small-business-marketing

Marketing analytics tools today can produce mountains of data. Whether you're using a free tool like Google Analytics or a full-fledged marketing automation system, it's tempting to assume that quantity equals quality.

It doesn't. In fact, too much data can sink your B2B marketing strategy - and it'll drive you nuts in the process.

Choosing the right metrics for your own digital marketing campaign is a tough balancing act. To some extent, it depends upon your industry, your business model, and your individual marketing goals. But I'll help you get started by introducing some of the key metrics that can deliver useful, cost-effective B2B marketing insights.

For the sake of clarity, let's break these down into two categories: One related to search-engine optimization (SEO) and Web traffic; the other dealing with social media.

Key SEO and Web Metrics

Total organic traffic. By this, I mean traffic to your website from all sources - including search and social media.

Search-engine rankings. This is one of the core elements of any marketing-metrics package.

Popular search phrases. Another vital metric, since it creates a feedback loop for your website keyword-optimization strategy.

Time on-site and bounce rates. Bounce rates tell you, among other things, that people who find your site either don't get what they expect or don't like what they get. Either way, it's vital feedback.

Most popular pages. Bread-and-butter metrics like page views and organic traffic may be more important, but I would argue this one is just as essential.

Social Media Metrics

Subscriber trends. How many people subscribe to your blog, news feed, or other content via RSS or email? These folks are vital to your social marketing strategy, and they're worth their weight in virtual gold.

Conversion ratios. How many visitors to your blog or forum become subscribers?

Followers/fans. Another obvious metric, and one you should take very seriously.

Referral sources. Which social-media sources deliver quality traffic? How do Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, and other sites figure in the mix?

Search-engine traffic. I think this is especially important for blogs, since a growing body of unique content (something you're creating, right?) should drive a corresponding increase in search traffic.

For every metric I mentioned here, there are at least five more I could have discussed. But that's the point: There's almost no end to this process, and it's way too easy to get caught up in the numbers, rather than focusing on what they can tell you.

Start with a small group of metrics, learn how to analyze them, and constantly tweak your website, your content, and your digital marketing campaigns based on the feedback they provide. It's a slow process at first, but it will pay big dividends over time.