Whether you're marketing your real estate business online or by more traditional means, you need to be able to track the success or shortcomings of your efforts. The likelihood is that you're using a bit of both, which is wise. Tracking your marketing efforts will save you money AND make you money in the long run. 

Imagine if you could discover that 87% of your clients found you online, 65% through individual property websites, 18% through Facebook, etc. And that you could further see how those visitors ended up on your Facebook Business Page or individual property sites, or your blog, or website. Imagine how smart you could be about where you choose to invest your marketing money, and how you target new home sellers and buyers? Measure and analyzing your marketing plan allows you to do just that. It's invaluable.

Traditional/Offline and Online Marketing Techniques

Keep careful records of your marketing endeavors. This doesn't have to be anything fancy. A simple Excel spreadsheet that includes a list of your campaigns, the dates they ran, the cost involved, and the number of leads generated or listings sold will give you a quick and easy reference point for smart marketing decision making.

Using Google Analytics, it's easy to see where your internet traffic comes from. So even if you list a house in the newspaper, for instance, you can use designated domains and landing pages specific to each listing or media type, to see which advertising areas draw the most interest and traffic. This is much like the "How did you hear about us?" tick box, except it's automatic and unavoidable. You'll need to set up unique URLs from the start, and include those with each print listing. These URLs are subpages of your main site.

Speaking of that tick box, don't lose sight of how important it is to ask new clients how they heard about you. Every time. Cross reference the information you receive verbally with what you discover through web analytics.

If you have a significant listing that you expect to generate a ton of interest, you may consider call tracking. This involves either your phone service provider or a call tracking service provider. Each advertisement (different websites, lawn signs, radio, magazines, newspapers, billboards, etc.) would be designated a different phone number. You can measure the success via number and quality of phone inquiries, by examining an itemized report of which numbers were called, at what times and from where.

Maximize your marketing spend and efforts by reinvesting in what works, and eliminating what doesn't. Educating yourself about which is which is an invaluable business skill.

To view the original article, visit the Properties Online blog.