The answer to the question depends on what type of marketing you are doing:

• External marketing – shouting at strangers either in print, via broadcast media or digitally;
• Internal marketing – whispering to your friends (and their friends) through face to face conversation, in print or digitally.

If you are investing in any marketing, the way you measure is through a combination of Analytics and Return on Investment (ROI).

You have to regularly and ruthlessly interrogate the data.

Analytics will allow you to measure how effective your marketing (and your team) is at generating leads:

• Google analytics to measure activity on your web site;
• Facebook analytics to measure activity on your Facebook Page;
• WordPress analytics (et al) to measure activity on your blog;
• Mailchimp analytics (et al) to measure activity on your practice newsletter;
• Internal analytics to measure how many up-sales and referrals your team can generate;
• Conversion of enquiries to assessments;
• Conversion of assessments to consults;
• Conversion of consults to treatment plans taken up;
• Average treatment plan value.

You should be studying a comprehensive analytical report every month and making course corrections as a result.

ROI will allow you to measure how effective your campaigns are at converting leads:

• ROI on any print media campaigns;
• ROI on any broadcast media campaigns;
• ROI on any digital advertising campaigns.

You should be studying a comprehensive ROI report every month and making course corrections as a result.

Create a new habit – on the 1st of every month request your “Analytics and ROI Report” from your external agencies and internal marketing team and ask them to explain what they are doing with your money.