We are all watching our marketing budgets carefully. We want to make sure we get the most value from our marketing initiatives and efforts.  That can be difficult to do when you don't know how to quantify your marketing and really measure what's working and what's not.

Understanding not only the importance of quantifying your marketing efforts, but how to determine the success of a marketing campaign, will equip you with the knowledge that you need to turn your marketing around. This information gives you the knowledge to gain a higher return-on-investment (ROI) and a lower cost-per-lead (CPL) that your marketing yields.

In today's economy it is extremely important  to measure your marketing efforts. I want to share with you a few formulas that will provide you with the basic information that you need to measure your marketing efforts and decide if  a marketing campaign or event is effective for your business.

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Customer service is the key to turning a prospective buyer into a customer. Often, people think that the buying choice is made via price, but nothing could be further from the truth.

When you provide exceptional customer service a customer is willing to pay more for that service.

Take for example BMW, the BMW vehicle is an amazing car and let me put a disclaimer here - yes I own one. Now, with the disclaimer out there let me explain to you why I bought a BMW. It is true I went and test drove the car because of the amazing reviews, but I purchased the car because of the service. When I go to my local BMW dealership to have service done, I pull the car into the service garage, they take the key and I am escorted into the service area where I am greeted promptly. Everyone in that dealership smiles and says hello. They always take care of me and my car and they never return my car back to me dirty.

I could have purchased a car that was a lot less expensive than a BMW, but I bought the BMW experience and this is my second one and I have no regrets.

That's just one example of how great customer service can sell a consumer on your product or service and make the price a secondary thought rather than the primary.

How is your customer service? Are you creating loyal customers or pushing them into the arms of your competitor?

Learn what makes customer service great and start turning those prospects into customers today.

Related: What is Customer Service? | Tips to Improve Customer Service | 10 Commandments to Great Customer Service | What Role Does Customer Service Play in Marketing?

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Your Turn: Share Your Customer Service Tips

There are times that a company seeks to outsource their marketing efforts. Often, when a company does this they seek out marketing consultants. A marketing consultant works with companies to create and implement marketing strategies. A great marketing consultant will be able to not only think creatively but analytically.

The most successful marketing consultants often specialize in specific areas in marketing such as:

• Online Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Nonprofit Marketing
• Copywriting
• Online Marketing
• Direct Response Marketing

Outsourcing to a marketing consultant allows a company to put more focus on product development and overall operations. A marketing consultant can help to bring in specialized skills and expertise as well as provide an external perspective and view point.

With that being said selecting the right marketing consultant is crucial. A consultant must understand your business, your marketing requirements and understand your growth goals. They need to be able to share with you notable achievements and successes that correlate with the goals you are trying to achieve.

I've selected 5 of the top marketing consultants to profile and asked them to share with you how they became a marketing consultant, what their typical day is like and provide tips to those that are seeking out becoming a marketing consultant. I've selected these consultants because they have been in the business for a while, have a strong track record and each has their own specialized service. You will gain great insight by reading their profiles and hopefully walk away knowing what you should look for in your own marketing consultant if you are looking to outsource.

Top 5 Marketing Consultants

• Chris Brogan - Social Media Marketing Consultant
• John Jantsch - Small Business Marketing Consultant
• Mack Collier - Social Media Marketing Consultant
• Deb Micek - Online Marketing Consultant
• Beth Kanter - Nonprofit Marketing Consultant
• Ann Evanston - Leadership Marketing Consultant

Are you a marketing consultant? Take a few moments and create your own marketing consultant profile.

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You've seen them, those technical looking badges that are appearing everywhere. They are called QR codes, QR stands for "quick response."  More than likely you are seeing at least one daily, perhaps in a magazine, on a billboard, flyer, business card or a sticker on a window.

One thing is true, QR codes are growing in adoption. We've seen daily scans go from 1500 per day to over 25,000 per day.

The audience is there, but who is the audience? How do you know if QR codes are right for your business? Great questions and one every business should answer before implementing QR technology.

Learn the best practices of QR codes and who represents the target market of the technology. This will help you in understanding whether or not QR codes are right for you business. If they are, I'll show you best practices that you'll want to implement to ensure your QR code campaign is not only efficient but effective.

Here is what you need to know -  QR Codes - Best Practices and How to Make Your Campaign a Success

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