Using data in marketing is one of the most important aspects of ensuring a campaign runs smoothly and generates the revenue required to produce profit and cover costs. In fact, using data should be something that you look at doing in all walks of life. Without accurate measurement of your performance, you cannot gauge a true reflection of your progression or in some cases regression. Analysis can open doors that you didn’t know existed and allow you to angle your efforts in the right direction.
As a business owner this is something that you have most likely heard time and time again. Whether you’re already passionate about analysing information or are a complete beginner, support from experts can help you make the right decisions. It can often be an area that is overlooked, especially if you are a small to medium business that has other priorities, such as ensuring your operations are running smoothly.
If you are running online marketing, or thinking about a digital marketing campaign, a discussion about how the data is going to be used must be had. You must have a clear understanding of what tools are being used and why.
Google Analytics for Business
If you are already running marketing campaigns online, you have most likely already heard of tools, such as Google Analytics, but do you have a true understanding of Google Analytics? It’s a given that you will see the traffic – or lack of traffic – your website is generating, but do you truly know what that traffic is doing? Is it even the right traffic? I.e do you have 1,000 users coming to your website a day that are in fact spam that is being referred to your domain?
By ensuring your website is supported by the correct analytical tools, you are certainly going to be able to make more clear cut decisions that can render positive results. However, you must also have the right people looking at the data to ensure you are not making incorrect decisions based on gut feelings or a desire to chase something that isn’t actually going to result in revenue.
Any company, whether you’re an SME or an enterprise level business, must ensure that their marketing department or marketing agency has a professional understanding of data. The level in which you must go into detail will depend on the size of your business: i.e if you are using Google Analytics for small businesses, you may have less need to concentrate on certain areas compared to a larger organisation that has various audiences in many regions to attract. If you run an independent trade company, it is most likely that you are mainly interested in gaining insights about the region you serve. Whereas larger companies will have a lot more quantitative information that needs to be viewed on a more regular basis.
To ‘speculate to accumulate’, it must be done in the correct fashion and you must be able to see the outcome of your attempts to gain revenue. To do this, you must have a clear goal in mind and set conversion requirements against your goals. This will allow you to continue to progress your efforts in the right direction, limiting the risk of waste both in terms of financial losses and resources.
In most cases, the actual business owner will not need an expert level understanding of Google Analytics. Rather, they must seek the knowledge from experienced individuals who have dedicated their career to learning the tools. Of course, you will want to understand Google Analytics enough to engage in your marketing activities, but in real terms, your time is best spent making decisions based around the growth of your businesses operations.
At Pod, we always ensure that our marketing efforts are guided by data. We understand that you want to know how your money is being spent. This is why we create a visual dashboard that displays your data in a way that you can easily understand. We always provide accurate reporting based on the marketing activities that have been agreed and present it to you in a digestible way. Data makes us accountable for our decisions, and also helps us to understand what works and what does not.
When it comes to any online marketing channel including SEO, PPC, Social Media and Email Marketing, you want to know the outcome based on agreed KPIs. This makes it more effective, and in all honesty, more enjoyable too.
Google Analytics for business must always be used in an effective way, which can sometimes mean exporting information and using advanced data analysis methods which include Excel formulas. These methods enable you to cut through unnecessary information and find the very details that will result in multi-channel decision making.
The reality of it is, whether you’re a hands-on business owner that likes to be involved in the review of data and performance or if you’re happy to trust a designated individual, you must look towards using data in marketing.
Feel free to contact Pod Digital to discuss your online marketing needs. We make informed decisions based on an honest review of your current online marketing situation and make realistic targets to get you the increase in business that you need. We can help you to further your understanding of Google Analytics and even drive your analysis forward with more premium tools if required.