Toll Free: 1-877-695-7388

GTA: (647) 699-2838

Search Engine People
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • CRO
  • Display
  • Blog
  • Why Us
  • Contact
  • Join Our Team
  • Get A Quote

Toll Free: 1-877-695-7388

GTA: (647) 699-2838

Measure Your Marketing Efforts: Capture and Create Keycodes

Susan Hanshaw | June 24th, 2010
Tweet17
Share12
Share
Pin
29 Shares

Having grown up in the subscription and later the catalog marketing worlds, one basic concept permeated everything we did. Every effort, every offer, every list and every test is assigned a key code, an alpha-numeric code that enable results to be tracked, measured, and attributed to the source from which the customer acquisition or sale came.

740880616_2689a9d440

This practice of using key codes can and should be used to measure social media marketing efforts. If it sounds too complicated, its really not. Its more about discipline than it is sophistication, and measuring ROI is all about discipline.

How do you create key codes?

Depending on how expansive your marketing programs are, youll probably want to think about a 5 to 6-digit coding system. Consider this as a possible structure:

Digit 1: Alpha or numeric character to identify source of conversion. A simple example would be T=Twitter, F=Facebook, E=Email.

Digit 2: Year of campaign/effort.

Digit 3: Month or season of campaign/effort.

Digit 4: Type of effort. Examples: coupon, contest, special promo.

Digit 5-6: Specific identifiers for the effort.

How do you capture key codes?

1. Create a code to attach to your special coupon or offer.

2. Publish the codes from Twitter, Facebook or whatever social network where a majority of your customers reside.

3. Create a field on the input screen that the customer will use to redeem the coupon or offer.

4. Refine a system for ensuring the codes are added to your customer database.

If you follow these instructions, you will create for yourself a vehicle for measuring results and the opportunity to approach your social media marketing as the fascinating science it can be. Whats stopping you?

Tweet17
Share12
Share
Pin
29 Shares
Posted in Social Media MarketingTagged direct marketing, key codes, Social Media ROI

About the Author: Susan Hanshaw

Susan Hanshaw is the Founder and CEO of Inner Architect a direct marketing firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her focus is the integration of social media with direct marketing.

innerarchitect.com

4 thoughts on “Measure Your Marketing Efforts: Capture and Create Keycodes”

  1. Aaron says:
    June 27, 2010 at 5:15 pm

    Good idea Susan. One of my companies has already been doing this, even via direct snail mail. We ask them to call an extension # (coded) to respond, or to visit a certain domain name, also coded per the marketing material. It allows for easy A-B or even A-B-C testing. Good ideas on cataloging it to. Thanks for the insight.
    .-= Aaron recently posted: Free Blogs =-.

    1. Susan Hanshaw says:
      June 30, 2010 at 10:14 am

      Thanks for the kind comment, Aaron. The world of snail mail is where this kind of ROI measurement originated. With high investments in paper, printing, creative and postage, it forces companies to be meticulous in understanding what works and what doesn’t. When the media itself is considered low cost, companies tend to get more lax in their analysis. I see this all the time with the “batch and blast” tendencies of many email marketers.
      .-= Susan Hanshaw recently posted: Is Your Facebook Copy Working For You =-.

Comments are closed.

Recent Posts

  • Maximizing Your E-Commerce Sales:
    A CRO Audit Guide
  • Movin’ On Up! Why Migrating to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Should be a Priority
  • A Year in Review: The Digital Marketing Trends That Defined 2021
  • The Basics of Video Marketing
  • Just How Much Do Google Reviews Impact Your SEO Ranking?

Categories

  • Analytics & ROI Analysis
  • Company News
  • Content
  • Conversion Optimization
  • CRO
  • Display Advertising/RTB
  • Email Marketing
  • En Español
  • En Français
  • Inbound Marketing
  • Lead Nurture & Marketing Automation
  • Local Search
  • Marketing
  • Mobile
  • Partnership Marketing
  • PPC
  • PR
  • SEO
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Web Design

Additional Posts

Social Bookmarking: Pop Goes Your Content

June 23rd, 2010 | by David Leonhardt

Making a site less crawlable [was: Who are you working for?]

June 22nd, 2010 | by Ruud Hein
keyword research

3 Bare Bones SEO Techniques Small Business Sites Can’t Afford to Ignore

June 21st, 2010 | by Melanie Nathan

LET'S TALK

Need more information or want to get in touch?

Get in touch!
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Display
  • Blog
  • Why Us
  • Join Our Team
  • Contact Us
  • Local SEO
  • Small Business SEO
  • Enterprise SEO
  • International SEO

LOCATION

1305 Pickering Parkway,
5th Floor Pickering, L1V 3P2

PHONE

Toll Free: 1-877-695-7388
Greater Toronto Area: (647) 699-2838

Social

© Search Engine People Inc. 2023 – Canada’s Top Digital Agency
© SEP 2023 – A Search Engine People Company | Privacy Policy

Search Engine People