Does your marketing messaging work?

As marketing people we love to know and test what is working: conversions, click through rates, and ROI. But some things can be very tricky to understand. You can test copy, but can you really determine if the messaging is resonating or actually moving the needle? Let’s break down a few areas to look at to determine effectiveness.

Feedback Cycles – Does your audience leave comments, or send nasty emails about the messaging? Is there a consensus of agreement or disagreement? On your social accounts, do you find people expressing support or acknowledgment of it? Take all these into account.  Sentiment is hard to measure with 1 -1 10 scales but you can learn quickly by actually reading them through.

Persona Changing – Look at your stats and product utilization areas to see if the persona or main customer is still the same or if you notice behavior changes. Things that gravitate over time may be trends of not just usage but could be an indicator of encouragement from the messaging.

Copy Cats – Another litmus test is the competitors copying you. This form of observation may be further down the line but still another indicator things may be working.

Activity – Much like the core group or persona, the activities themselves begin to change. Buying more frequently, changing demands, or engagement fluctuations can all be tale tells of messaging working, or not.

Beyond the Numbers – Numbers are still important. Conversions, upsells, engagement, they do move the needle and you can see some tangible progress. But go beyond that with surveys, ambassador calls, and such, and truly know if it is the right direction, or spot on what they are needing to hear.

This last piece is the most important -what they are needing/wanting to hear. It’s not your guy, or wants, its the customers. Be a physiologist to be a better marketer.  Listen first, then ask questions, and then in rare moments you speak. The only relationship you want is the one where you messaging resonates. Both sides will feel like they are where they need to be and a much longer relationship because of it.