So does your marketing work? How do YOU measure the effectiveness of the medium and the company that you choose to advertise with ?

Many business owners expect their customers or the public to tell them where they got their names from and how they ended up calling/ visiting them .

The hard fact is, is that it is simply NOT THE CUSTOMERS JOB to remember or even care where they found you or heard about you....so if this is the main way you measure,  you need to re think your position!

Of course we understand the need to know what works and what doesn't work, especially for the small- medium businesses with limited marketing $'s to invest, local businesses  like the ones we promote and partner with on www.trustedsaskatoon.com  and www.trustedregina.com directories.  

Sara the Trusted Online Directories founder sold advertising in the past, everything from Yellow Pages to Radio and was frequently asked about measurability from clients. She always said if you get busier and the only difference is that you have bought something new, chances are that is why you are busier! This was true especially of long term consistent branding radio campaigns ,  as lets face it, customers rarely walk into a retail store and say " Hi, I heard your ad on the radio on Wed morning and decided to come in and see what you had " .

Yellow Pages was a different beast,  as much of time customers were calling businesses like plumbers etc..with the book in front of them, so when asked on the phone where they got the companies number from they said immediately Yellow Pages , even though lots of times they were searching specifically for that business because they had heard their ad on the radio, or they had seen their van at a neighbors house and that company was ' top of mind' in that category for them at that moment- which should be what every company strives to be!      

Now lets talk about the internet - the ultimate tool of measurability we are told, yet many businesses still don't have a website, nor do they understand how measurable,  measurable really is and most don't know what to do with the data, or what it means.  

The Trusted websites are local directories with local resource libraries attached and as such people go there for a SPECIFIC NEED not just a read like other local websites that carry news, weather , traffic reports and other entertainment.

When we sell the product we make sure to explain to the partners that we do not sell CLICK through's, as it is not an accurate measurement of the Trusted product. You see our directories have very comprehensive listings with a lot of information to help the consumer to make their decision, and the consumer can contact the business right there- we make it easy and this mostly means the consumer doesn't click through to the businesses site unless they are super interested and want even more info than what has been provided. We would expect other online directories that just list the basic details- name, number, www, category  and a sentence or 2 about the business to have a much higher ' CTR ' ( Click Through Rate) as people look for more info to base their decision on. You see people in Canada spend 75% of their total shopping time online these days- research is key ( and if you can't be found you will LOSE the chance of getting the sale completely !!)  

So we were pretty interested ( and a wee bit surprised) to see the analytic data from 2 of our partners on www.trustedsaskatoon.com. We are sharing the source traffic data - that shows how visitors to their website actually got there and I think you will agree we have just proved our worth...

Case Number 1- company listed in Kitchen and Renovation Categories on the Saskatoon directory 

• www.trustedsaskatoon.com is the 1st referring source after Google.
• The most time spent on the website is from visitors from www.trustedsaskatoon.com( this indicates quality and engagement)
• Trusted team helped this company set up their Facebook page and help them manage the content to get the best results from social - clearly it had helped.

Case Number 2- company listed in Auto Repair and Tire Categories on the Saskatoon directory 

• Number 1 referring source after Google
• Way ahead of any other online directory ( this company advertises in Yellow Pages)
• Great level of engagement 
• Currently doesn't do much with Facebook and what has been done has not been that effective - we are helping them to implement a new plan and expect to see this have an immediate effect on the numbers. 

So absolute proof of the valuer of Trusted - analytics don't lie :) 

If you want to meet with us to chat please contact us by emailing sara@trustedcanada.com

The Trusted directories were set up based upon the principals of good business, and the foundation of good business is integrity. Simply put, if you don't care about your customers needs as a business then you will never be trusted.

When Sara the Trusted founder came up with the ' Trusted directories concept '  she wanted to have clear, simple guildlines or ' guarantees' laid out for all to see , and she knew it was important for the Trusted partners to sign contracts to uphold those guarantees (and for the partners to be held to them by Trusted).  

The Trusted Guarantees

1.Provide the service and quality promised.

2.Complete the job on time.

3.Charge the price quoted with NO surprises.

4.Communicate honestly and be responsive to customer needs.

5.Resolve any issues with customer satisfaction in mind.

All 5 of these guarantees are important ..but the one that can raise a business from average to exceptional is number 5 ...you see it's easy to do business when everything go's to plan ..it's when something go's wrong that a business can truly shine ( or not)...who they deal with upset or angry customers shows how much they are invested in providing the best customer service...especially if the problem was not caused by anything they did! 

We received the following un solicited comment through the the Saskatoon directory recently, from a customer of TRX RV a Trusted Saskatoon RV dealer  and it really proves their worthiness as a Trusted saskatoon business, and we wanted to share it with you!

" We purchased a trailer in 2011 from TRX and while we liked it we found it did not fit our needs. We went back to TRX in 2012 (after researching a multitude of trailers and dealers) and decided to go with a larger version of the same trailer. To our dismay this particular trailer seemed to be plagued with a multitude of major issues, which in spite of the best efforts of the TRX team, were not resolved. We dealt with Tom regarding our frustrations and were pleased with the approach he took with us, and on our behalf, with the manufacturer. While the manufacturer didn’t offer TRX the help or resolution they needed Tom resolved our problems with a satisfactory and equitable solution. Throughout this process, TRX (Tom and his staff) went above and beyond to help us out. We would like to thank the TRX team for their excellent customer service and highly recommend TRX. "

Kudos to the TRX RV Team for the way they handled this issue and thumbs up from the Trusted team! 

Original post by Saskatoon Directory Trusted saskatoon.com

Being TRUSTED is a unique branding and sales tool for businesses, because the Trusted directories offer quality focused local businesses a unique way to differentiate themselves from their competition, attract new customers, build loyalty with existing customers and also increase their visibility in their home city.

Once we meet with businesses, most agree that its a great concept and a fabulous marketing idea.....but does it ' WORK' ..will it provide a return on their investment?

Sara Wheelwright S & E Trusted online directories founder explains what ' being trusted'  is all about in this video, also you will hear from many of the Trusted Saskatoon.com and Trusted Regina.com directories businesses as they share their real results, 'what else' they get from trusted and how they feel about being TRUSTED!

If you run a locally accountable business and lead the way when it comes to customer service , and want to grow and evolve your business then applying to join Trusted really is the SMART and SIMPLE choice.

Social media is the NOW and it is the future.  

Trusted IS Social- Trusted is LOCAL ..thats what we do and who we are!  

Check out how:

-Trusted Saskatoon.com on FACEBOOK

-Trusted Regina.com on FACEBOOK

-The Trusted Channel on YOU TUBE

-@Trustedcanada on TWITTER

-Trusted on Pinterest

For more details and to see the data for yourself:

Call Sara on (306) 2915303

or email sara@trustedcanada.com

www.trustedsaskatoon.com is proud to be hosting a Talk to the Experts show " The Trusted Show' Every Month on Newstalk 650 ..the first show aired June 9th. 

Sara Wheelwright the Trusted founder and 3 Trusted Partners- Marla Janzen a Trusted SASKATOON REALTOR, Ken Eade , owner of 3'n 1 Construction a Trusted SASKATOON CONTRACTOR  and Leanne Falkowsky owner of the URBAN WALL a Trusted SASKATOON PAINTER  joined Brent Loucks  to chat about Trusted .

Click on the 2 you Tube Videos below on the Trusted Channel for Parts 1 and 2 ENJOY!!

Why should you choose a Trusted Business?

WHY can Trusted Partners can be Trusted and what kind of businesses do Trusted promote and endorse on our directories...here is a fine example of one of our Trusted Saskatoon Contractors.  

The day 3 'n 1 Construction saved the day  

FRIENDLY, SINCERE AND HONEST ..DONE BY THE BOOK ..that's what it says on the card of Ken Eade ...the owner of 3'n 1 construction and this truly is the philosophy he lives and does business by....This is why when he heard a sad story about a local woman Lorraine, via a friend,  who had been Ripped Off by a  ' Cowboy Roofer ' he felt he had to call her to get the full story and to see if he could in some way help....

Ken spoke to Lorraine and she told him that she had gotten a quote for new shingles on her modest East side Saskatoon home from the owner of a company called ' Saviour Roofing', the man asked for a sizeable deposit to pay for all materials ..and as he portrayed himself very convincingly as an honest Church going family man, Lorraine didn't hesitate in Trusting him and handed over the money....

Lorraine never heard from him again...the cell number had been disconnected and when she checked afterwards, the company was not registered..her Roofer was a Con Man and had disappeared along with her money ...she was devasted..emotionally and financially.... BEWARE this happens MORE than you think!!!

After hearing this sad tale, Ken was moved into action..he immediately called his 3 'n1 Construction Team together, and after hearing the story all of them didn't think twice about offering their services for a day without pay to cover the labour costs on the roofing work. Ken is so proud that his team made the decision to take a day away from their familys and their own recreation time to help Lorraine and her family in a time of need. ..

Ken then approached his suppliers KENROC Building Materials, hoping they might be interested in donating some supplies  .... Kenroc  did more than that, after hearing the story and sharing it with Head Office in Regina, they quickly got back to Ken to tell him they would use their Community fund to donate EVERYTHING required to do the job, for FREE  to help Lorraine out! They really appreciated Ken giving them the opportunity to be involved , and it is clear,  like Ken they stand for Integrity and commit to Honest business practices. 

Ken called Lorraine to tell her the good news and she simply couldn't believe it!!! From a bad experience with a con man contractor that ripped her off and left her devastated ..to being approached by a caring stranger Ken and his equally caring supplier who ended up coming to her families rescue ...for no other motivation than just wanting to help her out and put things right! Matt from KENROC and Ken came down to meet Lorraine Today ( 30th May..how fitting that it is the www.trustedsaskatoon.com 1st anniversary )

Ken called Trusted to share the story with us earlier this week, and to see if we could help get the word out that ' con men ' were out there in Saskatoon doing this to people...we are so proud of him and his kind heart, and we asked if we could help  out in anyway ..but it seems he and Kenroc had everything covered as far as the re-roofing was going...so what else could we do we wondered ? 

Knowing that the emotional stress of being ripped off is almost always worse than the financial pain ..we contacted Melissa Hamilton, one of our Trusted Spa Partners, owner of Edgewater Spa and Spa Ahava , and told her the story ..Melissa was shocked and genuinely concernd for Lorraines wellbeing and we didn't have to ask for a thing ..she offered to give Lorraine a Gift Certificate so she could have some relaxation and destressing ' Lorraine time' after her recent tough time! Way to go Melissa- you ROCK!  

WOW what a Great TRIO of businesses....what a great ending to what started off as an horrific tale...

If you see Ken and the 3 'n 1 team give them the Thumbs up...same to Kenroc and Edgewater Spa ..you deserve all the kudos you are going to get because of your kind and selfless actions..you've certainly made our day at Trusted ..and many other peoples too I am sure!!!!  

Listen to the story soon on Newstalk 650 ..they came down after we shared the story with them...so they can help get the news out to everyone!

See the video for an interview with  Lorraine , Ken and Matt from Kenroc.... Thumbs up to all!! 

Stay Trusted my friends..SAFE AND TRUSTED SASKATOON

Heres the Amazing and Trusted 3'n1 team ..way to go!!!

KENROC as they deliver all the materials and supplies to Lorraine !!!