Kevin Lee's ClickZ article last Friday did a great job of giving a reminder on just how important it is to try and tie offline conversions to online search marketing efforts. While much of the article was tailored toward large businesses and corporations, the tail end featured six great suggestions for tieing data together that almost any size business can try.

From the article:

* Customer tagging. Look at purchases, then marry the online cookie with the offline customer number or credit card data.

* Offer codes. Unique offer codes can be provided for searchers to redeem via phone or in stores.

* Unique pricing. Unique online pricing can also become a tracking code of its own, so when a person requests that price, she must have seen the search landing page.

* Trackable phone numbers. Phone sales can be routed through a tracking system similar to the VoiceXML (define) systems used for pay-per-call systems. This is great for expensive or complex purchases.

* In-store surveys. Survey your customers.

* Anecdotal data. Ask your sales associates if people show up with printouts from the Web site.

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Search Engine Guide > Jennifer Laycock > Helpful Tips for Tracking Offline Conversions

Jennifer Laycock is the Editor of Search Engine Guide, the Social Media Faculty Chair for MarketMotive and offers small business social media strategy & consulting. Jennifer enjoys the challenge of finding unique and creative ways to connect with consumers without spending a fortune in marketing dollars. Though she now prefers to work with small businesses, Jennifer’s clients have included companies like Verizon, American Greetings and Highlights for Children.