What do you know?

Sure, measuring the success of your online marketing can be tough. But, you know more than you think you do. Seriously. You’ve got plenty of simple, low-cost ways to measure your success. How?

• Update your web analytics. Tools like Google Analytics let you easily report on customer activity on your website. You can then translate those reports to your business metrics.
• Ask your customers. Surveys don’t have to be sophisticated. Just ask your customers where they found out about you. Was it on your website? Facebook? Or maybe your last email? Even better, ask whether they’d recommend you to a friend when they’re settling up. If the answer to that second question is “no,” you’ll want to ask them why not, too.
• Coupons. Put a printable coupon on your website good for a discount or value-added offer. While it doesn’t always scale well, it will give you some insights into whether your message is reaching the right customer.

None of these are foolproof. And they require some thought about what you’re looking to measure. But, if it helps you make better business decisions, isn’t a little bit of information better than none at all?
Are you getting enough value out of your small business website? Want to make sure your business makes the most of the local, mobile, social web? thinks helps you understand how to grow your business via the web, every day. Get more than just news. Get understanding. Add thinks to your feed reader today. Or subscribe via email. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.