Hot on the trail: tactics: learn 3 easy ways to track your advertising results, and find out if you're really getting the host for your money
Author: Entrepreneur

IF YOU'RE RUNNING A COMPREHENSIVE marketing program, with a solid combination of advertising media plus direct mail and e-mail, chances are you've got leads and responses coming in from just about everywhere. So how can you tell which of your marketing tactics are stellar performers and which need to be replaced? Tracking your marketing responses is easier than you think, and it's the smartest way to save marketing dollars by cutting the fat and eliminating any nonperforming media and tactics.

The best way to track your advertising responses is to key each ad with a unique code, so every sale or lead can be identified according to its original source. Here are three ways to make every lead identifiable:

1. Apply key codes. Key codes are used in print advertising and direct mail. Suppose you were running an ad campaign in a group of magazines. In order to track the responses from individual publications and issues, you would need to include a different key code in each of the response mechanisms. Your direct-response print ad in the January issue of Builder magazine could be coded "BL-1," while another ad in the February issue of Remodeling magazine might be coded "RE-2." These codes would appear in the "reply to" section of the ads, so when responses were generated, you could immediately determine the source of each lead.

Key codes are often incorporated into the bounce-back mechanisms of direct mail. The next time you receive a direct-mail package, take a closer look. Chances are, you'll see that the response envelope is imprinted with a code (consisting of letters and/or numbers), and you'll also find that code on the order form or the response card.