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Relevance and Interdependencies of Web Analytics, Social and SEO

Introduction

Today’s consumer behaviors are changing quickly in the digital and online environment. As channel and device choices proliferate, it is more challenging than ever to understand their activities and interests. Analytic approaches from the past no longer provide the depth and breadth of relevant information marketers, brands and organizations need to address the increasing customer expectations and interaction points (LaLonde, 2013). Most marketing, e-commerce and service professionals have a fragmented understanding of their customers at best, so it is often difficult to extract insights or prioritize actions that will have the fastest and most effective impact on business results.

A holistic understanding of customers is the foundation for engaging them in relevant and rewarding ways, ultimately growing share of wallet and winning customer loyalty. Optimizing today’s online customer experiences requires both quantitative and qualitative digital analytic capabilities. To effectively understand what is taking place in the digital environment there also needs to be an operative blend of art and science in an effort to build strong engagement and comprehend what consumers want. For brands and marketers the ability to manage successful campaigns requires strong data analysis through both human and technological capabilities (IBM, 2014). It also involves a level of creative value added content and communications that a brand or organizations audience desires.  

Building Insight

Digital analytics, social engagement and search engine optimization can provide quantitative insight by capturing web site and mobile interaction data. These factors provide interfaces showing visitor activity including purchase funnels, real time sales data, website traffic flow and conversion metrics and targets. Achieving digital marketing goals can maximize customer use of features and layout that drive site visits, while high value website content deepens customer engagement (DeMers, 2014). Measuring and building upon these factors can be part of a healthy digital marketing strategy as the web, social and mobile continue to evolve.  

The term Big Data is used quite often in today’s business environment. It is loosely defined across business, marketing and technology sectors as “data sets whose size is beyond the ability of commonly used software tools to capture, manage, and process the data within a tolerable elapsed time” (Hamel, 2012). The concept of web analytics, social engagements and search engine optimization can theoretically be placed in this definition and as a result need to be collated in a manner that can be collectively interpreted by marketers brands and businesses to holistically exploit their relevance and interdependencies.

Principles of Web Metrics

A strong online presence can play a significant role in the success of an organization, product or brand through improved access to consumers and a better understanding of engagement, preferences and behaviors. The web is becoming more of a factor and more of a central element in the lives of people and consumers and measuring their engagement can provide a direct impact on an organization’s on line presence and success (LaLonde, 2013). 

Web analytics tools provide organizations with data that delivers additional clarity around the results of web activity. Web analytics also assist marketers in understanding their efforts and the results of marketing activities and campaigns (Reed College, 2016). Among the many factors that play a role in the success of a business is increased exposure and better communication with potential and current customers. Web analytics give businesses insights on where and when customers and prospects participate and behave as they do on an organizations website. These factors often involve gathering quantitative data on website user activity and can provide detail on visitor flow and depth of engagement (Peterson, 2008).

Reporting and Interpreting Web Traffic

Effectively using website monitoring systems can produce analytical data which can yield a wide range of information. Simply knowing how much traffic a website is generating can provide tremendous insight on the health of a website and whether it is providing value to its customers and its target audience (PA, 2016). Uncovering other data such as historical web traffic information can create benchmarks that give organizations insight on how they are performing and which direction their website may be heading. Analytical systems can tell organizations which regions and geographies visitors are originating. This sort of data can often open up important new questions and possibilities for a business. For example could the organization appeal more to these geographies with more region specific content?

There are a number of effective tools available today to track and measure website user engagement and activity.  One of the most common web analytics packages is Google Analytics. This platform is popular because of its general ease of use, comprehensive features and it is also free to all users (Kaushik, 2010). There are also a number of other website analytics platforms available in the marketplace most of which are obtainable at a cost. For the majority of small to midsized organizations, the free tools available in the marketplace are often sufficient. Most of the web analytics packages available track users in a similar manner. This is primarily accomplished by placing a piece of tracking code on each page of your chosen website. This code enables the chosen analytics package to monitor and follow visitors as they enter the site, navigate through the pages and as they exits the website. In most cases placing the tracking code on the web pages is a simple task but in other cases the website owner may need assistance from a web developer or IT provider (Kaushik, 2010).

There is a multitude of meaningful factors which can be measured on a website. Before engaging in measuring deep metrics on a website, however it is important for a brand or organization to establish goals and objectives surrounding what they are looking to accomplish (Kaushik, 2010). Depending on the site website objectives, goal measurement can be set under a wide range of criteria in most web analytics systems. For example if the website is a blog factors such as time on site, returning visitors, and new visitors can all be meaningful goals for a site designed to attract readership.

For other sites designed to sell products and services typical e-commerce goals can include page views, time on site and of course measuring conversions and goal flow with a particularly critical eye on abandon rate (Jones, 2016). In building new users and engaging with existing users on a website, particularly a blogsite, it is generally a good idea to have relevant and attainable goals to consistently build followership. By establishing goals for a website or other digital property owners can track if users are doing on the website what marketers are expecting them to do (Kaushik, 2010).

Basic Website Metrics

Once an organization establishes its goals the metrics available in web analytics packages can be put to use to start measuring against those objectives. One of the basic metrics in understanding web site user behavior is the session. A session is the period of time a user is actively engaged with a website, app or other digital property. All usage data such as views, events, and e-commerce are associated with a session (Google, 2016). Another key metric in website analytics is the website user. These include all website visitors that have had at least one session within a selected date range. Users are often defined holistically and include both new and returning visitors.

The session and user metrics are critical to understanding the engagement visitors are executing on a website and can directly denote the health of a website and whether it is meeting its engagement objectives. These metrics can also delineate the number of total visitors by counting each visit to the website, even if the same person has returned more than once. Metrics surrounding users can also define unique visitors. This figure filters out repeat visits, as each person is only counted once (Google, 2016).

A pageview is triggered when any page is loaded by any visitor to a site. Pageviews are an important metric in understanding the popularity of specific pages. Inside the analytics systems pageviews are the total number of pages viewed and repeated views of a single page are included in this count as well (Oberoi, 2015). As website marketers begin to analyze pageview metrics they can develop an understanding of what users are looking for on their site as well as establish what pages may not be so popular and why. 

Other basic metrics in website analytics include pages per session or average page depth. This metrics is the average number of pages viewed during a session and also counts the number of repeated views in a single page. Average session duration is another key measure as it defines the length of time a user is spending on a site. This metric can provide a significant understanding of the depth of engagement website visitors are undertaking. Another basic metric is the bounce rate. This is the percentage of single-page visits in which the person left a website from the entrance page without interacting with any other pages (Google, 2016).

In the case of the blog site objectives and the quest to build followership there are generally multiple behaviors and pageview flow that website visitors could execute which help to create a better understanding of what visitors are looking to accomplish. From this perspective tracking how many people are executing specific actions, including understanding metrics such as referral source and measuring the page view flow provides both qualitative and quantitative factors that deliver valuable insight (Valk, 2014).

Goal Setting

Goal setting functionality in Google Analytics is designed to track a wide range of website objectives and conversions that might be considered by a website or digital property owner as a win or advancement of engagement with a site visitor. These can include micro conversions such as submitting a contact form for more information or signing up for a newsletter. These can also include primary conversion objectives such as making a purchase directly on an e-commerce platform. One of the easiest methods to set up goals is to create what is called a destination goal. This is a goal that will track every time a certain page on your site is reached. For example a “Thank You” page can be set up to populate once a user executes a micro or primary conversion activity (Google, 2016). Other simple conversion goals can include understanding factors such as average session time. As figure 1 illustrates the number of users per day who spent more than two minutes on the site is a measured goal. The depth of data also reveals the referral source and percent of two minute engagement by each source.

Figure 1 Google Analytics Conversion Goal (Session Time Greater than 2 minutes)

Web analytics tools provide organizations with data that delivers additional clarity around the results of web activity. Measuring website activity provides invaluable insight in understanding who is visiting your website, how they got there, what they did once they landed there and where they went afterward. Web analytics also assist marketers in understanding their efforts and the results of marketing activities and campaigns (Reed College, 2016). Measuring website activity gives marketers an understanding of what users like and do not like by analyzing the popularity of pages, the flow of page views visitors are executing, where site visitors might be bouncing out of a site and factors that might be preventing or hindering conversion, e-commerce or other goals a website marketer may have. These metrics also provide insight on improving site design and the user experience. With the help of website analytics, it is easier to find out how users interact with a website and gain insight on how to improve page design and functionality (Sharma, 2016).

Basic Principles of Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine's unpaid results. SEO is often referred to as "natural," "organic," or "earned" results (Fleischner, 2016). SEO is a marketing discipline which is focused on improving visibility in organic non paid search engine results. SEO is also an art and a science in terms of combining technical activities with creative elements in an effort to improve a websites natural search engine results (Fishkin, 2016) Search Engine Optimization can be categorized into two major segments which include on page optimization and off page optimization.

On Page Optimization

One of the most important aspects to understand about on page optimization is website marketers are in control of the on page factors that can improve a websites position in search engine rankings. From a technical perspective this can include organizing the sites content, link structure, title and headings, Meta tags, images and keywords (Fleischner, 2016).

Keywords are a critical element in developing on page website optimization and often introduce the effectiveness of creativity. To identify effective keywords website marketers should develop a comprehensive selection method. Keyword research is often an effective method to identify and refine effective words and phrases for a website. Keyword research teaches marketers that one phrase or a very small group of related phrases can represent high volume, high relevancy for a websites primary keywords. One method many marketers use to identify and extract effective keywords is by utilizing the keyword planning functionality on the Google AdWords platform (Fleischner, 2016). Using this tool provides an understanding of high frequency, high value keywords and keyword phrases. It also helps identify the most valuable words and phrases to include in your website and how other competitors might be using them.

Other technical aspects of on page optimization include Meta tags. Meta tags are snippets of text that describe a page’s content. This text does not appear on the page itself, but only in the page’s code (Fleischner, 2016). Description Meta tags are important because search engines such as Google might use them as snippets from the websites pages. Titles are also a key component in on page optimization. Titles can identify the key themes surrounding the page and can appear as a highlighted title directly in search engine results (Google SEO, 2010).

Website content and format can also play a significant role in website on page optimization. Structuring a websites pages is an important component in how effective a search engine can crawl a website to find the relevant content that helps a website rise in search engine rankings. Effectively placing site navigation and other page framework enables search engines to more easily find relevant content (Fleischner, 2016).   Other factors such as sitemaps, an effective URL, image tags and internal linking all assist in helping search engines in indexing a website of its organic content to better identify its purpose and ranking it effectively.

Off Page Optimization

Off page optimization can be concisely defined as building and increasing a websites authority. Off page optimization provides a website with the opportunity to build its following and increasing its position in web search engine rankings. One of the major differences between on page and off page optimization is the control in which the site owner has over each. Off page optimization is manipulated to a much lesser degree by the site owner than their ability to influence on page optimization.  One of the keys to building off page optimization is building links to your website from other sites (Fleischner, 2016). Link building provides a website a key attribute search engines look for when calculating their rank algorithms.

Site Authority

Site authority focuses on websites that have established a substantial degree of trust and denotes expertise with search engines as a result of elements such as its age, quality, and size. Within this premise one of the primary success factors of off page optimization is building inbound links from sites that have as good or better website authority than your own (Fleischner, 2016). An authority site is a very high quality website that is respected by knowledgeable people in its industry. It is a website that has content on it that is of high quality and makes the site users almost grateful they found it (Google, 2016). Authority sites publish trustworthy information and link to other trustworthy places on the web. Their audience implicitly trusts them to share high quality links, which is why obtaining links from authority websites has positive influence on your website’s traffic.

The Future of SEO

Now that Facebook.com has overtaken Google.com as the most used website on the Internet, there are now questions surrounding the significance of whether search engine optimization will be relevant in the future (Ingram, 2015). As users become more immersed in their social channels the question centers on the use of social networks to find news, information and referrals and whether this use will serve to displace search engines as the primary source for digital news and information. As the dynamics continue to change and evolve in the digital environment marketers need to stay abreast of trends and phenomenon. Marketers also need to be nimble and open minded about strategies and objectives surrounding their digital properties and be willing to adjust when conditions change.

Social Channels in Marketing

The social media environment provides brands, businesses and organizations with an opportunity to engage with their customers, prospects and their target audience. Social media's potential for customer interaction and customer retention is also significant. Today's consumers are now engaging directly with brands and businesses openly on a multitude of social media channels. Customers and prospects are also consuming and sharing content, information and opinions in new and unprecedented ways. The traditional notion of consuming content directly on the creator’s website has morphed as social media and the ability of users to share and post content directly in the digital environment has been extended through social media platforms (Kaushik, 2011).

One of the factors to consider when operating in the social media environment is the rate of engagement and dialog a brand or business may expect and its relationship to the amount of generated posts and communications an organization may anticipate.  In social media both of these factors are important and a business can and should expect to be active in both (Brown, 2014). Along with these engagements social media marketing offers opportunity to improve search engine optimization through factors such as posts, comments, likes and shares. These interactions and engagements create an opportunity for search engines to pick up social signals surrounding a brand, product or website. These signals indicate chatter around an organization and that engagement is active (Zadro, 2015). Search engines incorporate these signals into their search algorithms and often reward websites, brands or businesses with improved search engine optimization and the ability to rise in the search rankings.

Along with the ability to improve search engine optimization brands and businesses can also take advantage of directly marketing on social platforms. For example Facebook presents a robust Pay-per-click marketing program. With a global audience over 1.5 billion monthly active users Facebook presents a massive audience opportunity (Chris, 2015). Users on social sites often provide information about their personal characteristics including age, geography, education and other demographic features. The platform also collects psychographic data through user posts, likes and shares. As a result this environment delivers massive data insight which provides a highly targeted platform in which marketers can deeply segment to reach their exact target audience. 

When an organization becomes active on social media it can provide a significant opportunity to establish brand identity and build a breadth and depth of awareness (Keller, 2011). Effective social media engagements build affinity, following and loyalty for a brand or product and acting effectively in this environment can be a significant part of a balanced marketing communication program.

The key to success however is understanding and harnessing the interdependencies of the most effective digital segments. Optimizing and leveraging web activity and analytics together with social media engagements and measurement along with building and maximizing search engine optimization can greatly assist marketers in gaining insight on the customer journey, improve the customer experience and deliver improved revenue and retention.

Works Cited

Brown, M. (2014, December). Which social media accounts really matter and why. Retrieved from Kissmetrics: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/which-social-accounts-matter/

Chris, A. (2015, September 15). Facebook ads vs Google Adwords – where do you spend your budget? Retrieved from Digital Marketing Pro: https://www.digitalmarketingpro.net/facebook-ads-vs-google-adwords-where-do-you-spend-your-budget-581/

DeMers, J. (2014, February 10). 2014 Is The Year Of Digital Marketing Analytics: What It Means For Your Company. Retrieved from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/02/10/2014-is-the-year-of-digital-marketing-analytics-what-it-means-for-your-company/#1044a40f6619

Fishkin, R. (2016). Beginners Guide to SEO. Retrieved from Moz: https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo

Fleischner, M. H. (2016). SEO made simple. Middletown: Simple Solution Media.

Google. (2016). Destination goal examples. Retrieved from Google Analytics: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1116091?hl=en

Google. (2016). Finding Credible Sources. Retrieved from Google: https://sites.google.com/site/evaluatingsourcecredibility/for-students/what-makes-a-source-credible/authority

Google. (2016). Use Goal Flow to perform funnel analysis. Retrieved from Google Analytics: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1686005?hl=en#analysis_1_track_traffic_to_your_goal

Google SEO. (2010). Google Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide. Retrieved July 6, 2015, from Google: http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en/us/webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf

Hamel, S. (2012, June 12). Big Data – What It Means For The Digital Analyst. Retrieved from Online - Behavior: http://online-behavior.com/analytics/big-data

IBM. (2014, October). Five tips for success withcustomer analytics. Somers, NY, USA.

Ingram, M. (2015, August 18). Facebook has taken over from Google as a traffic source for news. Retrieved from Fortune: http://fortune.com/2015/08/18/facebook-google/

James, K. (2015, October 30). My story: how facebook advertising performed vs. google adwords. Retrieved from Moz: https://moz.com/ugc/my-story-how-facebook-advertising-performed-vs-google-adwords

Jones, M. (2016, July 1). Using Google Analytics to Identify Conversion Weaknesses. Retrieved from Practical Ecommerce: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/124808-Using-Google-Analytics-to-Identify-Conversion-Weaknesses

Kaushik, A. (2010, April ). Web analytics 101: definitions: goals, metrics, KPIs, dimensions, targets. Retrieved from Occam's Razor: http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/web-analytics-101-definitions-goals-metrics-kpis-dimensions-targets/

Kaushik, A. (2010). Web analytics 2.0. Indianapolis: Wiley.

Kaushik, A. (2011). Best social media metrics: conversation, amplification, applause, economic value. Retrieved from Occam's Razor: http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/best-social-media-metrics-conversation-amplification-applause-economic-value/

LaLonde, M. (2013, March 26). How Web Analytics Can Help Your Business. Retrieved from Compukol Communications: http://www.compukol.com/how-web-analytics-can-help-your-business/

Oberoi, A. (2015, August 2). The Top 31 Best Web Analytics Tools | Google Analytics Alternative. Retrieved from AdPushup: http://www.adpushup.com/blog/web-analytics-tools-google-analytics-alternatives/

PA. (2016). Why are web analytics so important to marketers and businesses alike. Retrieved from Professional Academy: http://www.professionalacademy.com/blogs-and-advice/why-are-web-analytics-so-important-to-marketers-and-businesses-alike-

Peterson, E. T. (2008). The voice of customer:qualitative data as a critical input to web site optimization. Retrieved from Hashdoc: https://www.hashdoc.com/documents/9021/the-voice-of-customer-qualitative-data-as-a-critical-input-to-web-site-optimization

Reed College. (2016). Week 2 lesson: tool introduction & selection. Retrieved from West Virginia University: https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/displayLearningUnit?course_id=_64077_1&content_id=_2976592_1&framesetWrapped=true

Reed College. (2016). Week 3 lesson: social media analytics & advertising channels. Retrieved from West Virginia University: https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/displayLearningUnit?course_id=_64077_1&content_id=_2976594_1&framesetWrapped=true

Sharma, A. (2016, February). The Difference Between Social and Web Analytics. Retrieved from Login Radius: https://blog.loginradius.com/2014/09/difference-social-web-analytics/

Sklar, C. (2013, March 13). How to use social media to understand and engage your customers. Retrieved from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/mar/13/social-media-customer-engagement

Trabelsi, C. (2015, May 15). Facebook ads vs Google adwords – the Facebook targeting advantage. Retrieved from The Daily Egg: https://blog.crazyegg.com/2014/05/15/facebook-ads/

Valk, J. d. (2014, February 12). Perfecting your goals in Google Analytics. Retrieved from Yoast: https://yoast.com/setting-google-analytics-goals/

Zadro, D. (2015, September 6). How Social Signals Affect Your SEO. Retrieved from Search Engine Journal: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/social-signals-affect-seo/135956/

Analyzing Chubbies Shorts E-Commerce Website Optimization

Chubbies is an American apparel manufacturer and on line retailer specializing in men’s shorts. Chubbies Shorts was formed in 2011 by a group of four Stanford University graduates who are focused on changing fashion standards in the men’s shorts segment (Mandapat, 2014). Since the brands introduction the company’s shorts have become a fashion icon. These “short shorts” have developed a popular following on numerous college campuses because of their flair, fun, and carefree appeal (Kovalesky, 2014). The company’s products are differentiated in style as each pair of shorts comes only with a 5 inch seam creating a tightfitting look. The style has an ironic appeal since recent men’s fashion trends have not been focused on revealing men’s legs or thighs. Chubbies fashion template is marketed as the anti-cargo short which provides freedom and comfort in menswear (Colao, 2014)

Since Chubbies is an exclusive on line e-commerce retailer with no brick and mortar locations it is critical the brand performs effectively across the digital environment.  One of the key factors in e-commerce retailing is obviously to be found by consumers in the right place at the right moment when they are ready to make a purchase. There are several methods businesses can use to achieve this objective, but one of the key factors is simply ranking higher than your competitors on Google and other top search engines. In short  getting found, is often equated to getting clicks, and improved clicks often equate to increased sales (Kilbourn, 2013).

Website Analytics

Chubbies focuses almost exclusively in social media based marketing for its brand and products. As a result much of the retailers’ website analytics are focused on website user acquisition through the social referral channel. With its primary focus on Facebook , YouTube, Instagram and Twitter these referral sources are analyzed based on specific campaigns, posts or targeted user generated activity (Domanska, 2014). On Facebook Chubbies has over 1.1 million likes and makes use of the platform to engage directly with its consumers and target audience. Chubbies Facebook page also features a direct link to its website at the top of its profile where consumers can directly access the brands on line clothing store.

As an exclusive e-commerce retailer the website shopping experience is a critical factor to the sales success of the organization. Understanding and analyzing the customer experience provides an opportunity to measure activity and evolve and develop the site based on the actions of its users. Audience analytics also include an opportunity to understand the activity surrounding new and returning visitors. Metrics such as session period activity, bounce rate, pages per session and average session duration provide insight on the depth of engagement. Other key metrics include user behaviors surrounding the navigation of the site and how site users are viewing the different product lines the organization sells (Kaushik, 2010).

On the product page there are several areas to navigate including different product views. Metrics are important here as well. Understanding which product shots are most popular can provide Chubbies with insight on how to position its different clothing lines from a visual perspective. In this example (Fig. 3) understanding image popularity can drive product presentation strategy not only for its website but through its external marketing activities as well.

Since the individual product pages contain links to Chubbies other product lines understanding the click through metrics as they relate to different product types can also provide the brand with insight on how to position its different product lines both internally on its website and through its external marketing (Chubbies Shorts, 2016). One example is understanding shirt and shorts purchase combinations and featuring those products jointly when it makes sense.   

Fig. 3

On Page Optimization

As the brand looks to increase awareness and visibility one of the key areas Chubbies can control is its on page website optimization. These strategies are essential in positioning the website, and include a number of areas such as keyword optimization, site structure and even its URL (website name) all play a key role in optimizing the website for search engine results.   

Keywords

Chubbies Shorts has made judicious use of keywords on its website. By utilizing 332 unique keywords and creating an overall package of just under 750  keywords and the brand has crafted a good search engine strategy (Website Analyzer, 2016). The site does however have a low text to code ratio. This is primarily driven by the large number of visuals including images and product shots in the site content.

(Website Analyzer, 2016)

Site Structure

The format of the site is laid out effectively as the primary site navigation is located at the top of the page, there is also no flash content located on the site pages. Both of these are search engine friendly attributes and assist in ease of indexing the site (Fleischner, 2016).  The site is also well optimized for mobile and tablet as responsive design is incorporated into the site framework (Website Analyzer, 2016).  Meta Tags and Titles are both present on the site which enables the major search engines to understand the name of the websites pages along with the primary theme of the pages (Fig 4). 

Fig. 4

Data Collection and Deeper Engagement

The content of a page is what makes it worthy of a search result position. It is what the user came to see and is thus extremely important to the search engines. As such, it is important to create good content. So what is good content? From an SEO perspective, all good content has two attributes. Good content must supply a demand and must be linkable. Content pages are the heart of websites and are almost always the reason visitors come to a site (Fleischner, 2016). Ideal content pages should be very specific to a given topic. Chubbies Shorts has done well in content creation through its images and unique content. Chubbies has also created a great deal of offsite content primarily directed through its social media marketing strategy. While this improves off page optimization and the opportunity for increased inbound referrals, it also does not contribute directly to the SEO for Chubbiesshorts.com. Since the site currently the site ranks 46 out of 100 in domain authority the overall score indicates room for improvement.

Moving forward the brand would be served well by creating and posting additional relevant content on its website. One suggestion to offer here and particularly in the spirit of keeping its brand persona, perhaps Chubbies could develop a clever way to get its followers and customers to create customer reviews or tell their stories directly on its site in an effort to create that additional content. Creating a sound strategy to create fresh original content on its website could assist in raising its overall search position and complement its already strong social media marketing presence. 

Works Cited

Chubbies Shorts. (2016). The Mount Crushmores. Retrieved from Chubbies Shorts: https://www.chubbiesshorts.com/products/mens-mount-rushmore-patriotic-american-shorts?coll=d-originals&position=4

Colao, J. (2014, May 6). Meet The Stanford Bros Conquering Men's Shorts: Inside The Frat-Empire Of Chubbies. Retrieved June 2016, from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2014/05/06/meet-the-stanford-bros-conquering-mens-shorts-inside-the-frat-empire-of-chubbies/

Domanska, A. (2014, July 4). Chubbies: Dominating $200 Billion Millennial ‘Mericas Market. Retrieved June 21, 2016, from Industry Leader Magazine: http://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/chubbies-dominating-200-billion-millennial-the-mericas-market/

Fleischner, M. H. (2016). SEO made simple. Middletown: Simple Solution Media.

Kaushik, A. (2010). Web analytics 2.0. Indianapolis: Wiley.

Kilbourn, C. (2013, August). The Ultimate Guide to SEO for E-commerce Websites. Retrieved from Kissmetrics: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/seo-for-ecommerce-websites/

Kovalesky, B. (2014, April 30). Chubbies Shorts is on a mission to own the men’s shorts market and define the ‘weekend lifestyle’. Retrieved June 2016, from Startup Beat: http://startupbeat.com/2014/04/30/chubbies-shorts-qa-id3770/

Mandapat, H. (2014, June 27). Retail customer spotlight: 3 men’s fashion brands that get customer service right. Retrieved June 21, 2016, from Desk: http://www.desk.com/blog/retail-customer-spotlight-3-mens-fashion-brands-that-get-customer-service-right/

Website Analyzer. (2016). www.chubbiesshorts.com. Retrieved from Website Analyzer: https://www.site-analyzer.com/en/analysis/841007/https://www.chubbiesshorts.com/

Why Integrating Google Analytics in your CRM System Makes Sense

            In the last several years it has become clear customers have gained significant power when it comes to relationships with businesses and organizations. With a constant connection to the internet and their social networks, today’s customers are better informed, smarter, give feedback that can go viral and are therefore more empowered than ever before (Meisner, 2013). Caring for existing customers is a key component to enhancing the customer relation and minimizing client churn can negate the costs of acquiring new customers which can be five times greater than the cost of maintaining current clients.

           Approaching consumers and the public from this perspective is a key factor today for organizations to be truly successful. From this perspective developing an effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a relevant and comprehensive method not only to successfully engage these consumers, but the public and the marketplace in general. From this viewpoint collecting actionable data from customers and prospects as they engage with your business can be an effective strategy in enhancing the customer journey.

Customer relationship management has become a major force of many enterprises in managing interaction and relationships with organizations clients.  Today many companies are realizing CRM provides the tools to fit the customer relationship needs of an organization. Customer Relationship Management is not just a software program that automates and reports, it is a business strategy to acquire, grow and retain profitable customer relationships, with the goal of creating a sustainable competitive advantage (Microsoft Corporation, 2012). The customer relationship management business strategy helps organizations improve their image, differentiate from the competition, helps minimize price sensitivity and can significantly improve customer retention.

          

           A Customer Relationship Management systems inherent functionality is to gain enhanced customer visibility across all product families, thereby creating the ability to streamline sales tasks and engagement processes. The target state for the Customer Relationship Management system is to utilize all of the customer touch points with Microsoft Dynamics CRM (or your preferred CRM system) at the center of how and where you can track and align client preferences (Ahuja & Alavi, 2014). Web engagements, Social Media, Customer Service, Marketing Campaigns, Email, and other data all roll up to the individual client to signify their preferences and their needs.

Today more than ever, analytic data from web and other owned digital properties is a significant and valuable tool organizations need to use to enhance sound customer engagement strategies. Integrating web analytics data into a Customer Relationship Management system accelerates and augments that strategy by providing deeper insights into the customer journey.

Power Analytics

Power Analytics is a plugin application for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The software connects Google Analytics to the CRM platform and allows the integration of web analytics data between Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013/2015 and the Google Analytics Platform. Marketers using this application can track over time movements and clicks customers and prospects are executing on an organizations website and other digital properties (SBS, 2015).

By incorporating Google Analytics into the data available in an active Customer Relationship Management system marketers can improve the effectiveness of an organizations web and mobile presence. The integration can also enhance the ability to track and understand the behavior of online visitors and how they interact with digital properties including website and mobile applications (Ezzedin, 2014). Power Analytics enables marketers to track campaign activity of individual customers and prospects as they navigate owned digital media properties, which enables the ability to better understand the customer experience and allows the opportunity to deliver a more customized experience.

Pulling a website visitor’s source information can be very powerful for a sales team. For example, if a sales representative has the ability to identify how a sales lead found the website before picking up the phone and contacting them, it could significantly aide in how best to approach the lead on the call. Understanding whether the source was referred from a specific email with a certain offer or knowing if they came from a search and, if so, what was the keyword they used. This type of information can help a sales team understand the intent of the prospect and where they are in the buying process. Another example can center on existing customers when an organization uses a newsletter as part of its marketing communications strategy, as customer are placed in a marketing campaign to receive this newsletter. As the recipient engages with the content the analytics system can record the activities, preferences and interests of the customer (Ezzedin, 2014). This data can be further enhanced by gearing future content that is focused more on those preferences.

The web analytics data collected can also be also be aggregated with other digital metrics including activities from social engagements through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media sites to provide the marketer with even deeper profiling capabilities. When online visitors convert to leads, marketers use the Customer Relationship Management platform, to track the history of prospects and customers offline and online interactions as well. Tracking every conversation possible including other engagements such as emails, calls, meetings, cases and documentations as well as nurture campaigns assists in the continuation of data building at the customer and contact level (Cutroni, 2007).

In the increasingly competitive marketplace organizations have demonstrated clear benefits of focusing on the customer through quality and excellent service. Utilizing a Customer Relationship Management system and enhancing it with web analytics can help nurture and care for existing customers and assist in minimizing client churn. Enhanced web analytics can also provide significant opportunity in new customer acquisition streamlining the sales lead process and creating an improved customer experience. This essentially quantifies how starting with the customer involves collecting and analyzing information to determine who the customer is, what the customer needs, and how a business can meet then exceed those needs. The logical conclusion clearly postulates the Customer Relationship Management technology with enhanced web analytics can provide the platform to accomplish the customer relationship management goals of the organization.               

Works Cited

Ahuja, V., & Alavi, S. (2014). Digital Marketing Analytics: The Web Dynamics of Inside Blackberry Blog. International Journal of Innovation in the Digital Economy (IJIDE) v5 n4, 50-65.

Cutroni, J. (2007, October 29). Integrating Google Analytics With a CRM. Retrieved from Cutroni: http://cutroni.com/blog/2007/10/29/integrating-google-analytics-with-a-crm/

Ezzedin, A. (2014, October 14). The Ultimate Guide to Universal Analytics Integration with SalesForce. Retrieved from e-nor: https://www.e-nor.com/blog/google-analytics/the-ultimate-guide-to-universal-analytics-integration-with-salesforce

Meisner, J. (2013, November 5). The future of business in the era of the customer. Retrieved August 23, 2015, from Microsoft Blog: http://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2013/11/05/the-future-of-business-in-the-era-of-the-customer/

Microsoft Corporation . (2012). What can CRM do for your Business . Retrieved November 10, 2012, from Microsoft.com: http://www.microsoft.com/canada/smallbiz/themes/build-your-business/what-can-crm-do-for-your-business.mspx

SBS. (2015). Google analytics connector for microsoft dynamics crm. Retrieved from Poweraddon: http://www.poweraddon.com/google-analytics-connector/?utm_campaign=app_listing&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=ga_partner_gallery