Email & Coffee

I'm not a credentialed statistician, but I know that you can't implement ROI programs without measurement discipline.

Recently a client called to discuss web marketing. They questioned whether to update existing content or post new articles and concluded that their website and email messaging were meeting expectations by providing decent leads.

In response, I inquired about their web stats. That's when I heard the pin drop.

Integrating email metrics with your web analytics paints a vivid picture of web activity, behavior and demonstrable interests.

Catch phrases and keywords aside, what's this all about? Trends and patterns, the very basics.

A well-mapped email campaign should deliver goal-oriented touch points by integrating messaging and social platforms. But in this paradigm, your email platform analytics provide data about outbound click action. Although this data is good, it's like analyzing stuff thrown at a wall. This multi-channel approach is merely the half-way mark.

Once you push your message out, your goal is to pull in the conversions. To measure success rate, monitor your web analytcis and call-centers for inbound traffic. Analyze your metric data for demographics. While anonymous on the surface, with the help of your CRM, match-up potential prospects. Now your data is talking!

To answer the question that sparked my client to phone in the first place, at the end of this life cycle – a push campaign that integrates your email message and social platform – measure outbound and inbound analytics for trends and patterns.

Bounce rate. Review the percentage of traffic that enters your website but simply lands on a page and exits. Identify the pages and better address the content quality, type, layout and calls to action.

Top content. Notice which pages are browsed within a week of your push campaign.

Demographics. Design your data layout wisely. If you rely on email campaign metrics and identify prospects by email address alone, your marketing data will remain one dimensional. Enrich your list with data fields from your CRM, POS and telephone call-center. Develop email calls to action that promote engaged subscribers to complete their user profiles. The goal is to solve the mystery of who visits your site and when.

Yes. Update existing web content that falls short and bounces prospects off your site.

Yes. Post new articles, graphics and links to freshen top content.

Yes. Continue the process and practice regularly. The discipline will pay back in the long run!