Measuring Media: Google Analytics

Google Analytics...

What's your "web"site catching?

Google Analytics offers user-friendly features that allows marketers, not necessarily IT people...to gain insights into website traffic. This includes learning or finding out more about:

• Where users come from;
• Measurement of unique visitors:
• Pages that are landed on;
• How long users stay on certain pages;
• What pages are never accessed;
• How users move across copy, photos, aka content;
• What links are clicked on...or not;
• Which page designs, headlines or graphics convert more visitors to make a sale or take action;
• View AdWords ROI without importing cost data or adding keyword tracking codes; and
• Track different online campaigns from emails to keywords.

Now, here is the "official" definition:

1. Google Analytics (abbreviated GA) is a free service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about the visitors to a website.
2. Its main highlight is that the product is aimed at marketers as opposed to webmasters and technologists from which the industry of web analytics originally grew.
3. GA can track visitors from all referrers, including search engines, display advertising, pay-per-click networks, email marketing and digital collateral such as links within PDF documents.
4. Integrated with AdWords, users can review online campaigns by tracking landing page quality and conversions (goals). Goals might include sales, lead generation, viewing a specific page, or downloading a particular file. These can also be monetized.
5. By using GA, marketers can determine which ads are performing, and which are not, providing the information to optimise or cull campaigns.
6. GA's approach is to show high level dashboard-type data for the casual user, and more in-depth data further into the report set.
7. Through the use of GA analysis, poor performing pages can be identified using techniques such as funnel visualization, where visitors came from (referrers), how long they stayed and their geographical position.
8. It also provides more advanced features, including custom visitor segmentation.
9. Users can officially add up to 50 site profiles. Each profile generally corresponds to one website. It is limited to sites which have a traffic of less than 5 million pageviews per month (roughly 2 pageviews per second), unless the site is linked to an AdWords campaign.
10. And did I say it is free.

Whether you do your own marketing or hire an agency or freelancer, this tool or some other web trends report is a must-do in you marketing toolbox toward measuring along the way to reach goals. If your web campaign is not measuring up, then it is time to change strategy, write different copy, add or delete a web page, change graphics, or try completely different tactics.

So strengthen your marketing initiatives today and so that your website has the WOW! that converts users into customers, believers and followers.

Learn more about how to get website WOW! and contact me for a free consult.

PR: 5 Whys For Public Affairs

If your affairs aren't public...they should be!

Don't hide or cover up!

According to the Public Affairs Council, there are five reasons why public affairs is more important than ever:
1. Public Distrust is growing;
2. Brands are valuable, but fragile;
3. Big Government is here to stay. At all levels, the government’s involvement in business is increasing, not decreasing;
4. Life is not fair. Terrorism, trade wars, government deficits, frivolous lawsuits—all of these eternal challenges can have a big impact on a corporation or association; and
5. You can’t go it alone. Every organization is tied to the communities it serves and governments that regulate its activities.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to public affairs is that unless you target the message to your audience of influence: elected officials, lobbyists, CEO’s, local community, and media directly, and ofetn with different messages, the action, attitude or influence desired will be missed.

Do you know:

• Who your key publics are?
• If your tactics reach them?
• How to change messages for different publics?

If you need help reaching the right people, contact me to create a WOW communication piece, special event or write a brand new plan!

Blogging: Is your blog credible?

Is your blog a reason for your readers go in another direction for information because they don't trust what you say?

In a recent poll:

• 80% of those polled said they used corporate blogs to get information;
• Of those who used them, only 16% rated them 4 or 5 on a five-point trust scale;
• Only 16% of online consumers who read corporate blogs say they trust them;
• Among people who regularly read blogs (at least once a month), 24% trust company blogs; and
• Among people who blog themselves, 39% trust them.

This result is not surprising. In the last few years, consumers have become more sceptical about corporations and even more sceptical their government. Consumers likely don't trust company blogs for the same reasons they don't trust corporate advertising and certain media outlets or reporters.

What would make anyone trust a blog more than a news release, ad or message from the CEO, Director, Mayor or City Manager?

Does this mean blogs are on their way out? No.

It just means that communication professionals, marketing folks, publicists and anyone else who blogs has to be extremely thoughtful about what they post. Here are a few things that make a blog more credible:

• Utilize a key strategy of being customer or client focused;
• Create a community for readers that encourages feedback and comments;
• Don't hide the name of the person who writes the blog;
• Respond or address comments, especially any negative ones;
• Blog about hot topics readers would like to know your opinion or "side"; and
• Be a voice in the community, be that a place, your brand or area of expertise.

If you'd like to know more about writing plan for your blog, want honest feedback about your blog or want to start a blog, contact me at 407-341-9866 today!