Why Most Brisbane Business Owners Are Flying Blind
I’ve sat down with hundreds of business owners from Chermside to Logan, and almost all of them have the same frustration: "I'm spending money on Google, I'm paying someone for Facebook, and I'm sending out emails—but I have no idea which one actually got me this morning's $5,000 job."
If you don't know exactly where your customers are coming from, you are almost certainly throwing money away. You might be spending $1,000 a month on Facebook ads that get lots of "likes" but zero phone calls, while your Google ads are doing all the heavy lifting.
In the marketing world, they call this "cross-channel reporting." In the real world, we call it "knowing if your marketing is working." This guide will show you how to stop guessing and start looking at the hard data so you can double down on what makes you money and cut the rubbish that doesn't.
The Problem: The "Liar" in Your Dashboard
Every platform wants to take the credit for a sale.
If a customer sees your ad on Facebook on Monday, clicks a Google ad on Wednesday, and then finally calls you on Friday after finding your website directly, Facebook will claim the win. Google will also claim the win. Your website report will say it was a "direct" customer.
Suddenly, your reports show three sales when you only actually put money in the bank for one. This is why you can't just look at each platform individually. You need a single view of the truth. When you tell if your marketing is working by looking at the whole picture, you stop overpaying for results that aren't real.
Step 1: Set Your "Finish Line"
Before you look at any data, you have to decide what a "win" looks like. For most Brisbane tradies or service businesses, a win isn't a "click" or a "page view." It’s a phone call or a completed enquiry form.
Do this first: 1. List your goals: Is it a booking? A quote request? A phone call? 2. Assign a value: If one out of every four quotes you give for a fencing job turns into a $4,000 sale, then every quote request is worth $1,000 to your business. 3. Track the phone: Most local business happens over the phone. If you aren't tracking which ads make your phone ring, you're missing 80% of the data.
Step 2: Use "Source Tags" (The Secret to Accuracy)
Google and Facebook are like two different languages. To make them talk to each other, you need to use something called UTM tags. Don't let the name scare you—it's just a simple bit of text you add to the end of your website links.
Instead of just sending people to yourwebsite.com.au, you send them to yourwebsite.com.au/?utm_source=facebook.
When you do this, your tracking software (like Google Analytics) can see exactly where the person came from. You can see that the customer who spent $2,000 yesterday started their journey on a specific Facebook post about your "Winter Special." Without these tags, that customer just looks like a random visitor. When you find out exactly which ads make money, you can stop spending on the ones that just send "tyre kickers" to your site.
Step 3: Look at the "Customer Journey," Not Just the Last Click
People rarely buy the first time they see you. They might see your ute in traffic, look you up on Google later, and then click a Facebook ad a week later when they’re finally ready to book.
Most basic reports only show you the last thing the person did. This is a mistake. It leads business owners to turn off their "awareness" ads because they don't seem to be "selling," when in reality, those ads are the reason people are searching for you on Google later.
How to read the data: First Touch: Which ad introduced them to you? Assists: Which ads kept you top-of-mind while they were thinking about it? Last Touch: What finally pushed them to pick up the phone?
If you see that your Facebook ads have a lot of "assists" but few "last touches," don't turn them off! They are doing the hard work of warming up the customer so the Google ad can close the deal.
Step 4: The Monthly "Truth" Spreadsheet
You don't need fancy, expensive software for this. A simple spreadsheet will do more for your profits than a $500-a-month dashboard you don't understand.
Create a table with these columns: 1. Channel (Google Ads, Facebook, Local SEO, Email) 2. Total Spend (What you paid the platform + what you paid an agency) 3. Total Leads (Phone calls and forms) 4. Cost Per Lead (Spend divided by Leads) 5. Sales Closed (Real money in the bank) 6. ROI (Return on Investment)
I’ve seen dozens of Brisbane businesses realize that their "cheap" SEO was actually costing them $200 per lead, while their "expensive" Google Ads were bringing in leads for $40. The data doesn't lie, but your gut feeling often does.
Step 5: Identify Where You Are Losing People
Data isn't just about where people come from; it's about why they leave. If your ads are bringing 1,000 people to your site but only 2 people are calling, the ads aren't the problem—your website is.
You need to stop guessing why customers leave and look at the numbers. If everyone drops off on your "Pricing" page, maybe your pricing isn't clear, or you're scaring them off before they see the value. If they leave as soon as they land on your homepage, maybe your site doesn't work well on a mobile phone (which is how most Brisbane locals will be looking for you while they're on their lunch break).
Realistic Timelines and Costs
Cost: Setting up basic tracking (Google Analytics and phone tracking) usually costs between $500 and $1,500 as a one-off setup. After that, it’s mostly free or a small monthly fee for phone tracking software (around $50/month). Time to Results: You need at least 30 days of data before you make any big decisions. Don't turn off an ad after three days because it didn't get a hit. Give the data time to show you a pattern. The Payoff: Typically, once we clean up a local business's tracking, we can cut their wasted ad spend by 20-30% in the first two months. That’s money straight back into your pocket.
What to Do First
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, just do these three things this week: 1. Check your Google Analytics: Do you even have it installed? If not, get it done today. 2. Install Call Tracking: Use a service that gives you a unique phone number for your ads. This is the single biggest "lightbulb moment" for business owners. 3. Stop looking at "Likes": From now on, when someone shows you a marketing report, ignore the "engagement" and "reach." Ask them: "How many of these people called me, and what did it cost me to make that happen?"
Marketing isn't an expense; it's an investment. But it only works if you treat it like your bank account—keep a close eye on what’s going out and exactly what’s coming back in.
Want to know exactly which ads are making you money? At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane businesses stop the guesswork and start seeing real results. Contact us today to get a clear picture of your marketing.