7 Secrets to Automate Analytics for Growth Edited by Akin Arikan

Is your data gathering dust – or see the potential within your efforts. Calculate ROI for incre- generating dollars? mental improvements:

Collecting detailed data from your website’s interactions is • Gather baseline numbers for your website’s traffic, con- easy. But too often, the information ends up gathering dust version rates and transaction values. instead of driving revenue. With next generation web analytics • Create “Sliders” or other adjustable means for manipu- you can cross the action chasm and turn your data into lating the baselines by degrees. What would improve- meaningful marketing activity that moves the needle and ments of 10%, 20%, 30%, etc. mean to your business? improves the bottom line. Here are seven secrets to automate analytics, gathered from industry experts and Unica customers • Crunch some hard numbers that demonstrate the impact who participated in our 2009 Web Analytics webcast series. of improving your baselines.

- Use the online tool @ http://www.stratigent.com/ 1. Take the 5-step path to growing resources/download-form/ to calculate your business business value impact. Transforming your web analytics practices takes time. Follow a logical pathway that allows you to learn, act, collect 3. Concentrate testing on issues that matter feedback and act again. These 5 steps demonstrate fiscal Like “analysis paralysis,” a testing regime that’s too compli- accountability and support defined goals: cated throws sand on the tracks toward progress. Instead of 1. Site Analysis: Gather data on basic web performance “slice and dice” testing that analyzes every possible per- towards your key indicators, e.g. for reaching, acquiring mutation of your site and its performance, concentrate your and converting visitors. testing on simple things that make a big difference.

2. Site and Ad Optimization: Target underperforming What really matters? And where can you find the biggest pages and advertising spends to improve structure, bang for the smallest buck? In most cases, it’s at the “intui- content, conversion rate and, ultimately, profits. tive” level – the ability of your website to make visitors feel 3. Segment Targeting: Deliver relevant content – including that their needs are being met and that they can have con- precisely targeted promotional offers – to the most fidence in your ability to fulfill your promises. Example: one promising visitor segments on your site. enterprise experimented with the location and messaging of the point-of-action section of their pages. By simply manipu- 4. Interactive Marketing (Online): Move beyond seg- lating this one variable, they were able to increase sales by mentation to maximize the value of each visitor through a whopping 114%. But even a 1% improvement from a test personalized content, email, messages and more based would mean a million dollars of value for a site that is driving on individual behaviors and tastes. $100 million in sales per year. 5. Interactive Marketing (Online + Offline): Coordinate a complete, cross-channel marketing dialogue that inte- 4. Focus your promotional dollars on the grates personalized online and offline communications right visitors for optimal communications and results. All customers are not equal. Therefore, your marketing efforts should not be equivalent across your customer base. Take 2. Build your best business case to a look at your recency curve, for example. Chances are, you get resources get your greatest revenue returns from those segments that Executives act on what they can see. And they like to see most recently engaged your brand or site, within the last their opportunities quantified in hard numbers. To build your one or two months. As the months stretch on, the return per best business case (and your best chance of obtaining the customer drops precipitously. resources you need), do the math and help your colleagues Now suppose you offer a flat discount to 7. Improve marketing at the everyone. The most likely responders will aggregate and individual levels be those who acted most recently; in effect, simultaneously you’ve created a negative return from good Web analytics offer insights on both the aggre- customers who would have purchased anyway. gate and individual levels. Too many companies The alternative? Apply your discounts and leave money on the table, however, by not special promotions to the middle of the recency taking advantage of both data levels. curve where your marketing dollars will have a • Aggregate performance cycle: Use ag- positive impact on profits. gregate data for dashboards, reporting and Akin Arikan is Director of 5. Profile visitor interests based continuous improvement of your website’s Product Strategy at Unica, on website behavior overall performance. responsible for ensuring cus- Your website attracts different kinds of people • Individual performance cycle: With the tomer satisfaction with Unica’s web analytics and Internet for different reasons and with different pur- right tools and automation, you can lever- marketing solutions. Arikan poses in mind. That’s why generic, all-purpose age insights on individual online behavior has worked with analytics messaging will fail to engage the full range of to personalize messaging, schedule com- practitioners for more than a visitor interests. munications and target promotions/offers decade. A noted speaker and Savvy web marketers deliver customized mes- for greater effectiveness. writer, he has presented at sages (offers, promotions, links, and e-mails) By committing to continuous improvement at many conferences throughout the world and in 2008 wrote based on visitor behavior. In one successful both the aggregate and individual levels, you the book, Multichannel Market- model, businesses create marketing engines exponentially increase the contribution your ing: Metrics and Methods for triggered by scores and profiles compiled from site can make to both online and offline mar- On and Offline Success. Arikan interaction data. Through a combination of keting efforts. is also an avid blogger; you keyword search data and page-visitation infor- can read his work at http:// mation, each visitor’s interests can be scored Cross the action chasm multichannelmetrics.com. against key terms. When the scores reach If you’re only using analytics to create reports Arikan received a degree in predetermined levels, you can automatically rather than drive action, you’re missing out on computer science and business present content/offers relevant to the visitor’s extraordinary opportunities to improve custom- administration from the Univer- interests, increasing engagement and elevating er satisfaction, drive sales and increase profits. sity of Hamburg, Germany. returns. You can deliver marketing so personal, Learn more about the power of active analytics it feels like a service. by watching a compendium of key 2009 Unica webcasts, Automating Action on Analytics. 6. Detect attrition risk before http://www.unica.com/7SecretsWB communicating to customers Special thanks to the webcast speakers whose Marketing to customers is every bit as – or expertise contributed to these tips: more important than – marketing to prospects. Josh Manion, Stratigent Today, however, there’s no good reason to Bryan Eisenberg, Eisenberg & Associates “cold call” your customers: you can use their Unica Corporation Australia Jim Novo, The Drilling Down Project Belgium website behaviors as leading indicators to their Worldwide Headquarters Michelle Rutan, National Instruments Reservoir Place North Brazil likelihood to be interested in renewals, cross- Angie Brown, Elsevier 170 Tracer Lane France sells or up-sells. Waltham, MA 02451 Germany Unica’s web analytics webcasts were pro- India Many enterprises have found that session data USA Netherlands duced in conjunction with The Web Analytics T +1.781.839.8000 (recency, frequency and other details of site Singapore Association (WAA). The WAA leads, unites F +1.781.890.0012 visits) are excellent predictors of continued Spain and fosters the interests of industry practi- E [email protected] customer interest (along with other customer United Kingdom tioners, vendors, consultants and educators www.unica.com data). With this data on hand, you can craft United States worldwide. The WAA helps drive members’ and time campaigns appropriate to your success with a host of membership benefits. customers’ depth of engagement and likeli- Unica is a registered trademark of Unica Whether you want to learn about emerging Corporation with the U.S. Patent and Trademark hood of continued activity. Office. The Unica logo and MARKETING best practices, attend networking events, SUCCESS STARTS WITH U are trademarks of or access exclusive learning tools, you can Unica Corporation. All other trademarks are the explore what the WAA can do for you. property of their respective owners.

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