Most local business owners measure marketing by feel: "We got some calls after that mailer" or "I think the ads are doing something." That level of measurement makes it impossible to improve anything. Here's a simple system that actually works.
Track at the source level, not the campaign level
You don't need to know that your ad got 500 impressions. You need to know that your Google Ads-tracked phone number got 12 calls, 7 converted to quotes, 5 became booked jobs, and those jobs averaged $380. That's $1,900 in revenue from Google Ads. If you spent $200, the ROI is clear.
The three numbers that matter
Cost per lead (how much you spent to get one inquiry), lead-to-booking rate (what percentage become paying jobs), and average job revenue. Multiply them: if CPL is $35, conversion rate is 50%, and average job is $600, each lead is worth $300 in revenue. You know exactly how much more to spend.
Set it up once, review it monthly
A tracked phone number per channel, a form on your website, and a simple spreadsheet is all you need. It takes one afternoon to configure and will save you thousands in misallocated spend over the next 12 months.