Web Analytics – how can you utilise to create improvement?

Web Analytics

In today’s economy most organisations have a website.  Most organisations invest in the design of the site.  A high proportion invest in usability.  A number of organisations invest in additional content.  A good proportion of organisations invest in web analytics, however a good proportion don’t.

Of the organisations that do invest a number don’t really utilise the full benefit.  So those that don’t realise the full potential of web analytics or don’t use them at all are really missing the real advantage of the web.  Most people love the internet because it is ‘so transparent’ or ‘it is the most measurable channel’.  However without fully utilising web analytics those benefits cannot be truly reaslised.

How do you make it work?

Most organisations completely fail to realise the full potential of their investment because they invest in the tools, however don’t invest in the resources needed to make the tools work.

The main building block to making web analytics truly work is to invest in personnel that can both operate the tools and as importantly understand the outputs, analyse and put plans into action to improve, based on the results.

Companies also need to recognise what they want from web analytics.  It may be that all you need to know are basic traffic numbers, or sales per visits.  These parameters should be set and where possible, dashboards should be set to ensure consistency of output and easily comparable data.  In addition, this should create efficiencies within business decision-making processes.

What should you use Web Analytics to achieve?

The obvious areas are measure, analyse and optimise on your KPIs.  Simple, however many organisations fail on these basic central points.

A key reason for adopting a thorough approach to web analytics is to input into your optimisation strategy.  Let the data identify key issues that are impacting on your conversion in both a positive and negative way.

Web analytics should also allow you to track the sources of your traffic.  You should be able to track all your sources of traffic, de-dupe and prove what channels are driving traffic, sales and ultimately conversion.  With the two elements combined you should be able to optimise both your site (layout, call to action, customer journey) and your media/creative mix.

Going back to the original point, if you clearly define your objectives and KPIs, web analytics can really

The continuous improvement process

The continuous improvement process sometimes termed kaizen (Japanese for improvement) is what should underpin any web analytics implementation or strategy.  The basis of this concept is actionable measurement.  You need to do more than just measure results, feed the output back in to everything you do.  Change both the elements that are measured and review everything it impacts.  Even though you may be identifying a away to optimise your call to action buttons on your website, it may be down to the language – this in theory could influence how retail staff interact.

Top 5 Key considerations

1 Delve into your analytics and get past the top layer

2 Mirror the output with the objectives

3 Once the basics are cracked, undertake more complex initiatives such as multi-variate testing, which allows you to make dynamic changes to your site to speed your optimisation cycle

4 Can areas of improvement being made on the website improve other areas of the business?

5. Don’t just collect data, act upon it, optimise and review

Cost Vs Benefit

Remember, web analytics doesn’t have to be expensive.  You can get complex systems such as Omniture, that can interrogate all levels of detail and integrate into all your business systems.  However if your requirements aren’t as complex, your implementation timescales are shorter or quite simply you don’t have those levels of budget, you can get a very rich layer of information from free tools such as Google Analytics.  Whatever happens, don’t let cost be a barrier to implementing web analytics.  The benefits of a small investment will far outweigh any costs, as long as you act on what you are being shown.

Missing Blog Posts

So as some regular readers of my blog will have noticed I haven’t posted any articles recently.  Firstly I would like to apologise, this isn’t because I have lost interest but due to the fact that I have recently changed roles and endure a daily 2 hour commute each way.

So what am I doing now?

Having made my career progress at DSGi taking over all Online Marketing, Design and Content for Currys, Dixons and PC World,  I decided it was time to seek a new challenge.  Thankfully plenty of offers were on the table and I was lucky enough to choose from some fantastic opportunities.   I decided to opt for remaining in Consumer Electronics retailing but try my hand at delivering my experience within a start-up.  The opportunity at Best Buy (as reported in NMA) allowed me to set up a department and functions from scratch.

Whilst Best Buy aren’t your traditional start-up (part of the World’s largest Consumer Electronics Retailer) it does mean you get involved in absolutely everything.  Formulating strategy, developing plans and ensuring buy-out throughout the entire organisation.   Add in the Carphone Warehouse (who I am supprting on a consultancy basis)  element and you get an organisation of amazing scale and opportunity.

 

 

Back to tradition

In addition to truly formulating the online marketing approach I am also, driving the overall brand and comms strategy, everything from brand architecture and positioning through to developing a fully integrated comms strategy.  All this in conjunction with the Head of Marcomms, allowing us to really plan from a joined up foundation from day one.  A really refreshing approach and one that has to be the way forward.  The main obstacle blocking generally preventing this from happenning is the fact that many online marketers don’t have experience in branding or ATL comms.  Luckily my experience at both Reuters and Nationwide is helping me lead and define the approach

More to come

Whilst I can’t promise to be as active as I once was on this blog, I will start to try and produce more articles again.  Thanks to everybody for reading and thanks for the positive and constructive feedback both through the comments on the blog and via e-mail.  Also look out for updates on Best Buy as we get closer to our 2010 UK launch.

Integration Vs Imitation

One of the biggest areas of discussion between client-side traditional advertising professionals and their digital counterparts is campaign integration.

Brand police are obviously very sensitive and protective towards their brands.  They want to ensure consistency and maintain control.  Admiral qualities.

However, quite often their digital counterparts are passed on assets and told to make them work.  The digital teams are fully aware of their channels and generally understand what works and what doesn’t via the internet.

This isn’t a new debate.  Its just the mediums have changed.  The same discussions have and still happen on how to integrate TV with PoS and press.  However as those channels are more established the rules of engagement are generally well understood by marketeers and advertisers.

This isn’t the case with digital.  Traditional advertisers still need to be educated.  However the same discussion applies.  We are talking campaign ‘integration not imitation’.  Whilst millions may have been spent on TV ads or on sponsorship properties, there is no reason why you shouldn’t tweak the messages slightly for the channel.  You need to recognise the difference in mindset of the recipients of the message within each channel.

For arguments sake, a TV ad can be a very broadcast tool as you are trying to hit as many people as possible in a ‘sit-back’ medium.  However, text on an e-mail to your customer base may get the message across in a consistent way (follow same tone of voice, promote the same message, potentially use the same font) – however you know these people are engaged with your brand and you can talk with them on a more personal note.  This rule can be exaggerated again by using social networking as an example.  The text in your corporate brochure or on your press ad is very important and make take a serious tone – however you wouldn’t want to copy that on your Facebook page.

For me you have to ensure consistency is in place, campaign integration.  The look and feel need to be similar, the emotional output is similar and overall the message is the same.  However it doesn’t need to be identical, campaign imitation.  It doesn’t matter if the words are slightly different.  It doesn’t matter if the image is different due to the context as long as the overall brand isn’t effected.

Traditional advertisers need to step up and learn digital.  Digital advertisers need to push back on this and explain their rationale, but also explain the benefits this approach can have on the brand, rather than being precious about the channel.

First Post

I am Richard Clark, a Marketing Professional with a few years experience now (without giving my age away – it is double digits).  So this is my new attempt at creating, maintaining and updating a blog.

I have made a couple of forays in the past, however have lacked the time and inclination to make it work.  Hopefully this time will be different. 

With the current economic climate marketing professionals are faced with new challenges they have never faced.  Marketing is not exempt from feeling the pain, online marketing/advertising was considered the only place to be unaffected due to the transparency and ease of tracking.  Is this exemption a given right or do we have to work for it?  The simple truth is we have to make the medium work harder and generate the results we need for ourselves, our organisations and our customers.

In addition, the internet has become mainstream.  Even new sites or channels that were previously the preserve of internet geeks or early adopters are become mass adoption and available to the masses at a much more accelerated pace than previously.  This is potentially best illustrated by the recent rise of Twitter.

However, internet marketing and/or advertising still faces the same challenges whatever the economic state or evolving media.  We must hit the KPIs set out for us and obey or set best practice.

I hope you find my blog informative and potentially enjoyable.  If there are any topics you would like me to cover, please feel free to let me know.  Alternatively if you would like to post a guest blog, just let me know.