What Is Digital Marketing Analytics? Metrics Every Business Should Track

Marketing how-to guides often treat data collection as an unskippable part of any campaign. "Monitor your results," they urge. "Measure your success." 

As you squint at a spreadsheet, though, it's not always clear what to do with all those data points. Sure, it's nice to know your conversion rate, but does that actually help your business? 

Gathering data isn't just for looking at pretty numbers. You need a digital marketing analytics strategy and the right tools to make sense of your data. 

Digital marketing analytics is the process of collecting data and analyzing how people interact with your business online. Done right, it helps you understand what's working and where you can make improvements.

Of course, not all data is worth analyzing, especially when you're busy running your business. Understanding which metrics you should watch and what they tell you will help you get more out of your marketing campaigns. 

The Simple Breakdown of Digital Marketing Analytics

If you run an automotive or service shop, digital marketing analytics shows you what's actually driving people into your bays (other than their cars). It shows which marketing channels have the biggest impact and which may have missed the mark. 

Suppose you send a monthly marketing email with news and discounts. A customer may occasionally ask to use a coupon from your e-newsletter or mention a blurb. Otherwise, you have no idea who's actually reading it or whether they enjoy it. 

With digital marketing analytics, you can see how people interact with your emails by analyzing their behavior, such as: 

• How many people open your messages 
• What time they typically engage
• The click-through rate (CTR) 
• How many people use a coupon 

You might realize customers are twice as likely to open emails with playful subject lines than serious ones. That's your sign to start brainstorming more puns. You can also track when people are most likely to open your emails and schedule your messages to hit at that time.

Over time, these small, data-driven tweaks can help you attract more customers and respond better to their needs. 

The Key KPIs Every Shop Owner Needs To Watch

In theory, you could track dozens of marketing metrics and fill your computer with jam-packed spreadsheets. However, that's not feasible when you have a full calendar of appointments and employees asking for your help. Plus, too much data can quickly become overwhelming. 

Instead, focus on a few key performance indicators (KPIs) that relate directly to your goals. KPIs help you measure progress in the areas that matter most for your small business. 

Start by setting specific and feasible objectives for your marketing campaigns. If you're sharing content on social media, you might aim to increase engagement by 10% this month. If you're trying to reach more leads, your goal could be to increase your visibility in search results. 

Once you've established your goals, choose a handful of relevant digital marketing KPIs. 

Let's say you want to make it easier for potential customers to discover your business. According to Yelp, almost 90% of searches on the platform are for a product or service, not a specific business. 

If you want to know how often potential customers find and interact with your business on Yelp, you could track: 

• Clicks
• Consumer actions, such as visiting your website
• Page views
• Search impressions 

These metrics can help you make data-driven marketing decisions. If you have low page views, adding an appealing cover photo could persuade more people to visit your profile. 

You should also use benchmarks to see how your performance stacks up to competitors. As you optimize your Yelp profile, for instance, you might wonder what a good CTR is for organic search results. It's usually somewhere around 1% to 5%. 

How To Tell Which Marketing Channels Are Actually Working

Avoid getting distracted by vanity metrics that only show surface-level interactions. Instead, focus on KPIs that show whether your marketing is actually moving people through the customer journey. 

For example, a Facebook post with a silly photo of your employees could get 100 impressions and 20 comments. That seems like a huge success, but maybe half of those comments are jokes from your team's family members. 

On the other hand, tracking how many people click a link in that same post to visit your website can give you a much better sense of whether the post is sparking interest in your business. People who take the extra step to check out your site are closer to becoming paying customers than those who only tap the like button. 

Use this initial data to improve your marketing, then track the impact of those changes and use what you learn to make more adjustments. If you notice your social media posts with employees talking directly to the camera get more clicks than photos of engines, you might prioritize that type of content next time. 

This cyclical approach is known as closed-loop marketing. Over time, it can help you understand which marketing strategies are most likely to turn clicks into purchases. 

Ditching The Spreadsheets For Real-Time Digital Dashboards

The last thing you want is to waste time bouncing between 10 different apps to see all your data. A small business marketing dashboard brings this information into one place and turns it into easy-to-understand visuals.

For example, Optimize HQ presents Yelp, Google, and Facebook data in one view. That lets you compare marketing ROI across campaigns at a glance. You can also track engagement, search result rankings, reviews, and other metrics. 

Unlike a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, a dashboard updates as more data flows in. That saves time because you don't need to add data manually. Everything you need is already there and ready to analyze. 

Step-By-Step: Making Data-Driven Decisions For Your Business

If you're ready to start using marketing analytics, follow these simple steps: 

1. Set goals for your campaign: Before you can tell if your marketing is successful, you need to know what you want to accomplish. Create one or two specific, measurable objectives with KPIs and set a deadline. For instance, you could aim to use SMS marketing to increase service appointments by 15% over the next quarter. 
2. Choose the right software: Look for an affordable tool that automatically tracks marketing data and compiles it into user-friendly dashboards. 
3. Review data weekly: You don't need to obsess over your data, but don't neglect it, either. Set aside an hour each week to review your results and make changes as needed. 

Ready To Supercharge Your Shop With Better Data?

Local digital marketing for small businesses shouldn't feel like a guessing game. Use digital marketing analytics to determine which strategies are growing your business and which ones aren't resonating with your audience. These findings can help you focus your efforts and money on the most effective channels. 

Optimize Digital Marketing can help you analyze your data and use it to develop campaigns that get results. Our expert team assists with everything from marketing performance tracking to creating organic content. We'll also show you how to use a platform like Optimize HQ to get a big-picture view of your marketing results.

Get in touch to learn more about how we can support your auto business and help you reach more customers.