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One of the biggest challenges that all businesses come up against is making sure that their marketing is working for them. But sometimes, if you haven’t set yourself some goals/KPIs, then it can be tricky to tell. Often there are some sure signs that your marketing is missing more than it is hitting with the right audience, and you might be better to consider working with marketing consulting firms.

But what are the indicators that your marketing is working? 

Gut feeling  

For some, this one might seem a little wee-woo, but there is a lot to be said for intuition and knowing that your marketing is doing ‘things’. If your customers and team feel good about you, and there is a generally positive attitude – it could be down to your marketing working. 

Keeping in mind that there are more than a handful of different analytics you can look at and see the uptick of visitors, sometimes you just know for sure your marketing is making waves. 

Is there room for gut feelings in business?

Growth

Imagine that you have been ticking along on a few hundred sales a month, and you have been able to pick, pack and post everything yourself. Perhaps you have a member of your team on socials and communications, and some others handling other things – but in general, you don’t need a big team. 

Suddenly, you notice an increase in communications, and picking, packing and posting need more hands. 

Growth is one of the most important indicators that you’re marking has managed to reach your target audience – and made a difference. 

If you are spending a big budget on marketing but not seeing any of the markers of growth in your business – it’s time to reevaluate what you are doing. 

Analytics 

While analytics isn’t the full story – they are a huge indicator of the success of your marketing efforts. If you are seeing a gradual uptick in visitors, clicks, likes and follows – this is a great sign. 

Often small businesses can’t seem to pick through the pile of analytics and what numbers make the most impact. Taking Google’s analytics course will help you to look at the right figures and how to set some goals. 

By using these tools, you can go over your keyword strategy and change how you are marketing going forward. 

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Sales 

If you have been working on your marketing for months by yourself and haven’t seen any improvement, then it is time to hand the job out to professionals. Or, if you have hired a marketing company and have seen a notable increase in sales – that is a sign that the efforts are paying off. 

It could be as simple as changing your call to action, adding them somewhere else, or rewording your texts. Testing everything is essential. 

An increase in sales is one of the best ways to know that your marketing is bringing people in. 

You have access to many tools that can help you to make the most of your marketing as a small business: A Beginners Guide To Small Business Marketing (or hand it over to the experts).