Small Business Owners: Use Google Analytics to Optimize Your Traditional Advertising

By: Dana Maki

Small business owners are using Google Analytics more and more to help optimize their internet marketing campaigns. We’re all aware of how valuable the data collected from analytics is to increasing your return on investment for your website sales. Why do people assume that’s where it ends? Analytics data can be just as helpful in optimizing print, direct mail and broadcast buys. To maximize sales in today’s economy, you need all components of your advertising to be optimized, not just online. 

So, how do you optimize a print campaign with Google Analytics?  It’s really pretty easy.  Of course, I am assuming you have your web address listed in all print ads, as you always should.  You can pull your DIRECT VISITS data from the dates of your campaign and compare them to a different time period when there were no print ads.  (A direct visit occurs when someone already knows your URL and types it in vs. searching for it.  If your print campaign is working, a prospective customer would pull your address from the ad.)  Did the direct visits go up?  It is likely that the awareness of your website address increased due to the print advertising.  You can take this a step further.  Create a unique landing page for your print ad.  Make sure the URL used in the ad directs customers specifically to that unique page.  Do not have the page accessible from your website, but make sure visitors to the page have access to the rest of your website.  This will give you actual numbers of people who visited your website after reading your print ad.  So, has your print advertising been effective?  Now you have the numbers.  You be the judge. 

Direct mail can be helped through Google Analytics as well.  Do you pay close attention to the Map Overlay data?  Where do your customers come from?  Is there a concentration in one part of town over another?  Limiting your direct mail geographic targets to concentrated areas where people are more likely to become a customer can effectively cut down on your printing and mailing costs.  You will find your return on investment to be greater reaching your prospective customers this way.   And, as with the print campaign, you can create a unique landing page that is only advertised on the direct mail piece.  You will more effectively target new customers and know exactly how many people visited your site after receiving the piece.    

Broadcast is a little trickier, but can still be monitored through your analytics.   During the time your campaign is running, has direct traffic increased due to a higher awareness of your web address from the ad?  If it has and there is no other explanation, it is likely your company’s awareness has increased from the broadcast campaign.   Also, take a look at the types of keywords people are using to find your site.  Are there any new keywords that correlate to your broadcast message?  This can also show you that your broadcast is working.   

It is more important than ever to make sure all of your advertising is working together to increase your bottom line.   You have Google Analytics installed on your site.  Take the data to the next level to benefit your business.  Start tracking your print, direct marketing and broadcast campaigns in addition to your internet marketing today.  If you do not have Google Analytics installed on your website, do so today!  It’s free and the benefits are endless.  Contact BigHouse Marketing for more information.