Field Notes: Return on Marketing Investment for Downtown Orgs
Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) involves sharing data which your organization needs to feel successful and excited to do more. Measurement and analysis is a core competency that Main Street programs should have.
Of the many tactics that can be used (Search Engine Optimization, Blogging and Content Creation, Social Media, etc.) there are some basic questions:
- How much did traffic increase or decrease?
- What are the main drivers?
- What leads came from calls-to-action? (replies, retweets, new followers)
- What premium content offers were developed in the last month?
- What was promoted on email this month?
- How did email contribute to traffic and leads?
- What lead nurturing campaigns were active this month?
- What campaigns or resouces were the most impactful in customer conversion?
- Which persona segments were the most responsive to our content?
A lead for a downtown organization is different from a for-profit company or even another nonprofit. That lead might become many things – a volunteer, a funder, or even a new business in your town.
What we recommend for organization is to:
- Propose a strategy that includes all aspects of online marketing.
- Report connectedness of inbound marketing and your goals.
- Have clear goals of what you’d like to accomplish.
- Clearly defined metrics (charts, graphics, screengrabs, supporting imagery).
- Story deck with commentary shared with Marketing Team.
- Debrief with Board about success of inbound marketing.
Materials adapted from “Prove Inbound ROI by Reporting Results,” HubSpot.