In my world of marketing and advertising it’s all about numbers. With today’s technology marketing firms are able to analyze and collect data on just about every possible facet of a visitor’s online experience with our clients’ websites. We actually have a special term for marketing data which is known as Metrics. (The more technical term would be Performance Metrics but most marketers will shorten it to just Metrics.) Metrics is simply a measure of a company’s performance and activities. In my world, it is a way to compare a company’s marketing performance against their customer’s needs. We are able to use this advanced data to help our clients better service their customer’s needs and develop future marketing goals.
While many marketing companies will bore clients with performance metrics that mean nothing to them we prefer to have a more hands on approach. It is my opinion that the statistical data any marketing company collects is simply to start the conversation but it is not an exact science, yet some marketing firms will force this data on its customers as though it is chapter and verse.
The online marketing landscape for many clients changes quickly and without notice. What works for you today may not work for you tomorrow. Marketing data collected is typically always dated since you are analyzing events in the past. Therefore, we encourage clients to simply use it as a gauge or marketing barometer, giving you some insight to current and future trends which enables you to plan ahead but always be flexible.
This is just a small sample of things we analyze:
- the types of visitors to your site and from where those visitors come from
- local visitors versus regional or national visitors
- how often your sites show up in the search engines throughout a given period
- how users come to find your website (i.e. what keywords they use)
- what types of referral traffic are you getting (links from other websites sending visitors to your site)
- how many search users who see the link for your site actually click on it
- how long they spend on your site
- what pages they visit and which pages are more frequently visited
- how certain areas of the site perform versus others
- if users fill out a contact form or perform some action letting you know they are interested in learning more
- how quickly they exit the website
This is a very small sample of the types of performance metrics collected. From there we can even cross-analyze to further give you a better picture of your audience and how to reach them. For example when we analyze local visitors versus regional we may also analyze the time they spend on the site or the pages they visit and realize that your local visitors spend more time on the site and are focused on different pages than regional or national visitors. This type of data can greatly alter how we utilize your website as a tool to put the right information into your visitor’s hands. A more specific example, if you ran a website for a local restaurant that sold merchandise you may find that local traffic was more geared towards news, events, and the food menu while regional and national visitors were more interested in the merchandise. You could once again use that information to improve the website to better appeal to each group.
So for Vinci-Designs & Publishing, marketing is all about numbers, percentages, and this versus that. It’s a way to hone what our clients already do well and pinpoint the areas they can improve upon even further. It is also a way for our clients to justify that what they are doing is reaching the intended audience and when it does the audience has at least a satisfactory experience. But really, with the majority of our clientele, most don’t want to know or even learn about any of the above. They just want to see results. After all, why else would a company hire an outside firm other than they want professional help to improve their bottom line?
This is why we say “Marketing is a Promise.” We make a promise when we sign a new client to look after their businesses needs and best interests as if their business was our own. Regardless if our clients care to know every detail of the performance metrics we collect or if they are completely uninterested, that does not mean the numbers hold any less importance to us and our cause. We hold the numbers sacred so that we can keep our promise to our customers.
This metrics data is our backbone for determining what services or features of our products will be most beneficial to our clients. We always do our best to explain the data we collect and use in a comprehensive format that is easily understood by all. This way, business owners can determine if the services or products we propose are worth the cost. We also do our best to estimate business growth and success of our products one they are integrated into a company’s marketing strategy. This is mere speculation however, and we prefer to be honest and realistic with all our clients. I believe in focusing on what we do know instead of making promises we do not have control over.
Marketing is simply an on-going effort and a game of checks and balances that never ends. There is no perfect formula, no magic pill; just good data analysis, a strong team of individuals who know how to put that information to use for the clients benefit, and a genuine promise that in the end we have done all we can to insure our clients success and growth continues.
We hope you found this article both informative and useful. Have questions? Give us a call! 877-693-4695.
