Does data feel like a four-letter word?
(Even though it is, you know precisely why…)
Too many business leaders check out when it comes to analytics. It’s not that we don’t care; we’re not sure what to do with the raw data. Having that data at your fingertips is a powerful tool when you know how to use it.
Google Analytics is a great example. There is tons of information there, but most folks don’t know where to start because of the sheer volume. And they try to understand all of it instead of focusing on a few key metrics that can tell you what your customers value, why browsers aren’t turning into buyers, and what you need to invest in most.
I encourage you to avoid the urge to push aside reports or gloss over analytics. And here is why…data is not just 0s and 1s. When viewed through the right lens, your data is a story begging to be told. Because a team, customers, and volunteers will only care when they understand why the data matters.
A few tips:
Read DataStory by Nancy Duarte. Duarte’s book will help you turn data into a narrative to drive action.
Decide on a few simple metrics to track, review, and then optimize.
Consider a tool like databox.com. Databox pulls metrics from multiple sources (like social media, email marketing platforms, and your website) into one sleek dashboard customized to the metrics you decide to focus on.
Even with these marketing tips, most folks get hung up on which metrics to focus on. Here are three metrics to think about for your website, social media, and email marketing:
Website Metrics
Average Engagement Time - Measures the average time a viewer spends engaged with content. Indication of interest in the content of the page.
Engaged Sessions - A grouping of unique site visitor interactions with a website within a period of time. Indicates how engaged or interested a unique site visitor is with a website.
Form Completion Rate - Measures the number of people who completed a form. Indication of the effectiveness of the call-to-action on the page.
Social Media Metrics
Reach - Total unique viewers of a post could have (your followers plus the followers of accounts that share). Indication of the total number of people who have seen the content.
Engagements - How much your audience interacts with your account (reactions, comments, shares) and how often. Indication of how effective social posts are at soliciting interaction and the overall “health” of your audience. “Health” is how responsive the audience is and how many real followers you have.
Unique Link Clicks - Measures the number of unique people who clicked on a unique link. Indication of the effectiveness of the call-to-action on the page.
Email Metrics
Unique Open Rate - Measures the number of unique people who opened an email. Indication of the overall effectiveness of the subject line and relevancy.
Click to Open Rate - Measures the number of unique people who opened and clicked through any link. Indication of the effectiveness of the subject line as it relates to the content of the email.
Unique Click-Through Rate - Measures the number of unique people who clicked on a unique link. Indication of the effectiveness of the call-to-action in the email.
Getting a handle on these 9 metrics across these three channels will help you make minor adjustments in your marketing that will have a major impact.
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