As marketers, we have access to a whole arsenal of analytics to improve the way we generate and nurture new business. However, that access can be both a blessing and a curse. We know what our business goals are – to make sure all of our desired customers know our name, to leverage a large database of engaged leads, and to turn those leads into customers – but when it’s time to make improvements or measure success, it’s difficult to know which metrics to use.

That’s where this guide will come in handy.

For brand awareness…

Whether you’re building your brand from scratch or looking to rebrand, your goal is the same: get people to recognize your business and, once they have, get them to think positively about it. Look at:

• Site traffic – Find out the sources that are sending traffic to your site, and which ones have been the most successful at doing so. Concentrate your marketing efforts on these channels. Also, find out how much traffic your homepage is attracting. This number is important, because unlike people who find one of your blogs in their search results, people who specifically visit your homepage are already aware of your brand. This will help you measure your brand awareness over time.
• Search engine rankings – With more brand awareness comes more search engine rankings. To assess branding improvement, concentrate on your rankings for brand-specific keywords. To improve these rankings, create more content around these brand-specific keywords.
• Social media engagement – Determine the level of engagement you are getting from your social media fans and followers. The amount of times your content is shared is much more important than how many fans and followers you have.

For a larger database…

While site traffic is important, it means little if you are unable to generate and convert leads from your database. So if your blog traffic and social media reach are less than stellar, then that could be a reason for your slow database growth. Look at:

• Blog traffic – With more content, you have more opportunities to appear in search results and rank for your core keywords. For instance, if you write a blog about restaurant technology, anybody searching for restaurant technology will be able to find your site. If your blog traffic increases, then your lead database will also have potential to grow.
• Social media reach – Again, content (whether it’s in the form of a blog or a social media post) can help you increase the amount of traffic coming to your site and therefore your database growth. To keep potential leads engaged with you on social media, start discussions and promote blog content.
• Landing page traffic and conversions – Is your top of the funnel traffic actually making it to your landing pages? If not, then it’s no wonder that you haven’t generated any leads to add to your database. Look at your landing page traffic and conversions to see how much of your total site traffic is going to your landing pages, and how many of those leads are actually filling out your forms. This will also help you assess the effectiveness of your landing pages. If they aren’t very effective, test out new methods to see which work best.

For more qualified leads…

First, determine how you will distinguish new leads from qualified leads. Which actions make them qualified? Doing so will help you more accurately measure your success and find more room for improvements. Look at:

• Call-to-action (CTA) clickthrough rate –Identify which CTAs are effective in generating leads and which ones aren’t by comparing their clickthrough rates. Also, take into account how quickly these leads convert. This could show you the methods (wording, placement, color, etc.) that make your leads more likely to learn more or take action.
• Landing page conversion rates – Comparing analytics of different methods and sources also applies here. Look at the conversion rates to see where your leads are coming to your landing pages from to understand what content and offers they find most appealing. In the future, you can offer more of those resources through your landing pages to develop more qualified leads.

Even with your marketing analysis broken down into categories, things can still get confusing when you have the numbers in front of you. For assistance, don’t hesitate to contact a marketing expert at the SkyRocket Group to learn more.