Google Analytics: Measuring success for your business!
“If you can’t measure it you can’t improve it.” – Peter Drucker, management consultant, educator and author.
When it comes to managing your business, the above statement really rings true. The day-to-day running of your business can often mean that seeing where it is going or how it is doing can be tricky. Footfall and conversion into sales was once the only marker for traditional business, but, with the advent of the internet and that all important word ‘data’ it means that any business can get right into the nitty gritty of the 'whys' and the 'whos' of their business. Why are clicks not converting to sales, who is visiting my website and from where? Why are they bouncing from my website?
Google Analytics has meant that small businesses can gain
these invaluable insights to inform improvements to their online offering, and,
the best part, it’s free!
So what are the benefits?
Google Analytics can help you understand your customers.
Small businesses realistically do not have tonnes of cash lying around to throw
at conducting focus groups and social listening exercises.
As Gaby Alexander, a certified Google Campaign Manager,
HubSpot Inbound Marketing Expert explains, Google
Analytics provides small businesses with an audience overview report. These reports
allow you to see how much traffic your site is getting over time, but, more importantly,
it gives you an insight into the demographics of the traffic – age, geographic location,
and what type of device they are using.
For small businesses marketing collateral can be time consuming
so understanding what works and what doesn’t can’t allow for better targeted
use of content.
Here’s where Customer Acquisition Reports come in. This
allows you to see what type of content your customers are responding to and can
help in allowing a small business to develop similar content or repurpose content
you already have. Hey presto!
For small businesses wanting to compete with the big dawgs like Amazon, Google Analytics is an essential tool in any small business’ armoury, from Real-Time Behavioural Reports, to setting up clear, measurable KPIs, Google Analytics is your best friend.
CiaraG
Drucker’s Quote really summarizes Google Analytics. I find working in a small business you have to be able to do a lot and on a budget. Having a free tool like Google Analytics is great, you can definitely see all the advantages it offers. I have yet to spend much time on the Customer Acquisition Report that you mentioned but definitely going to look, from what you describe being able to see the type of content customers are responding to has endless advantages. I can delete all the old posts from the blog that no one really has read and add more tailored content in our blog. - Helen Mc
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree with the quote - to know what works well and what doesn't, means you need to somehow measure this. Same as Helen(above) I am yet to try out the Acquisition Report function but I believe this is where organic, paid/unpaid and direct traffic is measured - correct me if I'm wrong. I agree with your last few lines where you mention that in order to compete with larger companies , Analytics is a must. I would also argue it is a bare minimum a business must have in order to survive a world that shops through a device glued to their hand.
ReplyDeleteAgree with the fact small businesses don't have big budgets when it comes to marketing compared to larger companies and this is where Google Analytics is a saving grace. Small businesses can use the software freely and distinguish areas to improve. Also mentioned in the blog, marketing collateral can be time consuming, this is very true and smaller businesses usually have less people to manage certain areas of the business, such as the marketing department. This is where targeting and analysing comes in handy to find out what works and doesn't work to avoid time-wasting creating content your audience isn't interested in.
ReplyDeleteI love the Drucker comment you opened with! It really summarises the purpose of Google Analytics, to help you improve your marketing efforts! You made some great points here, Ciara. You’re absolutely right in saying that a lot of small businesses really don't have a lot of discretionary funds to play with. Showcasing what Google Analytics can do but also highlighting the cost, or lack thereof in this case, was a good call out. I also think that it’s important to give specifics when describing what a tool can do instead of just listing A,B, C and so on. I love that you gave specific examples, like the Customer Acquisition report. It makes the idea of exploring the tool less intimidating for newbies!
ReplyDeleteSuch a good quote Ciara, you certainly need to be able to measure in order to improve! Google Analytics is a great time saving and cost effective way for small businesses to see where their audience is and target their potential market. Customer Acquisition Reports are extremely helpful as they get to the point and highlight where your customers are and maybe where the business should focus in on developing or expanding. Google Analytics is indeed a new businesses best friend! I certainly will be sharing this article to local businesses I know. Thanks for sharing!
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