It takes time for advertising to work. If you see steady growth in revenues, consider your advertising a success. Here are three basic measurements:

1. Increased sales of advertised products.  Review this data periodically to look for trends. You can compare media by running similar ads in different media. For example, use Newspaper A in week 1 and Newspaper B in week 2. Or compare newspaper to radio. After completing these worksheets, you should be ready to create your plan for a three- to six-month campaign.
2. Coupon redemption. Provoking a specific consumer response yields more reliable data. Try adding a cents-off or "buy one, get one free" coupon to your newspaper ads. Or tell radio listeners to ask for a special item or mention the station to earn a savings on their next visit.
3. Increased revenue. While this is your overall goal, it is the least specific measure because it cannot be tied to specific ads. Also, advertising needs time to work, so you should look for a trend, rather than an immediate surge in revenues.
   
   

   ∗ Review your list of existing marketing vehicles. Highlight those you want to continue using. Note how you would like to change what you currently are doing with these media outlets. Refer back to your Marketing Activities Worksheet.

As you evaluate what success will look like, also consider:

• How did specific marketing tactics drive success more than others?
• Did you see an increase in store traffic as a result of your advertising campaign?
• Has your call volume gone up?
• Did you see any optimization in workflow as a result of designating an employee to manage marketing?

Success will look different for every pharmacy. The key is to set measurable goals for your campaign. Now is a good opportunity to revisit the goals you set for yourself in Step 1.

Finally, GO TO MARKET!

* Be consistent
* Review how your marketing campaign is going. What sort of response are you receiving from new and existing patients?
* Fine-tune your marketing campaign.