains that "plugging a newsletter from the lectern" is unseemly for an executive, that's fine – don't fight him. You or someone else at the event can mention the newsletter after the speaker steps down.You say, "By the way, as Mark mentioned, one of our specialty areas is [topic]. We have a private monthly newsletter..." and so on. Most executives who are too dainty to "plug" their own companies don't mind seeing someone else doing the "plugging." They think of it as part of the administrative minutia of closing up the meeting. And in the mind of that prospect in the audience, the complimentary newsletter is an additional way of checking out your company, to help persuade himself to become a customer. Return from Track Creatively to Measuring What They Did
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