We all like to win, don’t we? The problem is that we simply can’t win if we don’t know how winning is defined and when a victory dance is in order. Most of my meat processing friends tend to think that success can only be measured in sales and not in marketing. Not true! Digital marketing is always my first example.

To set this up, please eavesdrop on a sample conversation I often have with meat industry sales and marketing professionals:

Meat Guy: We probably need to be doing more in the digital “space.”

Me: Really. What makes you say that?

Meat Guy: Well, everyone else is and we don’t want to get behind.

Me: Are you doing anything now?

Meat Guy: Yeah, we have a website, Facebook page and some digital ads.

Me: Do you find they are effective marketing tools for you?

Meat Guy: I have no idea.

Me: Do you set goals for each and then measure results?

Meat Guy: …… (silence), um…. not really… we just don’t have the time….

Really? I always try to find a polite way to ask if they measure daily processing volume or carcass utilization or days without an injury. You know the answer – because you do it too. Everyone measures these things and so much more. Good news -- digital marketing efforts can also be measured. The numbers will tell you a story you can then react to… just like all your other metrics.

So riddle me this: Why do so many people spend money on digital marketing but don’t make the effort to measure impact? In a previous blog, I talked about how content is the foundation of success in the digital marketing space. But you won’t know it unless you gather and spend time with the numbers.

None of your efforts are worth it unless you have first decided what winning looks like. Is it growing your online community of Facebook fans or engaging in quality conversations? Is it the number of shares your content garners or ad click-throughs to your website? Depending on your business goals, you can find the right metric to determine how you measure up and where you can improve.

Don’t know where to begin? I suggest starting with one of these common metrics: impressions, clicks or cost per acquisition.

I find that clients new to the digital space — those just dipping in their big toe— are apprehensive about spending money here. I get it, but I will also push back. It really is no different than when someone from the corner office asks you this question: “If we spend X dollars to do this, how much more product will we sell?” It seems like an easier conversation when we are talking about equipment or a packaging change, huh?

Fortunately, the same overall principle applies in digital marketing. Whether money is spent delivering digital ads, developing web content or creating Facebook posts, if you measure what you do, it gets easier to see the connection between digital dollars and ROI. It is the measurement that allows you to see the value.

This might help; here is a step-by-step guide to digital marketing.

How meat processors can win with digital marketing

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