As a business owner, it's easy to get caught up in the quantitative metrics of marketing such as follower counts, views, and likes. However, these data points don't always accurately reflect the tangible effectiveness of your marketing and brand-building efforts.

Loads of local-based, people-to-people types of businesses—like real estate, for instance—don't always work out like a math equation. It's often a know, like and trust combination of factors.

In order to truly measure the success of your marketing, you need to consider qualitative markers as well. Here are some key qualitative markers to consider when evaluating your marketing efforts:

1. You're frequently asked about the market or business by personal contacts.

2. People recognize you and comment on seeing you everywhere.

3. Customers reference your content, including videos, blogs, and emails.

4. Your peers show increased curiosity about your business and marketing approach.

5. Long-lost contacts suddenly begin engaging with your social media posts.

It's important to remember that while quantitative metrics are important, they don't tell the whole story. To truly evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, you’ve got to consider both quantitative and qualitative metrics. So keep an eye out for the subtle indicators that signal what you’re doing is working!