Target Marketing

You will be automatically redirected to targetmarketingmag in 20 seconds.
Skip this advertisement.

Advertisement
Advertisement
 
 

B-to-B Insights : Analyze This

Use Web analytics to drive online sales

December 2009 By Robert W. Bly
1
Get the Flash Player to see this rotator.
 

Without analytics, online marketers can only guess what site visitors are looking for, what they read and what drives them to action. By installing an analytics package to track Web metrics, marketers can measure user activity and learn what actually works on their sites vs. what they think should work.

Most analytics packages allow users to split traffic and test multiple versions of a landing page or other Web page. By doing A/B split or multivariate tests, you can determine how each change on a given page affects important metrics. You then adopt the "winner" of the test as the new version of your Web page, thereby increasing site performance.

Analytics are of little value, however, unless you look at your analytics reports and also take appropriate action based on what they tell you. With stand-alone analytics, there is a lag, recently dubbed the "action chasm" by Forrester Research, between when the metrics are measured and when the analytics reports are read and acted upon. The longer the action chasm, the longer your Web site continues to perform at subpar levels.

Time to Integrate
A relatively recent innovation in Web best practices, "integrated analytics"—fully integrating your analytics package with your content management system (CMS) and other Web applications—can help reduce the action chasm and implement analytics-based Web performance improvements faster. By integrating analytics with the CMS, content can be updated dynamically to optimize performance levels based on accurate reporting of actual user behavior and actions tracked by the analytics package.

"Seamless integration between analytics reports and the CMS enable performance-enhancing changes to be made to Web pages in real time," says Brett Zucker, chief technology officer of Bridgeline Software. "Because the content revisions are made based on actual user behavior, they can significantly improve Web site performance and ROI."

Zucker's software company uses webinars as a lead-generation method and depends on integrated analytics to improve webinar registration page conversion rates, which are tracked using an analytics package integrated with the company's CMS. The CMS database records which employee authored each page on Bridgeline's Web site. If the analytics package determines that a webinar landing page is not performing well, the CMS notifies the page author that changes are needed. And with the integrated CMS, he can make those improvements in real time.

The analytics chart can be time-stamped with the time and date the changes to the page were implemented, allowing Zucker and his team to compare the conversion rate before and after that date, enabling them to see on the analytics report whether the improvements to the landing page in fact boosted the conversion rate.

When deciding upon your Web analytics strategy, keep in mind that many analytics packages are available as applications served over the Web and accessed with a browser. While this is convenient, you subscribe to—rather than own outright—the Web-based analytics application.

Bob Bly is a freelance copywriter and the author of more than 70 books including "The White Paper Marketing Handbook" (Racom). You can find him on the Web at www.bly.com, e-mail him at rwbly@bly.com or phone (201) 385-1220.


 

Companies Mentioned:
1

SPONSORED CONTENT

MORE ON B-TO-B >>

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

Find countless tips and insights from B-toB marketing experts in this collection of articles on how to manage a successful lead generation program. Order more than 6 how-to guides in any combination to receive discounted pricing. The more you order, the bigger the discount. Discounts will be reflected at check-out. 6 - 9 guides - $19.95 each 10 - 39 guides - $14.95 each 40+ guides -- Please call 800-777-8074 (Outside the U.S. 215-238-5482) for custom pricing Business-to-Business Lead Generation Strategies (2nd Edition)

Find countless tips and insights from B-toB marketing experts in this collection of articles on how to manage a successful lead generation program. Order more than 6 how-to guides in any combination to receive discounted pricing. The more you order, the bigger the discount. Discounts will be reflected at check-out....

ORDER NOW

Good, reliable market information, based on good, reliable marketing research, is more important than ever to businesses of every size and description. But nowhere is it more critical than in the business-to-business marketplace. Business to Business Marketing Research

Good, reliable market information, based on good, reliable marketing research, is more important than ever to businesses of every size and description. But nowhere is it more critical than in the business-to-business marketplace....

ORDER NOW

 

SPONSORED CONTENT

MORE ON ONLINE MARKETING >>

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

Hitting the Email Inbox: Protect your sender rep, clean up your e-list and improve design to add dollars to your email marketing ROI <i>Hitting the Email Inbox</i> covers all the bases of email deliverability, including everything from the very basics, to reputation management, as well as coding and design, and the connections between email deliverability and ROI. As any good email marketer today knows, there are a number of obstacles standing between you and your prospect’s inbox. With anti-spam technology becoming more and more powerful and prospects being blitzed by rapidly increasing email volume, an email marketer’s concern isn’t just open rate anymore; it’s getting the email successfully delivered in the first place. <i>Hitting the Email Inbox: Protect your sender rep, clean up your e-list and improve design to add dollars to your email marketing ROI </i> features five chapters full of industry-proven best practices to achieve maximum inbox delivery. You’ll also get dozens of surefire tips and methods for improving your deliverability, including: • Developing a trigger email program • Segmenting and reviewing your results by service • Understanding the whitelist/blacklist process • Using different addresses for different segments of your file • Not falling into the whole openers/non-openers/clickers trap • Test mailing at different times of the day • Being smart about timing • Use an ECOA service • Looking into certification, and much more! <b><u>The report also includes four detailed case studies</b></u>, providing practical examples of what email deliverability tactics did and didn’t work for four real-life companies. <b><u>100% Money-Back Guarantee</b></u> Your order is risk-free. If you are not completely delighted with <i>Hitting the Email Inbox</i>, notify us within 30 days for a complete credit or refund, no questions asked. <b><u>About DirectMarketingIQ</u></b> The Research Division of the Target Marketing Group, DirectMarketingIQ (www.directmarketingiq.com) is the go-to resource for direct marketers. Publishing books, special reports, case study stockpiles and how-to guides, it opens up a new world for those who seek more information, more ideas and more success stories in order to boost their own marketing efforts. DirectMarketingIQ has unparalleled access to direct marketing data - including the world's most complete library of direct mail as well as a growing library of promotional emails across hundreds of categories - and proudly produces content from the most experienced editors and practitioners in the industry. <b>Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read <i>Hitting the Email Inbox</i>, which is in PDF format. </b> Hitting the Email Inbox

Hitting the Email Inbox: Protect your sender rep, clean up your e-list and improve design to add dollars to your email marketing ROI Hitting the Email Inbox covers all the bases of email deliverability, including everything from the very basics, to reputation management, as well as coding and design, and...

ORDER NOW

PDF FORMAT <i>"Despite news to the contrary — especially from the social media space — reports of the death of email are greatly exaggerated. In fact, as your inboxes most likely show, email is growing and becoming even more sophisticated."</i> -- from <i>The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing</i> It's true. Email marketing is still going strong, and continues to be one of the most important factors in any marketing campaign. From the first six months of 2010 to the first six months of 2011 alone, there was a nearly 21 percent increase in email volume! The average number of emails received per day in the first six months of 2010 was 472, and during the first six months of 2011, the daily average increased to 571. Marketers are having success with their email campaigns and using it more and more. That being the case, your email marketing campaign needs all the attention it can get, and knowing what works and what doesn't is the best way to start. That's where "The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing" comes in. The Guide is brought to you by the email marketing experts at DMIQ and their extensive research into one of the largest email campaign archives in the industry. On top of latest trends, it features 19 best practice chapters from today's email marketing thought leaders. You will learn how to create a relevant email program to nurture leads and drive sales, how to best use call-to-action visuals in your emails, and how to use social email to improve marketing effectiveness. You’ll also learn: • Email Marketing Trends in 2011 • Best Practices in Writing Subject Lines • The Strategy (and Tricks) for Improving Open Rate and Response • 6 Tests to Improve Email Program Results • 5 Best Practices for the Gangbusting Email Campaign • Best Practices for Improving Email Performance • 6 Ways to Make Your Emails Mobile-Ready • Email Branding — The 16 Most Effective Strategies • 11 Best Creative Practices for B-to-B Email Marketing • The Keys to Developing a Successful E-newsletter • How to Determine Your Customers’ Email Content Tolerance • How Email Marketers Can Optimize the Social Media Opportunity • …Just to name a few! This comprehensive report also offers three in-depth case studies, so you can see practical examples of how these methods worked for real-life businesses. "The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing" is an essential tool for any business that ever sends an email. <b><u>100% Money-Back Guarantee</b></u> Your order is risk-free. If you are not completely delighted with “The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing,” notify us within 30 days for a complete credit or refund, no questions asked. <u>About DirectMarketingIQ</u> The Research Division of the Target Marketing Group, DirectMarketingIQ (www.directmarketingiq.com) is the go-to resource for direct marketers. Publishing books, special reports, case study stockpiles and how-to guides, it opens up a new world for those who seek more information, more ideas and more success stories in order to boost their own marketing efforts. DirectMarketingIQ has unparalleled access to direct marketing data - including the world's most complete library of direct mail as well as a growing library of promotional emails across hundreds of categories - and proudly produces content from the most experienced editors and practitioners in the industry. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, which is in PDF format. The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing

PDF FORMAT "Despite news to the contrary — especially from the social media space — reports of the death of email are greatly exaggerated. In fact, as your inboxes most likely show, email is growing and becoming even more sophisticated." -- from The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing It's true....

ORDER NOW

 

SPONSORED CONTENT

MORE ON SEARCH & SOCIAL MEDIA >>

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

(PDF Download) Direct mail, email, mobile, social media, video, search ... the marketing landscape can either be a minefield where mistakes can kill campaigns, or a perfectly integrated mix of channels that maximizes the reach of the message and gives a nonprofit the best chance to capture more donor dollars. <b>In <i>"The Art & Science of Multichannel Fundraising" </i> from DirectMarketingIQ, the roadmap to that "perfectly integrated mix" is thoroughly laid out in over 130 pages -- <u>it's specifically created (and priced) for nonprofits</u>. </b> First, 9 chapters from leading fundraisers give you the latest best practices in multichannel fundraising, including how to: • Choose the right channels for your campaign • Develop creative that works across multiple channels • Revitalize the direct mail component of your multichannel mix • Make sure email plays its increasingly important role perfectly • Seamlessly integrate mobile marketing into the fundraising campaign • Boost your online strategy with social media • Create a multichannel donor renewal campaign • Figure out that you're doing right — via testing and results measurement • Use all the pieces of the multichannel puzzle Second, in 8 robust case studies, find out the secrets behind multichannel fundraising campaigns that worked. About DirectMarketingIQ The Research Division of the Target Marketing Group, DirectMarketingIQ (www.directmarketingiq.com) is the marketers’ go-to resource. Publishing books, special reports, case studies and how-to-guides, it opens up a new world to those who seek more information, more ideas and more success stories in order to boost their own marketing efforts. DirectMarketingIQ has unparalleled access to direct marketing data – including the world’s most complete library of direct mail as well as a massive library of promotional emails across hundreds of categories – and producly produces content from the most experienced editors and practitioners in the industry. <b>Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read , The Art & Science of Multichannel Fundraising which is in PDF format.</b> The Art & Science of Multichannel Fundraising

(PDF Download) Direct mail, email, mobile, social media, video, search ... the marketing landscape can either be a minefield where mistakes can kill campaigns, or a perfectly integrated mix of channels that maximizes the reach of the message and gives a nonprofit the best chance to capture more donor dollars....

ORDER NOW

(PDF Format) A new Best Practices and Case Studies report from DirectMarketingIQ Social Media – we know it needs to be part of the marketing mix! But there are so many questions: • What is the ROI? • What are the goals? • How do you get started? • How do you keep the conversation going? • What are the benefits? • How does social media fit into an integrated campaign? • What resources are needed to be effective? All this – and more – is addressed in the new must-read Special Report <b>Social Media Success</b>. With expert advice from leading social media practitioners, you’ll learn the best practices for creating, implementing and managing social media marketing strategies ... plus see how those best practices are put into action with 7 detailed case studies. The most recent count shows that Facebook has 600 million members – with countless of millions more on Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. It’s pure and simple – marketers who want to stay relevant and in the game have to join the conversation, in the right way. With Social Media Success as your step-by-step guide you will be able to: • Learn how to listen! Social media monitoring is the critical first step in getting started • Establish your goals. Is it Website traffic? Customer engagement and loyalty? Increasing attendance at an event? Building brand advocacy and trust? Adding prospects to the sales funnel? • Understand how to create great content that builds engagement and trust • Know your followers, fans and viewers. Learn how to nurture your important brand advocates • Master the metrics of success and understand your return on investment After the best practices section of this report you will turn to 7 hands-on case studies that take you through the process of adding social media into the overall marketing plan. You’ll read about their challenges, solutions and their amazing results! Here’s just a sampling of what’s included: • How a Convention and Visitors Bureau used Twitter and Facebook to promote a new brand and their city as a leisure destination • Responding to a crisis – rather than a planned campaign – took a large non-profit into new territory. By integrating social media into traditional email, they built a following as well as raised thousands in donations. • A B-to-B software developer far exceeded their product launch goals by listening and engaging! • See how a local car dealership took the wheel and initiated their own social media campaign –instead of relying on the automobile manufacturer to drive sales. • And much more! Download your copy of Social Media Success today! <u>About DirectMarketingIQ</u> The Research Division of the Target Marketing Group, DirectMarketingIQ (www.directmarketingiq.com) is the marketers’ go-to resource. Publishing books, special reports, case studies and how-to-guides, it opens up a new world to those who seek more information, more ideas and more success stories in order to boost their own marketing efforts. DirectMarketingIQ has unparalleled access to direct marketing data – including the world’s most complete library of direct mail as well as a massive library of promotional emails across hundreds of categories – and producly produces content from the most experienced editors and practitioners in the industry. <b>Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS, which is in PDF format.</b> Join the conversation. Order today. Social Media Success

(PDF Format) A new Best Practices and Case Studies report from DirectMarketingIQ Social Media – we know it needs to be part of the marketing mix! But there are so many questions: • What is the ROI? • What are the goals? • How do you get started? • How do you keep the...

ORDER NOW

 

COMMENTS

Click here to leave a comment...
Comment *
Most Recent Comments:
Ben - Posted on December 06, 2009
I use clicktale as a great free web analytics.
Click here to view archived comments...
Archived Comments:
Ben - Posted on December 06, 2009
I use clicktale as a great free web analytics.