Although we have all kinds of technology at our fingertips, marketers continue to struggle to quantify and report on the effectiveness of their activities. In this Q&A-style #1NWebinar, Senior Data Strategist Ben Magnuson sat down with One North’s Marketing Coordinator Olivia Koivisto to discuss common data analytics and reporting questions from B2B and professional services marketers. During the session, Ben explained what to look for in analytics tools, how to identify which data points matter, the importance of goal-setting, and more. Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/RsQZxFLfYnI

1. Digital Blind Spots: A Q&A on
Common Marketing Analytics Hurdles
Prepared by / 10 May 2018
Ben Magnuson & Olivia Koivisto

2. Senior Data Strategist
Ben Magnuson
Marketing Coordinator
Olivia Koivisto

3. Some Context
I began 2018 with a particular goal…
To create a quarterly report on our marketing activities
In order to:
1. Show the business what our team is doing
2. Learn about our audiences and activities
3. Get better!

4. I’m Not Alone!

5. Where to start
Using Analytics is never a single
activity, it is an ongoing process
that should help consistently
inform you.
However, I like to group the
process into 3 main buckets to
identify where I am and what I
should be doing.
Define
Analyze
Report

6. These buckets eventually form a cycle
Define
Analyze
Report
Improve

7. Define
Setting Goals, Selecting Tools, Identifying Values

8. Q: How do I know I’m
collecting the right data?

9. Q: Am I collecting the right data?
To know this, you need to define your Analysis
Ask yourself: “What does performing well look like?”
• Write your questions down
• Look at an actual web page or email
• Set hypotheses
• Set goals/expectations

10. Example pre-analysis work
Analysis questions:
• How many visitors are clicking the subscribe button?
• Are users reading the content or dropping off right away?
• Which topics are performing best?
Hypotheses:
- 60% or more of the visitors are returning visitors
- 3% or more of new visitors are subscribing

11. What was the goal of the digital
marketing initiative?
Brand Awareness Lead Gen Engagement
Pageviews Conversions Time on Page
Impressions Bounce Rate/Exit % Scroll Tracking to 90%
Branded Keyword Ranking Form drop-offs Exit %
Click-through Rates (CTRs) Shares

12. OK, but how do I know I’m collecting
the right data?
By first defining what you want to know, you have identified the
user actions that are actually measuring performance.
Are you collecting that data already?
• Research what’s offered in your analytics for that user action
• If it’s not, use event tagging tools such as Google Tag Manager to
track it yourself

13. Q: ROI(?)
Measuring Return on Investment
(ROI) is highly desired, but very
murky.
1. It is not a magic wand, it is a
process.
2. The “return” needs to be
defined first.
3. Work bottom-up.
Business
Impact
Advanced
Measurements
Tactical Results
Core Investments
Hierarchy of Measurements Source: Sam Melnick, Allocadia

14. The 3 steps to success!
In summary, the 3 steps to make sure you are collecting what
you need are:
1. Define (define, define, define) what you are looking for.
2. Set goals or hypotheses before you even collect data.
3. Review current measurement set-up to discover any gaps in the
available data.

15. Analyze
Analyzing Results, Discovering Insights, Evolving Strategy

16. Now that you have the precious, it’s
time to analyze it
One of the benefits of defining what you
need ahead of time is you are less likely to
spin your wheels or look in one thousand
different directions.
However, how you will answer your
questions can change each time.

17. Q: Do you have recommendations
for analytics tools that collect data
on the website?

18. Q: Do you have recommendations
for analytics tools for a website?
I prefer to use just these three tools for
just about everything:
• Google Tag Manager
• Google Analytics
• Excel (and I mostly work in excel L)

19. But I still have fun!
Social UX/User Behavior Marketing Automation
Sprout Social* Lucky Orange* Hubspot Analytics^*
Buzzsumo* Crazy Egg* Marketo^*
Linkedin Analytics
Google Analytics
* Paid subscription
^* Included w/ service

20. Q: How do the free analytics tools
compare to paid?
The answer here depends on the purpose of the tool.
• Web Analytics
• Social Analytics
• Website Management
• Reporting

21. Q: Do you ever struggle with
uncovering the meaningful metrics
that reaffirm or contradict the
direction of your digital strategy?

22. Q: Do you ever struggle with uncovering the
meaningful metrics that reaffirm or contradict
the direction of your digital strategy?
No, of course not. (all the time)
• This will be largely mitigated by goal setting
• Don’t be afraid of your data

23. 3 Tips for not getting lost
1. Work with percentages, not just total numbers
• Instead of focusing on how many people clicked a button, focus on how many
people clicked a button / total pageviews. Can you improve that?
2. Dive into user segments
• Don’t just focus on “All traffic”
• How did mobile perform? Organic Search? A campaign? Returning users? Your
goals should have specific user groups in mind
3. Compare numbers where possible to the previous year’s time period
• There will be natural traffic patterns throughout the year

24. Present
Make It Pretty, Give It Context

25. When it’s time to present the data:
Consider:
• Who is your audience?
• Document your process
• Prioritize reports for automation
• Resist urge to show your work
Tips for Reporting on Data
“Using a table in a live presentation is rarely a
good idea” (this list is in a table)
Stick to a 3-minute story
Don’t be afraid of including non-supporting data,
but only if it makes a point
There will be a hierarchy to your findings, make
sure your audience knows that.
Via ”Storytelling with Data” by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic

26. What tools to use for reporting
One-Time
• Excel
• InDesign
• Google Analytics
• Heatmaps
• SiteImprove
• LuckyOrange
Automate
• Tableau
• PowerBI
• Excel
• Google Sheets
• Domo
• Many, many, many solutions

27. Our Team’s Rollout
Audiences:
• Marketing team
• Leadership
• All Company
Formats:
• Powerpoint
• Excel
Timing:
• Quarterly rollout
• Yearly summary
• Monthly
dashboard

28. Unexpected Lessons
1. Sharing isn’t always caring
A. That doesn’t mean your data isn’t important
2. Data can empower EVERYONE
A. Get the company excited about marketing initiatives
3. Timing matters
A. Your cadence will depend on how much your initiatives’ results change
over time

29. In the long-run, it’s about creating
something useful and sustainable.

30. Miscellaneous
Questions

31. Thank you!