Measuring the success of a print advertising campaign is something most people know they should do. However, when it comes to actually doing it, there’s a lot of questions about what should be measured and how to do it.

Sometimes the success of an ad campaign isn’t measured by the clicks or response rates. It can be more complicated than that. Print advertising might not always gather a crowd. However, it still serves a very important role in developing and growing brands.

How to track your print ad to maximize your return on investment?

Use the following measures and methods to increase the response rate for your printed promotional material. Keep your target audience and ideal response in mind to determine what works best for your campaign.

Include discount code

An easy way to track the ROI of a print advertisement is to publish a coupon or discount code directly in it. The principle is identical to a physical voucher or coupon. Offer customers an incentive to take action now and profit from a limited deal or discount. When a customer uses your code on your website or by phone, you’ll know they are responding to your printed advertising.

Measure website traffic

Track daily traffic and daily sales before, during, and after your print ad runs to determine effectiveness. To utilize this method, all other marketing should remain consistent shortly before, during, and after the print ad runs.

Ultimate tip: Create a separate landing page for your product/service and add this website address only to your printing. This way, you’ll know the most accurate result, whether the ad worked or not

Ask directly from your customers

One of the most important questions to ask your customers is, ”how did you hear about us?” There are a lot of different ways that your customers can hear about you. Your marketing, your social media network, print ad? Keep track of the customers who had never heard of your company before they saw the print ad to determine how your ad is affecting foot traffic.

Evaluate your statistics

  • Did you target an audience who is likely to use your product or service?
  • Did you have a strong CTA?
  • How many customers used the discount code?
  • If you ran the A/B test, which version of your campaign did better? Why?
  • How can you improve the elements of your campaign that worked?

After you answer these questions, you should have a clearer picture of what is working for you. Now it is time to start the whole process over again with the best elements of your campaign. Eventually, the process of testing, measurement, analysis, and refinement will turn your print advertising into a well-oiled machine.