In our previous two posts, we covered what Google Analytics is and how you can use it to increase traffic to your web site. This time, we’re going to look at how it can measure the performance of your marketing campaigns.
All Marketing Roads Should Lead to the Web Site
If done correctly, all online marketing efforts should lead back to your web site. That means that monitoring web traffic will give you a realistic picture as to how well your various marketing campaigns are doing.
Whether you’re posting regularly on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus; sending out consistent e-newsletters; or setting up complete local search profiles, your goal should be to have your readers click on a link or follow some call to action that will ultimately take them back to your web site. There they will have a greater likelihood of finding out more about you, and then hopefully call you or send an email.
Although email programs like Constant Contact do provide their own internal metrics that will show you who clicked through to your website, it’s helpful to know what kind of activity happens once visitors get to your site. Do they just read the particular blog post that you featured and linked to in your newsletter, and then bounce away from your site? Then perhaps you need to include more blog posts on that particular topic, or improve the general appearance or ease of navigation on your site.
What is the average amount of time they stay on your site? How many pages on average are viewed while they are there? What pages or posts are most popular? All of these questions can be answered through your monthly analytics reports. The answers will open your eyes as to what is working vs. what may need to change.
Include a Call to Action
Make sure each of your marketing campaigns includes a strong call to action. This should include some kind of web traffic-driving mechanism, such as “click here” or “download now”.
If you’re active on Facebook, you can use apps to set up your tabs in such a way that they link directly to your web site pages. If someone clicks on your Facebook tab called “Services”, for example, it can take them to the “Services” page on your site. This way, you can use analytics to see who is finding your web site through your Facebook page, and what page(s) or post(s) are creating the most interest.
Using QR Codes to Drive Traffic
QR codes by design drive traffic to a particular web page. This is a creative way you can link even your offline marketing campaigns to your Google Analytics so you can measure how effective particular print pieces are. By including a custom QR code on your brochure, print ad, flyer, or back of a business card, you can give anyone with a QR code reader a convenient way to pull up your web site on their smartphone.
Monitor the success of your QR code by checking the traffic source reports in Google Analytics. Perhaps you can use a different QR code for each print piece, to help with tracking.
By consciously making an effort to connect all your marketing campaigns to your web site through a call to action or a direct link, you will not only drive more traffic to your site, but will also be able to determine which campaign(s) are working most effectively through your Google Analytics reports.