50 marketing mistakes / Mistake #42
Mistake #42 of 50Don’t measure success with likes alone.
200 views and three orders beats 10,000 views and zero customers.
What it costs you
Likes don’t ring the phone.
You post something. It gets a few hundred likes. It feels great.
Then you look at the week. Same number of customers as last week.
Likes feel good. Views feel good. Followers feel good.
But they’re not the scoreboard.
The scoreboard is new customers, and the phone ringing. If you’re not counting that, you’re guessing.
A real example
The tally sheet
A hair salon owner spends money every month on a postcard mailer, a spot on the local radio station and some online ads. She also hands out referral cards to her regulars.
Business is okay. People mention the radio spot sometimes. It feels like it’s working.
So she tapes a sheet of paper by the register. For two months, every new client gets one question: “How did you hear about us?”
A friend sent me: 33. Google: 22. Walked by: 7. Online ads: 4. Postcard mailer: 2. Radio: 0.
The radio spot, the most expensive thing she was doing, brought in nobody.
She stopped the radio, and put that money into more referral cards, a thank-you gift for every client who sent a friend, and a better Google profile with real photos.
Three months later, her book is full. She didn’t spend more. She just stopped guessing.
Why it happens
Why likes feel like success
Count what pays the bills. Everything else is applause.
Do this instead
Count what comes back.
Ask every new customer one question: “How did you hear about us?” Not when you remember. Not when you’re not busy. Every time. Then make the answer easy to count.
| The trick | How it works |
|---|---|
| Ask on every call | “Thanks for calling! How did you hear about us?” |
| A code on every offer | Each flyer, post or ad gets its own code. “Mention SPRING10.” |
| A QR code for each campaign | Each one opens a different page, so you can see which one gets scanned. |
| Named referral cards | “Courtesy of Jen.” You know exactly who sent them. |
| “Bring this in” | The coupon, the magnet, the card. When it comes back across the counter, you know. |
| A tally sheet | Low-tech, and it works. Tape it by the phone and the register. |
Once a month, sit down with the tally for fifteen minutes. What brought in the most new customers? What brought in nobody? What should I do more of next month? Then do more of what works, and stop paying for what doesn’t.
Do this today
- 1
Tape a sheet of paper by your phone and your register.
- 2
Write “How did you hear about us?” across the top.
- 3
Ask every new customer today, and make a tally mark.
- 4
Put a 15-minute “what’s working” check on your calendar for the first of next month.
A like is nice. A new customer pays the bills. Count the one that matters.
From the book
Chapter 27: Ask How They Found You
Starts on page 236. The whole chapter, plus 250+ ways to market your business, in the free book.
Download the free bookIdeas that fix it
Things that bring them back, and tell you so.
Idea 86 · book page 304Magnets$0.75–$2 eachOn the fridge right when the pipe bursts.
Idea 175 · book page 349Candles$8–$25 eachCozy and personal.
Idea 126 · book page 324Tote Bags$2–$7 eachReused for years and carried in public.
Idea 170 · book page 346Premium T-Shirts$8–$20 eachSoft shirts get worn on weekends, not just at work.Want a plan you can actually count?
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