Content Jam 2014 - James Ellis - Analytics Without Fear

Preview:

DESCRIPTION

Studies show that after dying and public speaking, Americans' biggest fear is analytics, even more than mutant spiders that talk or Gary Busey*. But unlike monsters or Mr. Busey, understanding your analytics helps you make smarter web and business decisions with confidence. It can show you who your most valuable audiences are, how they find you, and how to grow them. But you can only do that if you get past your fear. That's where I come in. While I can't turn you into a Google analytics nerd in an hour, I can give you three smart rules to give you a far better grasp of your analytics and actionable items for your to-do list, all without having to do any real math. Understanding these rules will help you shake your fear, feel smarter, and make better decisions. *Mr. Busey will not be attending. They made me say that. Because you never know where Gary Busey will be!

Citation preview

Analytics Without

Fear

Analytics Without

FearBut still some swearing Hi

!

Why I love analytics:

It’s not the number. It’s what the number lets you do.

The Problem:“What just happened?”

Analytics tells you this

“What worked so I can do it again?”But you want to know this

Solution:Change your thinking.

Stop worrying about the number and focus on the idea.

So let’s do

this!

Campaigns

SegmentsConversions

Segments

Averages are lies!!!

Average Time On Site: 2:10Is that good? Is that bad?

Who cares? That’s the wrong question!

OR!

Bounce Bounce Bounce

1:15

2:01

0:45 1:458:35

7:50

10:21

Average Time On Site: 2:10

Segment by:

Where• Social v Non-social• Facebook v Twitter• Email v Ad• Message 1 v Message 2

What• People who saw

more than five pages

• People who bought something

Who• Mobile v Desktop• Geography

What do you want to know?

• Where do people who stay long come from?• What did they read that made them more likely to stay?• What content lead to the most sales?• What piece of content made them stay for more?

Live Internet Stuff

Amazing!

Campaigns

The message is what moved them!

A little secret:Google is kinda dumb.It only thinks in “channels.”

It doesn”t know that all your work was designed to work together. Like a campaign.

What”s a Campaign?A series of related actions that are connected in your mind, but not in Google’s mind. Think:

Animated Lizard vsTalking Pig

Product Launch CampaignAds on Google

Tweet (x10)

Facebook post (x2)

Flyer

Posts on Craigslist

Post on your blog

To Google Analytics, this looks like six completely independent referrers.

And it doesn’t know the difference between tweets that are connected to the campaign and ones that aren’t.

Tag those URLsGoogle Analytics is designed to be “anonym-ish”

While you never get to know people’s ID, you do want to know if they came in because of a campaign, because of a certain ad/message, or if they just wandered in “off the street.”

Yes, there’s a way to do that.

Google URL Builder Yes, I Google that every time

Tag those URLstest.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=Ad&utm_campaign=Launch

Landing page URL Stuff gets

added to the URL

Don”t worry:Only Google Understands this

Tag those URLstest.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=Ad&utm_campaign=Launch

Landing page URL

Source

Medium

Campaign

Tag those URLstest.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=Ad&utm_campaign=Launch

test.com/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=sm&utm_campaign=Launch

test.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=sm&utm_campaign=Launch

test.com/?utm_source=flyer&utm_medium=flyer&utm_campaign=Launch

test.com/?utm_source=craigslist&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=Launch

test.com/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=Launch

Hey look! Internets!

Conversions

Traffic is dumb.

Here’s the thing:You don’t want “traffic.”You want sales. So stop thinking

about how many people saw your site. Think about which ones converted.

Why do you have a site?What do you want people to do on

your site? Buy something? Read something? Call their mom?

So measure that instead!That”s a “conversion.”

Right?

Interwebz!

Understanding

ConversionSegm

ent

Campaign

James Ellis: The ContentHam@saltlab

Director of Inbound MarketingTMP WorldwideMeshworking.com@TheWarForTalent

Who do I blame for this?!

Are you kidding me?

Recommended