Multi-Channel, Multi-Device, Multi-Platform Measurement

Marketing Festival Brno 2013Matthias Bettag, Digital Analytics Consultant, Berlin

@MatthiasBettag

About meJob: • Self employed Digital Analytics Consultant and Certified Web

Analyst™

Representation: • Country Manager Germany of the Digital Analytics Association

(DAA)• Country Manager Germany for Mind Your Privacy (Spain)

Conferences:• Co-Owner of the Discussion Conference DA Hub (ex XChange Europe) -

June 2-4, 2014 in Berlin• Co-Chair of eMetrics Germany , November 4-5, 2014 in Berlin• Vice Chair of the I-COM Conference, March 31-April 3, 2014 in SevillaEducation: Tutor of the „Award of Achievement in Digital Analytics” online course of the University of British Columbia

Multi-Channel Measurement• Examples for different

Channels:– Search Engine Advertising (SEA)– Organic Search– Display&Banner Advertising– Email– Video– Mobile Ads– Social Media Ads + Links– Portals – Other Paid Links– Radio/TV Ads– Print Ads– …

Multi-Channel Measurement

€

SEA

QR

Display

Email

TV

Social

Direct

SEO

• Channel measurement is visit based– Customer journey across

different channels?• Channels are traffic

drivers– Quantity vs Quality?

Multi-Channel Measurement Goals• CTR – CPC – CPM – CPP – PPO – ROI

– Awareness?– Traffic?– Purchases?– Cost reduction (per order)?– Overall RoI?

• CTR/CPC/CPM Ad-Server• CPP/PPO/ROI Website• Level of Segmentation is rather technical:

– Keywords – Campaigns– Referrers– Time/Date– Revenue– Purchases, conversions– Products, Landingpages– …

Measuring Goals per Channel• Campaign Tracking

– Ensure ALL campaign links have the necessary parameters attached to the URL (after the „?“)

– Campaign Tracking Link Example:

Landingpage Campaign ID Referrer Date from/to Keyword (set)

Many other parameters are possible (Banner sizes, types, ..)Challenge 1: Consistency and accuracy across all campaignsChallenge 2: Report configuration can become complex

www.domain.com/page?cid=123&ref=abc&date=DMY&kw=xywww.domain.com/page?cid=123|ref=abc|date=DMY|kw=xy

Different variables,

separator: &

One variable with different

attributes

So, this gives me superpower?

Moving beyond „simple“ campaign traffic analysis

• Define (real business relevant) KPIs across all platforms

• Define how your KPIs apply to each platform• Categorize campaigns by their goals• Establish a common understanding across all

stakeholders• Start thinking about customer analytics

Solving Multi-Channel Measurement• Customer Segmentation:– Personas / Target

Audiences?– Identifiable by their online

behavior?– Create visit segments (use

cases)– Create visitor segments

(user behavior)

Let the Barcelona Food Market explain Segmentation..

Buying lemons Buying onions Buying tomatos

Buying pears

Occasional buyer

Bulk buyer for restaurants

Regular buyer for own household

MS-Aida tourist on a shore leave..

Amount – Turnaround –

Conv.Rate

Amount – Turnaround – Conv.Rate

Amount – Turnaround – Conv.Rate

Amount – Turnaround –

Conv.Rate

Multi-Device Measurement

• A user is using multiple devices on a customer journey:– Desktop PC (e.g. at work)– Laptop– Smartphone– Tablet– Playstation, Xbox, etc.– Smart TV– …

CAGR = Compound Annual Growth Rate

M2M = Machine to Machine Communication

Source: www.broadwayworld.com/bwwgeeks/article/Users-Weighed-Down-by-Multiple-Gadgets-and-Mobile-Devices-New-Sophos-Survey-Reveals-20130314

Solving Multi-Device Measurement• Perfect solution: Use a mandatory login.• Even better: Providing Hardware and Platforms!

– Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, ..• „Closed communities“ (only platforms) are in advantage

– Facebook, Ebay, large portals, ..

• Really hard to measure users across devices otherwise

Two examples:

1) Drawbrid.ge uses massive amount of (3rd party) cookies and e.g. matches devices by time and location calculated approximity, but obviously working well enough

2) Lytics.io – System starts low and learns over time by connecting dots and pieces together, e.g. by:• Cookie backmatching• Campaigns with unique userIDs, then tracking visitors and tying identities together • Matching-Algorithms inside a system• CallToAction via Twitter results to connects a social profile to a web profile• Similar with Mobile App to Web

Without such sophisticated systems: • Providing a personalized user experience helps to bridge cross device usage seamlessly (provide a

strong benefit for a log-in)• Generally, a good visit-/visitor segmentation is already helpful to optimize per platform/device

Methods for Customer Analytics

Multi-Platform Measurement• Own Website(s)• Mobile Websites• Mobile Apps• App Stores• Social Media Platforms

• External Portals (e.g. Aggregators, Communities)

• Gaming Platforms• Widgets embedded in third party websites• …

Better Multi-Platform Measurement• What purpose does each platform have?– Lead generation, Traffic driver, Research and

information, Mobile/local services, Purchases, Rating, none really.. (but the competitor is there, too), … ?

• How does a platform contribute to a business goal?• Assign appropriate business KPIs (per segment) to

the different platforms

Measure the user experience, not each silo by ist own

• Track one user experience into one reporting suite: If a website includes different platforms (e.g. general global structure and local content in frames) track visits and visitors across the platforms without duplication

• You‘ll probably need to customize the main JS-file and have to inherit VisitorIDs across platforms

• Debug, Debug, Debug!

More silos: Using 3rd Party Trackers?• Think of moving from 3rd party tracking to 1st

party tracking– And be prepared to lose ~90% of data tracked by 3rd

party tools with the upcoming EU privacy regulation

You

Your 3rd Party Trackers

Sky-Level: Ready for strategical #CRO?• Understanding your conversions across all these “multi-

multis” is hard!• An attribution model helps to:

– Understand the different touchpoints of a user journey– Understand a touchpoint‘s impact on the user behavior– Understand how touchpoints influence– Optimize marketing spends

• Consider a Tag Management Systems (TMS)..

TMS: Solving Data Inaccuracy• Data inaccuracy caused by:

– Users deleting cookies– Users on multiple devices– Missing offline campaign tagging– „Dark social“

TMS benefits: Multi-channel management at a glance Double tracking to end system and TMS Rule engine to configure firing rules in very detail

TMS: Solving Data Duplication• Data duplication caused by:– Channels measured in silos– Problem: Multiple

affiliates/channels claim for the same conversions

TMS benefits: Data-deduplication and allocation of actions per

touchpoint Clear picture of conversions by channels at a glance

TMS: Solving Insufficent Control• Insufficient control caused by:

– No access to source code– Results in long cycles for

updates/changes/adaptations

• TMS benefits:– Direct configuration of tags via the TMS– Rule engine helps to customize firing

rules per tracker individually– Provides individual level of control to the

different stakeholders

TMS: Managing Privacy Processes

• Users need detailed explanation about all Trackers and the purpose of data collection

• Avoiding unwanted data

• TMS benefits:– Managing User Consent– Control of Datastreams

Source: British Telecom

TMS: Solving Lack of Processes• Lack of processes caused by:– Missing Hub&Spokes model– Friction between Marketing, Analytics

and IT causes delays TMS benefits:

A Data Layer model enforces a tagging documentation and by this transparency for all stakeholders

Each stakeholder can focus on the respective area of responsibility and act independentely

Much quicker reaction time for any changes/updates

Too complex? In fact, that‘s so 1977..

Screenshot from “James Bond 007 - The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977)

Summary• Segment your audience and their intentions

• Map KPIs to business goals

• Rely on your own data!

– .. and make sure you‘re allowed to use it..

• Try hard to understand your customer‘s decision making behaviors

• Tools help, but governance is on you!

Thank You!Matthias BettagDigital Analytics Consultant

DAA Country Manager GermanyMindYourPrivacy Country Manager Germany

matthiasbettag@gmail.com

@MatthiasBettag

de.linkedin.com/in/mbettag/