Quick answer: Your marketing is working when it brings in relevant enquiries. Calls, forms, and messages from people who want a service you offer, in an area you serve. Traffic and clicks are nice, but they don’t pay the bills. To know for sure, track your enquiries, check if they’re a good fit, look at what each one costs, and tell your agency what you’re hearing on the phone.
You’re spending money on marketing. Every month you get a report. Visits are up. Clicks are up. Lots of nice charts.
But is your phone ringing with the right people?
A real example from one of our clients
One of our home improvement clients does both floor repairs and full floor replacements. So we built a page just for that service and optimized it to show up in Google.
It worked. Calls and form requests started coming in, and a few turned into good jobs.
Then, at our monthly marketing meeting, they told me something no report could show. Too many calls were for tiny fixes. A scratch here, a scuff there. Not the work they wanted to focus on.
That was great feedback. We made some changes to the page. The scratch-fix calls slowed down, and more calls came in for bigger jobs, like floor replacements.
Same page. Same budget. Better customers.
That’s the difference between marketing that looks busy and marketing that works.
What should your marketing actually deliver?
More website visitors feels good. I won’t pretend it doesn’t. But traffic on its own tells you very little.
For most local service businesses, the number that matters most is relevant enquiries.
Track two simple numbers every month:
- Relevant enquiries: people who want what you offer, where you offer it. This is what your marketing brings in.
- New customers: people who hired you. This is where your team’s follow-up comes in.
If people visit your site but don’t get in touch, have a look at why your website isn’t generating leads.
Tip: Make sure your calls and form submissions are tracked as key events in Google Analytics. Otherwise you’re counting visits, not enquiries.
What 3 questions should you ask about your enquiries?
- Are we attracting the right people? Are they asking about services you offer? Are they in your area? Thirty enquiries sounds great. Until you find out most of them were scratch fixes.
- Are we getting enough of them? Compare this month to your goals and to past months. Keep seasons in mind. One slow week doesn’t tell the whole story.
- What does each one cost? Look at what you spent next to how many relevant enquiries you got. Be clear on what you’re counting. Just ad spend, or ad spend plus management fees?
There’s no one “good” cost per enquiry. A call about a full renovation is worth a lot more than a call about a small repair. The cost has to make sense for your service and your margins.
If you run ads, your Google Ads management report should show this clearly. If SEO is part of the mix, here’s how to tell if your SEO is working.
What happens after someone reaches out?
An enquiry is a chance, not a sale. This is where your business, your team shines.
Ask yourself:
- Can people reach someone easily?
- Do they get a clear answer?
- Do quotes go out when promised?
- Does someone follow up?
Some people still won’t buy. Plans change. They pick someone else. That’s normal.
But if good enquiries keep going quiet, look at what happens after that first call. Often the fix is small, like clearer pricing info or an easier way to book.
Why should you tell your agency what you’re hearing?
Your agency can track clicks, calls, and forms. What it can’t see is what happens on the phone.
Our flooring client is the perfect example. The numbers looked good. Only the conversation showed us the calls were the wrong size. One comment at a meeting changed the results.
A few quick notes each month go a long way:
- What kind of enquiries came in
- What questions people asked
- What got booked
With that, your agency can fine-tune your website pages, ads, and keywords to bring in more of the work you actually want.
How do you start?
You don’t need a fancy dashboard. At your next marketing review, ask:
- How many relevant enquiries did we get?
- Where did they come from?
- What did we spend to get them?
- What is our team hearing when people call?
These four questions will tell you more than a stack of charts.
Frequently asked questions
What is a relevant enquiry?
A call, form, or message from someone who wants a service you offer, in an area you serve. It’s a better measure of success than website traffic.
Is more website traffic a sign my marketing is working?
Not on its own. Traffic only matters if it turns into enquiries from the right people.
What is a good cost per enquiry for local service businesses?
It depends on your service and margins. A lead for a big renovation can cost more and still be worth it. A lead for a small repair needs to cost less.
How often should I review my marketing results?
Once a month works well for most small businesses. Look at enquiries, cost, and what your team is hearing.
Let’s make your marketing work harder
At Effortless Marketing, we’ve been helping Calgary small businesses since 2009. We don’t just send reports. We listen to what you’re hearing and keep improving until the right customers are calling.
Not sure what your marketing results are telling you?
Let’s talk.
