Measurability of Online Marketing Takes the Spotlight in 2007
A recent interview for the Satama Spotlight newsletter. I thought readers may benefit, so posted it here also.
Search engine marketing can be many times more effective than banner ads. In terms of its effectiveness as a marketing channel, the Internet can be measured even more accurately than television. As investments in online marketing have increased, customers have begun to show an interest in the measurability of the channel˘‚¬„˘s effectiveness. Satama offers several tools for this purpose.
˘‚¬Ĺ“The year 2007 will inevitably mark the breakthrough of web analytics in Finland as well,˘‚¬ť says Steve Jackson, Senior Consultant at Satama Analytics.
So what exactly does web analytics involve?
˘‚¬Ĺ“Web analytics can be divided into three parts. By examining online behaviour, we get information on the different ways people use the Internet, which in turn allows us to make our services more efficient and customer-orientated. This gives us a better return on our online investments. Search engine marketing allows us to direct the right kinds of customers to our online services. Using pay per click advertising we can devise advertising campaigns for search engines, where our ad will appear next to the actual search results. Market research helps us gather information on the behaviour of consumers, whether we want to know what they buy and why, how willing they are to give new ideas a go, or how satisfied they are with the products and services they use.˘‚¬ť
What kinds of benefits does web analytics offer customers?
˘‚¬Ĺ“Once an enterprise is able to analyse its online marketing more accurately, costs can be cut significantly. For instance, search engine marketing was proved with one of our clients up to seven times more effective than banner ads. By taking advantage of web analytics tools, enterprises can also develop their services towards becoming more customer-orientated. As long as all the information is compiled systematically into databases, it can even be used in product development.˘‚¬ť
How much awareness exists amongst Finnish enterprises as to the possibilities of web analytics?
˘‚¬Ĺ“Finland is a couple of years behind compared to the US and the UK where enterprises that specialise in web analytics have been springing up since the turn of the millennium. The first enterprises that are showing an interest in web analytics in Finland are ones that have moved almost all of their business onto the Internet. Examples of these kinds of enterprises include banks, insurance companies and travel agents.˘‚¬ť
How should enterprises go about adopting web analytics tools?
˘‚¬Ĺ“First, they need to establish what they want to measure. What kind of information is relevant to the enterprise, what kind of information can be used? Only then can they start to think about what tools are best suited for their purposes.˘‚¬ť
What kind of expertise can Satama offer enterprises that are interested in web analytics?
˘‚¬Ĺ“Satama˘‚¬„˘s experts are familiar with the special characteristics of many different industries, and this is crucial in choosing the right tools. Many international examples have shown us that enterprises can make huge mistakes by buying solutions directly from the tools provider. Tools providers do not always understand the specific needs of different industries. We work on the basis of turning business goals into success indicators, and then choosing the most suitable tools for measuring that success.˘‚¬ť
What web analytics tools does Satama offer its customers?
˘‚¬Ĺ“There are around 50˘‚¬€ś60 different analytics systems available on the market globally. We operate independently of manufacturers and we do not endorse any specific brand. All tools are tailored to the customer˘‚¬„˘s unique needs. Satama has partnership agreements with the leading global players in the field. For example, we are a Google Analytics certified partner, one of only a few dozen in the world.˘‚¬ť
How should corporate management see the possibilities of web analytics?
˘‚¬Ĺ“Web analytics should not be seen as the exclusive realm of marketing or research. Instead, the information that web analytics provides should be integrated into the enterprise˘‚¬„˘s strategic planning and decision-making. Web analytics tools make marketing investments more productive, but the information can also be useful in product development or strategising.˘‚¬ť
Why should enterprises invest in web analytics?˘‚¬Ĺ“Web analytics can help enterprises cut their costs significantly, make targeted online marketing more effective and gain information on the online behaviour of different consumer groups.˘‚¬ť
What kind of web analytics expertise can Satama offer?
˘‚¬Ĺ“Satama Analytics employs 14 consultants. Satama offers services in web analytics, search engine marketing and optimisation as well as market research.˘‚¬ť
What is the biggest challenge in your own work at the moment?
˘‚¬Ĺ“We have to increase customers˘‚¬„˘ awareness of web analytics and the possibilities it offers. Enterprises are only just starting to realise that the effectiveness of online marketing can be measured.˘‚¬ť
