The other day I was sitting in construction traffic, barely moving along as three lanes of traffic merged into one. All of the sudden, two unmarked police vehicles came up behind this clog of cars with sirens ringing out and lights flashing. They pushed their way to the front of the line. I thought maybe there was an accident that had contributed to all of the congestion, but as I drove on, I discovered a police officer standing along the interstate with a semi-automatic rifle pointed at a hotel. Come to find out, there was a bank robbery. The suspects had fled the scene just ahead of me in a car via the same road I was on. But instead of making a high-speed getaway, they went into a local hotel. I suppose they thought they could wait for the police chase to ensue and then leisurely leave after some time had passed. However, the police figured it all out and had the hotel surrounded. The bank robbers were all arrested within a few minutes.

Bank robbery never works. Even if you make it out of the bank alive, there are so many ways to catch robbers - from security cameras watching our every move to exploding ink packs in money bags - that the suspects always get caught. Yet, it seems like every week you hear of someone who has tried it again. From the days of Jesse James until now, people are looking to score big by holding up a bank. I suppose we could assign this to the fact that thieves are, in a very general sense, stupid people. That someone would entertain the notion that they could pull off a bank heist without thinking that bank security is highly sophisticated and fool-proof attests to their stupidity. You may have seen a bank robbery in the movies. Anything can happen in the movies because it is make believe. Real life banking security is immensely more sophisticated than moviewriters can beat with a clever script.

Now let me relate all of this to something that commonly occurs this time of year: the writing of marketing budgets. In October, many companies begin to put together some sort of plan for marketing in the next year. This is a tedious process that no one really enjoys, but it is a time for you to do some necessary evaluation. Given the times we live in, where the distance between marketing and the conversion to a sale is extremely short, it would be best to take a look at the marketing methods you have used in the past and check them against their ROI. Understand that there are some marketing methods that have once been valuable that have slipped from being highly effective in the new economy. Those who are selling these mediums will have a slick line to try to ink another year's worth of contracts. Just like robbing a bank, it can all sound like the money is just waiting to be tossed in the back of your car and away you go. Take a good look at the performance you have gotten out of these marketing mediums. What have they really done for you? What is the cost-to-conversion ratio (what the marketing costs divided by the number of sales you made.) Compare that number to the net sales of that item and you will have a good idea of how effective that form of marketing was for you. Remember that marketing that is not eventually leading to a sale is not really marketing. It is fluff. Yet I find that many people who are in charge of marketing budgets take the easy way out and ink another year's contract with the same people who cannot deliver substantial sales leads to their doorstep. It is paramount to bank robbery, it just happens through a line item in a budget instead of through a teller's window.

Here are some things that you can do to make sure you are getting the most for your marketing dollars. First, make sure you are tracking the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. There are a lot of different ways to do this; from sales lead tracking software to analytic details from your web site. Everything in marketing should be measured for its effectiveness. Secondly, don't fall in love with the medium. There is something very alluring about doing a TV spot, hearing your name on the radio, seeing your company highlighted on a billboard, seeing a print ad, having your own YouTube channel…on and on it goes. Those are all viable marketing mediums only if they put your message in front of your target market and you have a dynamic message that gets people to respond to an action point. Average marketing in costly marketing mediums never pays off, kind of like bank robbery. It all sounds good going in, but it never works. A third word of caution here. There are a lot of new ways to market your company centered around web site searches and SEO, or search engine optimization. Don't be taken in by every group that claims they can land you at the top of Google's first page. Understand that SEO has changed, and continues to change, with seismic shifts. What worked last year may be totally obsolete now. I have seen clients throw good money at last year's technology only to fall off the charts. Make sure you are taking a look at key stats to make sure you are getting what you are paying for.

Keep in mind that a marketing plan is crucial for the success of your company this next year. If the plan is good, your company will see success. The marketing budget fuels that success. Don't lose your ability to effectively market your business because of a "sure money" scheme that falls apart but costs you precious dollars. Be smart in your planning.