Why You Need Google Analytics

Tuesday I was meeting with an advertising partner and were we looking at some data I gathered from Google Analytics.

Not sure what Google Analytics is?  Take a look at their site. Or I can give you a layman’s overviews.

Google Analytics is a free service from Google that you install on your website that can tell you all kinds of things about people who visit your website.  What pages they visit, when they visit, where they came from, and so much more.  If you sell stuff on your website, you can track it too.   Just take my word for it…install Google Analytics on your website now.

Back to my meeting on Tuesday.  This advertising partner has a website but we are not doing any digital online marketing for him, yet.  We just helped him set up Google Analytics 2 months ago.  That’s when we tripled his radio advertising.

I see you scratching your head.  Hang on.

We are actually tracking the response to his radio ads with Google Analytics.

How?  The call to action in his radio ads is to visit his website.  No phone number, no storefront, just his website.

WOWO radio has been his sole source of advertising since May.  He previously did some newspaper and some targeted direct mail and those methods worked for him, but not to the degree that advertising on WOWO has worked this year.

When I showed him some of the findings that I discovered with Google Analytics, he was very happy and wanted to know more.  So next month when we meet, I’ll share with him more information about people visiting his website.  We both recognize that there are some limitations to any tracking system so he is also asking people how they found him and is tracking those responses as well.

Unlike some people who sell advertising, I want to know as much as possible about the effectiveness.  I want to work hand in hand with you to make sure the money you are spending is an investment, not an expense.  We’ll talk more about that next week.