When it comes to understanding customers, data analysis is key. To take those insights a step further and truly impact marketing strategy, data optimization is required. That can be challenging, but given today’s breadth of data analysis tools, it doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re a large enterprise or a small company, there’s a way to improve marketing through data and analytics.
The old adage “actions speak louder than words” certainly applies to B2B customers, and one of the best ways to gain insight into their needs is to take a hard look at their online behaviors. While large enterprise analytics solutions work best for many companies, especially in B2B, Google Analytics is remarkably useful for small to mid-sized businesses. However you gain access to the information, one thing is clear: it’s critically important to understand what customers are doing on your site.
If you’re not in a position to access dynamic analytics tools built for large corporations, don’t worry. Google Analytics is free and available to everyone, but it packs a lot of punch. Even better, it’s improving all the time. If you’re wondering where to start, take a look around the web. There are a wealth of helpful tutorials and blogs full of tips from marketers who use Google Analytics on a regular basis. This post, originally from Buffer’s blog and posted on Fast Company, is one of our favorites. It will walk you through the first steps of setting up and using an Analytics account and help you understand the most basic but essential functions. Movéo’s own Analytics experts can help you establish goals, monitor traffic and develop methods for regular reporting and optimization. Contact us for more information.
To really explore customer insights for your company, get creative with Google Analytics. Set up goals that can help you understand how to lead customers through a particular process on your site. Imagine your site as a mini-funnel, and construct an analysis of what trends are leading customers down the path you want them to take. The end goal could be reaching out to a sales rep, signing up for a white paper download or registering to attend your conference, but either way–the only way to learn how to coax them to the goal is to analyze what urges them to click, what referred them to your site and what content they find most appealing on the web. Notice how long they are spending on each page, and if one page is more compelling than another, adjust your site content accordingly. Give your customers what they want.
Photo credit: Colin Zhu via Flickr Creative Commons
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