Without Understanding, There’s No Improvement
Okay. You have the metrics. You’re now either (a) Buried in reams of paper, or (b) Watching an online dashboard change minute by minute. You know how many people came to the site. You know what your competitors are doing. You may even be going crazy because of things people are saying about you in the blogosphere.
Now what do you do?
It really comes down to two choices. Either take the classes to learn what every metric means, from time spent on the site to average page views to overall conversion and funnel analysis, then apply what you’ve learned on a daily basis to your site and your campaigns, or rely on an agency to help you manage your campaign.
But agency management has its own set of gotchas. Like:
• Do they explain what “typical” metrics look like for your industry?
• Do they explain how you compare to these metrics?
• Do they tell you which ones really matter?
• Do they let you know what your competitors are doing, and how you can counter their campaigns?
• And do they let you know what you can and can’t do to change public opinion on boards and blogs?
Agencies with true analytics knowledge will be able to look at your site stats and tell you instantly how you compare, and where your strengths and weaknesses are. They shouldn’t have to bury you in numbers. They should:
• Provide clear goals for site traffic and conversion
• Identify underperforming areas of the campaign and implement fixes
• Identify weak areas of the site and suggest changes
• Identify areas where your competitors are successful and implement ways to use these successful venues—or counter your competitors’ campaigns
• Drive the campaign towards ever-increasing results
A true online agency goes far beyond reams of numbers and online dashboards–they use the numbers to understand the landscape, and they use that understanding to drive campaigns towards ever-increasing results.
And they help you understand what really matters. Metrics with the knowledge to use them is the most powerful tool in your online arsenal. Metrics alone are useless.
