Many companies in Uzbekistan judge marketing by reach and follower counts. It’s convenient: the numbers are there, the report looks good. But what matters to the owner is different: does marketing bring in money?
Without an answer to that question, decisions get made on gut or guesswork. Sales dropped — so they change the marketer. Six months later it repeats, because the problem wasn’t the person, it was the system.
The answer to ‘is marketing working’ has two parts. The first is visible from outside: sales and how customers perceive the company. The second is hidden inside: how the marketing team is set up, whether there’s a plan and people accountable for the result.
Most people look only at the first part. But it’s the second part that often decides whether sales will keep growing.
The four sides of marketing
To tell whether marketing is working, judge it not by one number but from four sides. Two are visible from outside, two sit inside the company — and only together do they give an honest picture.
Result
outside- 01How much does it cost to acquire one customer? Divide marketing spend over 3 months by the number of new customers in the same period. If you can calculate it — that’s a ‘yes’.
- 02Where do customers come from? Check whether each customer’s source — how they learned about the company — is being recorded.
- 03How often do customers come back? Calculate what share of customers bought more than once in the last six months, and compare with the previous six months. If you know the number and it isn’t falling — that’s a ‘yes’.
Brand
outside- 01Is the company known in its category? Ask 10–20 customers to name 3 companies in your category. If yours is among them — that’s a ‘yes’.
- 02Is it clear what makes the company different? Ask 5 employees and 5 customers. If the answers match — and it isn’t ‘quality and service’ — that’s a ‘yes’.
- 03Are customers willing to pay more? Remember your last price increase. If sales held steady — that’s a ‘yes’.
Processes
inside- 01Are there numeric goals for the quarter? For example: ‘200 leads per month’, ‘50 new customers per quarter’, or ‘awareness from 20% to 30%’ — if you measure it regularly. ‘Grow awareness’ without a number doesn’t count.
- 02Is there a plan and budget for the year? Ask for the file. What’s not in the file doesn’t exist.
- 03Are marketing and sales in sync? Ask the salespeople if they know about ads and promos before launch. Ask the marketer if they know what customers most often ask about and why they drop out of a purchase. Both answers yes — that’s a ‘yes’.
Team
inside- 01Does each person know their role and what result they own? Ask the employee and their manager separately what this person’s role is and how you can tell they’re doing well. If the answers match — that’s a ‘yes’.
- 02Are there enough people for the key tasks? Marketing has four core tasks: strategy and plan, acquiring customers through ads, content and social, analyzing results. Each one should have a name next to it. All four covered — that’s a ‘yes’.
- 03Will work continue if a key person leaves? Imagine two weeks without them. If everything grinds to a halt — that’s a ‘no’.
Test: how well is your marketing working
Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to 12 questions. ‘Yes’ counts only if you can back it with a number or a document. ‘We kind of know’ counts as ‘no’.
How to calculate the result
Every ‘yes’ gives 1 point. The total score shows how well marketing is working. The score for each side shows where the weak spot is.
Step 1. Add up all the ‘yes’ answers
Step 2. Find the weak side
Count the ‘yes’ answers in each of the four blocks. The block with the lowest score shows where to start.
- 01Result. Marketing spends money but you can’t see what it turns into.
- 02Brand. Sales hold up on advertising. Switch it off and customers go to whoever’s cheaper.
- 03Processes. Results depend on luck, not on a plan.
- 04Team. Marketing rests on individual people and won’t survive growth.
For example, 9 out of 12 looks good. But if 0 of those come from ‘Brand’, the business is fully dependent on advertising — and that’s the main risk.
Scored less than 8?
A Lokals Marketing audit shows exactly what isn’t working and why. We look at numbers, channels, brand, processes, and team. The output is a plan: what to fix first and what it will give the business.
