The Dead Drop for January 2021
January 2021: Goals and Metrics
"You can't manage what you can't measure."
— Peter Drucker
The wisdom of this adage may be subject to dispute (statistician W. Edwards Deming, who helped Japan regain its economic footing after WWII, disagreed with this principle). Nonetheless, it's a valid premise when it comes to digital marketing. This month is a great time to ask: what marketing measurements do we need to monitor, and why are they important?
Marketing Analytics
What Measurements Matter?
Businesses can get incredibly granular when measuring the performance of their websites. For example, some companies go so far as to use heat maps to evaluate where consumers' eyes go when they look at a webpage. That's a useful tool for a large e-commerce retailer. However, it's overkill for most small to mid-sized businesses. So what measurements are helpful for us? Well, let's take a look at what measurements we get from Google Analytics, the most widely used analytics tool. (Note, the use of Google Analytics requires installing code on a business website before visitor tracking is possible. Please let me know if you are interested in installing Google Analytics on your site or in measuring your social media analytics.)
Can you tell when people returned to work from the holidays?
Google Analytics 4 is the current version of analytics tools rolled out by Google. Google Analytics 4 has not rolled out without problems. The rollout killed Google Analytics mobile apps (temporarily, at least) and blocked third-party analytics tools from using Google data. Google claims that the insights that will be provided by the new version of Google Analytics will be worth it. Personally, though, I'm the sort of person that likes to conduct my own assessments regarding the meaning of data. For my own website, that means I focus on these things:
- How many users are visiting my site;
- How many users that are visiting my site fit within the profile of my target audiences;
- How much time users spend on my site compared to industry benchmarks; and,
- the paths users take once they get to my site.
Why Do These Measurements Matter?
There are flashier measurements, such as how many "hits" or sessions occur on a site. Still, these measurements - users, targeted users, average session duration, and user paths - let me know whether the content I am creating is successful. Total user numbers let me know if my content is drawing attention overall. The total number of targeted users shows me whether I am attracting the right attention with my content. Suppose I see a far smaller number of users within my target audience than overall users. In that case, I know that my content or SEO keywords need to change. Comparing my users' average session duration to industry benchmarks can tell me whether I am creating content that is, on average, more interesting than that created by other marketers. Finally, I like to look at the paths users take from page to page within my site. This shows me whether there are broken links or whether users are getting to important pages, such as my products and services pages.
Unsurprisingly, most of my users are interested in a macabre criminal case I am covering in New Mexico (note: this story is definitely not for younger readers)
I find it helpful to set up a list of goals for these metrics at the beginning of the year. The challenging aspect of these goals is that we can be a little unrealistic when we set them. Expecting to go from an average session duration of 1 minute 30 seconds to an average session duration of 11 minutes is unrealistic. When we fail to meet these unrealistic expectations, we tend to get disheartened and unwilling to continue working toward our goals. A more realistic goal - say, an increase from 1:30 to 1:39 (a 10% increase) - is achievable and likely to inspire more work.
Colorado and New Mexico Matters
Over the past three months, a significant focus for me has been developing a safe and healthy way for local restaurants to open indoor seating for customers. Colorado, a state with strict COVID-19 regulations, has been inching towards creating a system for local governments to open up dining. As part of my role as the President of the Board of the Trinidad-Las Animas County Chamber of Commerce, I have been working with our executive director and the Las Animas County Commissioners to develop a public-private framework for inspecting restaurants and ensuring compliance with public health regulations. It's a challenge; public health administrators are notoriously risk-averse. Nonetheless, we are seeing progress toward this goal.
Thanks
Thanks for joining me again this month, and here's to you finding the metrics that matter to your business. If Tradecraft Writing can do anything for you and your company in this challenging time, please let me know.
Yours,
Todd Brogowski