According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in January 2018, 77% of Americans go online on a daily basis.
Much of this time online is spent learning about new products and services, which means digital marketing is no longer optional for most businesses. With an ever-increasing number of consumers conducting research online, it’s imperative in most industries to include a robust digital marketing component in the overall marketing plan.
The path for many buyers has evolved from communicating with company representatives as a core method of learning about products and services, to conducting primary research independently online. It’s only after a person has uncovered enough information to form an opinion and determine which solution is likely the one they need, that they will then be willing to connect with a company representative. Even at that point, the first contact is often initiated online.
With the multitude of online marketing approaches, and the numerous sites a prospect could visit for research, companies often find themselves with a variety of digital marketing channels to monitor, track and correlate. Fortunately, most initiatives direct visitors back to the main company website, or designated landing page, for the information they desire. This approach creates a smooth experience for users and also makes it easier for marketing teams to track results.
Google Analytics is by far the most common tool for tracking website information like page views, bounce rates, exit rates, best/worst pages, page views over time and origin of search – whether it be direct, referral or search traffic. The platform is designed to provide users with easy access to the most critical metrics. This information is incredibly valuable, but what is even more valuable is connecting Google Analytics to a business intelligence (BI) system.
Consider, for example, the value of combining Google Analytics data with information from your CRM system, a third-party survey tool, or a campaign management solution. In addition to learning about the website behavior of your prospects and customers, sales representatives can correlate the behavior to purchase history, customer support records, and customers satisfaction rates. Marketing teams are empowered to consolidate website data with campaign results and view each step of a buyer’s journey, so they can better understand the sequence and make appropriate adjustments to future campaigns.
A powerhouse BI tool connected to Google Analytics provides exponentially greater intelligence for your sales and marketing leaders. The ability to make better-informed decisions results in direct increases in sales and ROI. This level of insight creates a distinct competitive advantage for your business.
ClicData offers a pre-created Google Analytics dashboard that makes it incredibly easy to set up in your organization and get started. Take a look at an interactive example of our BI + Google Analytics dashboard and imagine the possibilities you could create for your business.
If you have questions or want to discuss the many options for sales and marketing tracking via BI dashboards, let one of our experienced ClicData associates share their expertise with you.