Getting started with Google Analytics

We’ve already discussed Big Data and Marketing via the Internet and social media platforms. Now it’s time to talk about what bridges the two together – Analytics. 

Analytics is the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics and the information that results.

We know as marketers that there is nothing more important than understanding our audience; and thanks to technology we have access to more data about our consumers than ever before. However, the data will not benefit you if you do not have a way to properly analyze and utilize it.

Google Analytics is a free resource available to anybody with a Gmail account that offers tools to measure website, app, digital and offline data to gain valuable customer insights. After you are logged in simply search for Google Analytics and the correct link should appear.

If you are having issues, this YouTube tutorial should help - How to create a Google Analytics account.

Below is a view of the first page you should see when setting up a new account:

With the insights from Google Analytics, you are able to get an overview of your consumers/audience and see where your advertising is most effective or how you could improve and extend your reach (or whatever goal you are trying to achieve).

Due to peoples' reliance on the Internet for everything from shopping for essentials to posting for personal entertainment, there is a wealth of information that can be analyzed. It creates an opportunity to gather not only quantitative data, but a bit of qualitative data as well. I’m not saying it’s the end of focus groups and ethnography, but it’s certainly an easier (and cheaper) way to get your research started.

“Google Analytics makes it easy to keep track of your customers by connecting customer behavior, channel performance, and much more across your sites and apps.”

Data. Data. Data. There are so many features that Google Analytics offers, but they can be broken down into three main categories: Data Collection and Management, Data Analysis, Visualization, and Reporting, and Data Activation.

Data Collection & Management

Data collection and management with Google Analytics provides a comprehensive view of your consumer and can be customized to fit your needs.

The Audience Overview is an incredibly helpful feature of Google Analytics. You are able to view basic demographic information such as the age and gender of your consumer, but you can also see where they are located in the world and what language they speak. You might have a market halfway around the world and would never know it without Analytics. The Overview can measure much more than that though.

Remember how I said we can get a bit of qualitative data as well? Google Analytics can also analyze interests and search trends, as well as consumer behavior. For example, it keeps track of how new and returning site visitors, the frequency that they visit, and if they engage/interact/purchase. It can also tell what type of technology consumers are using: mobile or desktop – hell, it can even tell what kind of OS they’re running. It’s truly amazing how much you can learn about someone by analyzing the data.  

View of Audience Overview and Users Flow:

Data Analysis, Visualization, and Reporting   

After the data has been collected and analyzed, clearly we can’t just allow this information to run wild - there must be some organization. Reports can be customized, filtered and organized to suit your needs. Google Analytics gives you access to a variety of tools to visualize trends and better understand your audience.

Data Activation

Now that you have collected and analyzed the data, it’s time to put it to use. With all of the feedback and information that is obtained through Google Analytics, you should be able to read your audience more clearly and be able to advertise more effectively. By studying the trends, you can basically predict how and to who you should market yourself/ your company.

If you don’t use it, you lose it - Make better and smarter marketing decisions by activating your data to improve your campaign. This could be anything from changing your marketing message to experimenting with new channels or even totally rebranding your company or rebuilding your website. I can not stress enough how important it is that your website is user-friendly. I also suggest linking all of your (company related) social media platforms to the site and keeping your message consistent across the board.