They say timing is everything… but how long should you give something to work?

We live in a world of instant gratification. We can hop on YouTube and find how to change our car headlight in seconds. We can book a massage, a flight, or a cat cafe in minutes on multiple websites. We can get Korean beauty products to our door in under a week.

It can feel like online marketing should offer us instant gratification… and sometimes it does.

You post your pizza special to Instagram and you sell out over lunch.

You post a video and get tons of messages from potential clients.

You start a TikTok account and you get 100 followers your first week.

And when instant gratification happens with online marketing, it definitely gives you a false sense that it will happen most of the time…

Sadly, for the most part, your marketing will be a slow build: in followers, in website visitors, in sales, in impact.

Today, we’ll talk about a couple studies in return on investment, not just in the immediate term but in the longer term for businesses.

Maybe knowing what to expect will give you hope and patience to continue what you’re doing. Because we all need to reminded, much like Rome, our online reputations are not built in a day.

And while no one is probably going put our Instagram Reels in a museum, they are going to have impact for months and years to come and that makes them worth doing.

Nicole, Ben, Jessica, and Jane

Content Idea

Looking for a fun but relatively easy trend? Grab a sheet and some sunglasses and you can ‘ghost’ in front of your business… or around town.

If you want to do a reel with a trending audio, check out our Instagram page to see our ghosts traveling through New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. We recommend a tripod and giving yourself the full 10 second countdown timer to set up, trust us…

Results You Can Expect From Marketing

To evaluate the effectiveness of your online marketing, first define what "working" means. Here are key outcomes to consider:

1. Increased Brand Searches: Look for growth in searches for your business name and products, factoring in seasonal trends.

2. Social Media Growth: Monitor follower growth and engagement; consistent posting and interaction typically boost visibility.

3. Website Traffic: A 10-20% increase in traffic is standard, though it varies by industry and other factors.

4. Higher Conversions: Successful marketing should lead to more actions you want—like purchases or visits to your business.

5. Industry-Specific Metrics: Consider factors like increased positive online reviews, mentions in industry publications, content monetization rates, or any other specific goals not covered in points 1-4.

You probably want all of it but pick 1-3 things you are going to care about and measure them now and after a period of consistent online marketing efforts…

But how long does it take to see results?

Here are a few studies and how long they said it took to see a marketing return on investment (ROI):

• 3-6 Months (Content Marketing Institute)

• 5 Months (Marketing Insider Group)

• Within 6 months of a campaign (Marketo survey)

• 6 - 12 Months (SplitPixel.co and Hubspot)

• 6+ Months (LinkedIn)

• Up To Three Years For Higher Ticket Products (Harvard Business Review)

• “A Few Years” (Columbia Business School and NYAMA)

In general, it seems like 6 months is around when you should expect results … with more ‘academic’ studies giving longer time scales.

The great new though? Companies who measure ROI seem happier with their marketing in general… and after reading this newsletter, that’s you!

In short, doing more marketing should get you results… but once you figure out what to measure, you have to give it 6 months to work…or not work.

But we are happy to walk you through options, work with your budget, and figure out ways to get you what you want out of your marketing and business.

Let’s 🌮-Bout It!

Fun Stuff About Us On The Internet

We were featured with MaineBiz as part of Heart Of Ellsworth’s recent program to help brick and mortar businesses do more online. It was a win-win-win for the consultants involved, the businesses, and downtown Ellsworth!

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We have a shorter holiday marketing season than usual so take some time to plan/schedule before the chaos starts!

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We spoke at the Tri-Lakes Business Expo about AI, what it means for people and businesses. Check out the talk on our YouTube channel!

We spoke at the Tri-Lakes Business Expo about AI, what it means for people and businesses. Check out the talk on our YouTube channel!

If you’re tired of trying to find trending videos that don’t involve complicated dances, are useable by businesses, and on an upward trajectory on multiple social media platforms for easy reposting, we have a solution for you with our new Trend To Send service. Seriously, check it out and if you’re not sure, respond to this email and I’ll give you a free week just for being on our list!

Fun Stuff Not About Us About Us On The Internet

If you haven’t heard of ‘social shopping’, we promise it’s not just a young people thing. People will be using social media to make their holiday purchases this year now more than ever.

Google is now including Way Back Machine versions of your website pages, proving the internet is forever in a whole new way.

Want a simple one page website but not sure what your options are? We are kind of loving this ‘One Page Love’ website that has curated over 8,000 one page websites that shows you can find ‘the one’ for you.

If you want more great resources (these weren’t shared on our social media at all), follow us all the places you are online too!

We do free consultations. If you’re thinking of doing something new with your marketing, we would love to meet with you!