Must Everything We Do Be Tangible?

I guess this would be a follow-up to a previous post – maybe an addition…

I have never been surprised when a customer/client asks “So – how can I really measure the results of…?”  It’s a great question, one I wish I had the answer to.  I don’t think there is any way to accurately measure individual parts of any marketing campaign.  When it comes to marketing, 2+2 doesn’t (or shouldn’t) equal 4, it should be more.  However, you may never see tangible results from one aspect, while others get all the credit.  I made the mistake myself this week.  Looking through my client list, I came across The Crexent Business Center. My immediate thought was “I was a client of theirs, that’s where the business came from”.  WRONG!  In actuality, I found them through the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce and became their client.  Then – about 18 months later they became mine.  So in reality, the Chamber is the real source of the client.

Enough on that.  What I really want to know is this:  Will marketing/advertising/pr ever really be 100% trackable?  With all the variables and the ever-changing landscape of options, I highly doubt it.  Convincing a small-business owner that untrackable intangibles really do have value is the padlock on the door to earning their business.  Education is the key.