If you want your business to be found online, it's imperative to understand how and where users are searching for your products and services. A comprehensive online presence is the most powerful tool manufacturers have to drive growth. The digital space is the one place where manufacturers can establish early and relevant relationships with their customers. The old rules have changed! 67% of the buyer's journey is now done digitally. Your customers research, interact with, and ultimately choose manufacturing companies very differently than they did even five years ago. 5 Ways Manufacturers Can Drive Growth Online examines the key factors that impact your ability drive growth online, offering strategic insights and practical, tactical recommendations you can use today.

1. 5 WAYS MANUFACTURERS
CAN DRIVE GROWTH ONLINE

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
KEYWORD RESEARCH
UNDERSTAND ONLINE TRENDS AROUND SEARCH TRAFFIC THAT ARE UNIQUE TO YOUR BUSINESS
CONTENT MARKETING
DEVELOP AND MAP OUT MARKETING CONTENT SPECIFIC TO EACH PERSON’S BUYING STAGE
ONLINE SALES FUNNEL
DEFINE A TOP, MIDDLE AND BOTTOM OF FUNNEL STRATEGY TO BETTER DEFINE WHERE AND WHAT CONTENT IS
NEEDED
PAID MEDIA
CAN INCREASE YOUR ONLINE INQUIRIES AND COMPLIMENT YOUR WEBSITE’S CONTENT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
CONVERSION OPTIMIZATION
CONVERT MORE TRAFFIC INTO INQUIRIES WITH OFFERS FOR EVERY BUYING STAGE
LEAD NURTURING
LEVERAGE EMAIL TO EDUCATE PROSPECTS PRIOR TO SALES REP HANDOFF
MEASUREMENT
TURN ONLINE DATA OVERLOAD INTO ACTIONABLE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

3. KEYWORD RESEARCH
UNDERSTAND SEARCH TRAFFIC TRENDS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO YOUR BUSINESS

4. KEYWORD RESEARCH - UNDERSTAND SEARCH TRAFFIC TRENDS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO YOUR BUSINESS
FACT
Marketing research can produce a
return only if someone acts on it.
5 Ways Manufacturers Can Drive Growth Online
- Dr. Chuck Chakrapani, Professor at Ryerson College

5. http://searchengineland.com/search-illustrated-b2b-long-tail-seo-13237
In conjunction with your marketing strategies, it in critical
to augment your go-to-market plans with online
research. Understanding keyword traffic trends,
including both broad search terms as well as long tail
keywords, will help you prioritize and focus. The
objective is to develop and track what keywords are
"money" terms; meaning driving both sufficient search
traffic as well as higher conversion.
KEYWORD RESEARCH - UNDERSTAND SEARCH TRAFFIC TRENDS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO YOUR BUSINESS

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KEYWORD RESEARCH - UNDERSTAND SEARCH TRAFFIC TRENDS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO YOUR BUSINESS
WHENWE HEAR THE PHASE “KEYWORD RESEARCH”, MANUFACTURERS OFTEN THINK OF MARKET RESEARCH, PRODUCT RESEARCH OR OTHER
RESEARCH TYPES ASSOCIATED WITH LENGTHY DEVELOPMENT CYCLES. IN THIS CONTEXT, WE’RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING
WHICH PHRASES OR WORDS YOUR PROSPECTS AND CUSTOMERS ARE USING TO SEARCH FOR YOUR BUSINESS NAME, SPECIFIC PRODUCT, OR A UNIQUE
SERVICE.
KEYWORD RESEARCH CAN UNCOVER NOT ONLY WHAT PROSPECTIVE BUYERS ARE SEARCHING FOR, BUT HOW OFTEN POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS ARE
KEYING IN SIMILAR PHRASES. UNDERSTANDING THESE INSIGHTS CAN HELP COMPANIES FORMULATE STRATEGIES AROUND PAID MEDIA MARKETING,
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION AND SOCIAL INFLUENCE. THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO INCREASE YOUR SEARCH ENGINE RANKINGS, GET MORE BUYERS TO
YOUR WEBSITES, BLOGS AND OTHER IMPORTANT CONTENT THAT INFLUENCES BUYING BEHAVIOR.
KEYWORD RESEARCH HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND SEARCH VOLUME AND TRAFFIC TRENDS BY MONTH, BASED ON KEYWORDS GATHERED FROM YOUR
WEBSITE AND COMPETITOR’S WEBSITE. BY CAPTURING THIS INFORMATION, A CURRENT AND RELEVANT LIST OF KEY PHRASES AND SEARCH TERMS ARE
DERIVED AND FOR MANY COMPANIES, DEEPEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF WHO THEY ARE COMPETING WITH ONLINE.
KEYWORD RESEARCH INFORMS BUSINESSES ON WHAT SPECIFIC SEARCHES BUYERS ARE USING TO FIND YOU AND YOUR COMPETITORS. THIS CAN BE
IMPORTANT FOR INFORMING BOTH YOUR ONLINE MARKETING AND TRADITIONAL MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS. THE RESULTS OF YOUR KEYWORD
RESEARCH CAN ALLEVIATE DEBATE, SO YOU CAN MAKE DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS ON HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR WEBSITE, PRODUCTS AND OTHER
MARKETING CONTENT BY KNOWING WHAT BUSINESS BUYERS ARE SEARCHING FOR.

7. ONLINE SALES FUNNEL
DEFINE A TOP, MIDDLE AND BOTTOM OF FUNNEL STRATEGY TO BETTER DETERMINE
WHAT INFORMATION IS NEEDED

8. CONTENT MARKETING -DEVELOP AND MAP OUT MARKETING CONTENT SPECIFIC TO EACH STAGE IN THE ONLINE FUNNEL
FACT
67 percent of the buyer’s
journey is now done digitally.

9. ONLINE SALES FUNNEL- DEFINE A TOP, MIDDLE & BOTTOM OF FUNNEL STRATEGY TO BETTER DEFINE WHERE & WHAT CONTENT IS NEEDED
Keyword research is the foundation for beginning to
visualize an online marketing and sales funnel with
acronyms called TOFU, MOFU and BOFU. Suspects (Top
of Funnel) are visitors who are searching for general
information. Prospects (Middle of Funnel) are gathering
more specific information about products and solutions
to their business needs. Buyers (Bottom of Funnel) are in
individuals that are looking for specific product pricing
or niche services.

10. ONLINE SALES FUNNEL- DEFINE A TOP, MIDDLE & BOTTOM OF FUNNEL STRATEGY TO BETTER DEFINE WHERE & WHAT CONTENT IS NEEDED
TOFU — TOP OF THE FUNNEL
YOU'RE ATTRACTING AN AUDIENCE LOOKING FOR OPTIONS TO SOLVE GENERAL BUSINESS CHALLENGES. YOUR CONTENT SHOULD EDUCATE YOUR AUDIENCE
ON HOW TO SOLVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION THAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO ADDRESS. AT THIS LEVEL, WE AREN'T AS CONCERNED ABOUT CONVERSIONS IN SPECIFIC
LEADS, BUT MORE ABOUT SHARING INFORMATION THAT DRAWS ATTENTION TO YOUR ONLINE PROPERTIES. THIS TYPE OF CONTENT SHOULD BE READILY
ACCESSIBLE ON YOUR SITE, AND ENCOURAGE ENGAGEMENT WITHOUT REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS. COMMON CONTENT TYPES FOR THIS STAGE ARE BLOG
POSTS, SOLUTION SHEETS AND "HOW TO" GUIDES.
MOFU — MIDDLE OF THE FUNNEL
THE FOCUS IS ON CONVERTING UNIDENTIFIED VISITORS INTO LEADS, BY IMPLEMENTING ADDITIONAL ACTION- SUCH AS PLACING CONTENT BEHIND A WEB
FORM THAT REQUIRES CONTACT INFORMATION IN EXCHANGE FOR VALUABLE CONTENT. YOUR CONTENT SHOULD CONTINUE TO EDUCATE AND POSITION
YOUR COMPANY AS THE SOLUTION TO THEIR BUSINESS CHALLENGES. KNOWING WHAT SPECIFIC CONTENT ENGAGES YOUR PROSPECT IS IMPORTANT CASE
STUDIES, ADVANCED EBOOKS, WHITE PAPERS AND INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS ARE EXCELLENT WAYS TO BUILD YOUR COMPANY'S CAPABILITIES AND CREDIBILITY.
BOFU — BOTTOM OF THE FUNNEL
IN THIS STAGE OF THE FUNNEL, YOUR SUSPECTS ARE NOW CONSIDERED LEADS OR POTENTIAL BUYERS. IT IS LIKELY THAT THEY KNOW YOUR COMPANY AND ARE
LIKELY ALREADY INTERACTING WITH INSIDE SALES TEAM OR FIELD SALES REPS. AT THIS POINT, AN INHIBITOR TO A SALE MAY BE A RELUCTANCE TO A MAJOR
CHANGE. DEPENDING ON YOUR BUSINESS, FREE ASSESSMENTS, PRODUCT TRIALS AND PROGRAM AUDITS ARE EXCELLENT WAYS FOR THE LEAD TO ENGAGE
AND FUTURE EVALUATE YOUR COMPANY. TACTICS LIKE THIS CAN GREATLY INCREASE THAT POTENTIAL BUYER INTO BECOMING A REVENUE GENERATING
CUSTOMER.

11. CONTENT MARKETING
DEVELOP AND MAP OUT MARKETING CONTENT SPECIFIC TO EACH STAGE
IN THE ONLINE FUNNEL

12. CONTENT MARKETING -DEVELOP AND MAP OUT MARKETING CONTENT SPECIFIC TO EACH STAGE IN THE ONLINE FUNNEL
FACT
The objective is not to create
information. The objective is to
create useful information.

13. CONTENT MARKETING -DEVELOP AND MAP OUT MARKETING CONTENT SPECIFIC TO EACH STAGE IN THE ONLINE FUNNEL
With a visual online funnel developed, the focus shifts
to start mapping relevant and useful information into
your potential customer’s buying process. Whether
leveraging existing content or creating a new piece of
content, you must take the buying process into
consideration. By delivering the right information to the
right person at the right time, builds credibility with the
buyer and facilitates moving them further down the
buying path, that favors your company.

14. BUILDINGA CONTENT STRATEGY THAT SUPPORTS AN ONLINE SALES FUNNEL MEANS YOU MUST CHOOSE THE MOST EFFECTIVE CONTENT FOR
DRIVING LEAD GENERATION TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS. DIFFERENT TYPES OF BUYERS WILL WANT, AND NEED, A VARIETY OF CONTENT TYPES DURING THEIR
RESEARCH AND PURCHASE PROCESS. NEWLY ENGAGED CLIENTS DON’T NEED THE SAME CONTENT AS THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH YOUR
BRAND AND ORGANIZATION. DEVELOPING A POTENTIAL BUYING PROCESS, AND BRAINSTORMING WHAT KINDS OF CONTENT THEY’LL NEED AT EACH STAGE
OF THEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUR COMPANY, WILL ALLOW YOU TO ALIGN AND PUBLISH RELEVANT CONTENT THAT IS MOST EFFECTIVE.
FOR THE THREE MAIN BUSINESS BUYING STAGES, THE FOLLOWING CONTENT GENERALLY APPLIES:
AWARENESS STAGE - A VISITOR HAS IDENTIFIED A BUSINESS NEED AND IS SEEKING INFORMATION TO EDUCATE THEMSELVES ABOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE
AND EXPERTISE. EXAMPLES INCLUDE; WEBSITE CONTENT, LANDING PAGES, BLOGS, WHITE PAPERS, EBOOKS, BANNER ADS, PAID MEDIA AND
VENDOR WEBSITES
CONSIDERATION STAGE - THE PROSPECT HAS PROVIDED CONTACT INFORMATION AND IDENTIFIED THAT YOUR COMPANY MAY HAVE A SOLUTION WILL
EVALUATE YOUR OFFERINGS. EXAMPLES INCLUDE; WHITEPAPERS, CHECKLISTS, BEST PRACTICES, EMAIL NURTURE CAMPAIGNS, NEWSLETTERS,
WEBINARS AND DATASHEETS
DECISION STAGE - THE LEAD IS A QUALIFIED OPPORTUNITY AND YOU ARE FOCUSED ON STRATEGIC CONSULTATIONS, SPECIAL AUDITS OR SALES REP
MEETINGS. EXAMPLES INCLUDE; PRODUCT DEMONSTRATION VIDEOS, CASE STUDIES, TESTIMONIALS, PRODUCT AND COMPETITOR COMPARISONS
CONTENT MARKETING -DEVELOP AND MAP OUT MARKETING CONTENT SPECIFIC TO EACH STAGE IN THE ONLINE FUNNEL

15. CONVERSION OPTIMIZATION
CONVERT MORE TRAFFIC INTO INQUIRIES BY CREATING PERSONAS
FOR KEY DECISION-MAKERS AND INFLUENCERS

16. FACT
Conversion rate and website traffic are the top
measures of marketing success for B2B marketers.
CONVERSION OPTIMIZATION- CONVERT MORE TRAFFIC INTO INQUIRIES BY CREATING PERSONAS FOR KEY DECISION-MAKERS AND INFLUENCERS

17. CONVERSION OPTIMIZATION- CONVERT MORE TRAFFIC INTO INQUIRIES BY CREATING PERSONAS FOR KEY DECISION-MAKERS AND INFLUENCERS
Once you have developed a plan around specific
content by buying stage, turn your attention to the
unique buyer personas. Every person buys in a different
way, but most can be categorized along these four
buying personas, which means your content and offers
must engage them in a unique way. For example, by
developing buying personas for a procurement
manager, an engineer, a maintenance manager and
key decision-maker and aligning your information to
each of their specific needs, conversion rates will
increase significantly.
Source: BRYAN AND JEFFREY EISENBERG

18. DO YOU KNOW THE FOUR DECISION MAKING PERSONA TYPES OF YOUR AUDIENCE? YOU’D BETTER! LEARNING HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND ACCOUNT
FOR THE PERSONAS (COMPETITIVE, METHODICAL, SPONTANEOUS, HUMANISTIC) PLAYS A CRITICAL FACTOR IN DEVELOPING AND OPTIMIZING CONTENT THAT
EFFECTIVELY CONVERTS. EACH PERSONA REQUIRES DIFFERENT INFORMATION, WITH DISTINCT HOT-BUTTONS AND TURN-OFFS, TO MAKE A DECISION. SOME
PERSONAS MAY CONSUME CONTENT IN DETAIL, WHILE ANOTHER PERSONA SCANS OR SKIPS SOME CONTENT COMPLETELY. THE FOUR BUYER PERSONA TYPES
(A.K.A. PERSONALITY TYPES, BUYER MODALITIES, DECISION-MAKING PERSONAS, ETC.) IDENTIFIED BY CONVERSION EXPERTS BRYAN AND JEFFREY EISENBERG
ESSENTIALLY SEGMENT DECISION MAKING INTO FOUR QUADRANTS BASED ON PACE (SLOW VS. FAST) AND PERSUASIVE INFLUENCES (LOGIC VS. FEELING).
COMPETITIVE EXAMPLE: PLANT MANAGER
FAST, LOGIC-BASED DECISIONS- WHY ARE YOU THE BEST ?
METHODICAL EXAMPLE: ENGINEER
SLOW, LOGIC BASED DECISIONS- HOW DOES YOUR PRODUCT OR PROCESS WORK?
SPONTANEOUS EXAMPLE: PRODUCT MANAGER
FAST, EMOTION-BASED DECISIONS- WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE YOU NOW?
HUMANISTIC EXAMPLE: MAINTENANCE MANAGER
SLOW, EMOTION-BASED DECISIONS- WHO USED YOUR SOLUTION TO SOLVE MY PROBLEM?
INDIVIDUALS TYPICALLY ALIGN TO ONE OF THE QUADRANTS- THOUGH THEY MAY CHANGE QUADRANTS BASED ON THE TYPE, OR COMPLEXITY, OF THE DECISION
BEING MADE. IF YOU HAVEN'T CONSIDERED BUYER PERSONAS, CHANCES ARE YOU’RE NOT PERSUADING ONE OR MORE OF THE BUYER PERSONA TYPES, AND
THEREFORE MISSING CONVERSION AND SALES OPPORTUNITIES.
CONVERSION OPTIMIZATION- CONVERT MORE TRAFFIC INTO INQUIRIES BY CREATING PERSONAS FOR KEY DECISION-MAKERS AND INFLUENCERS

19. PAID MEDIA
DRIVE INCREMENTAL ONLINE TRAFFIC FOCUSED ON KEYWORDS
RELATED TO YOUR CORE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

20. PAID MEDIA- DRIVE INCREMENTAL ONLINE TRAFFIC FOCUSED ON KEYWORDS RELATED TO YOUR CORE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
FACT
Studies show that web users predominantly
click on the top four results for any particular
search, and then move on.

21. PAID MEDIA- DRIVE INCREMENTAL ONLINE TRAFFIC FOCUSED ON KEYWORDS RELATED TO YOUR CORE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
With content mapping and buyers personas in place, visits and
conversion rates for your online properties, will increase.
However, it’s important to remember that organic traffic
accounts for just 13% of page one results. If your products and
services don’t show up when buyers search online, odds are
that your business is missing sales opportunities. In contrast, paid
media advertising (yellow) accounts for nearly 30% of the real
estate on top search results. By balancing paid media with
organic traffic, potential buyers finding you can be increased
considerably.

22. MOSTB2B COMPANIES WON'T CONSISTENTLY SHOW UP ON THE FIRST PAGE OF SEARCH ENGINE RESULTS; OTHER THAN PERHAPS THEIR
COMPANY NAME OR SOME POPULAR PRODUCT BRAND TERMS. KEYWORD RESEARCH REVEALS FOR MOST BUSINESSES, THIS TRAFFIC GENERALLY REPRESENTS
ONLY 10%-15% OF THE POTENTIAL ONLINE SEARCHERS YOU COULD BE GETTING. WHILE BUILDING A COMPREHENSIVE CONTENT MARKETING PLAN WILL
IMPROVE YOUR ORGANIC TRAFFIC, A BALANCED APPROACH MAY INCLUDE PAID MEDIA.
ACCORDING TO RECENT STUDIES, A B2B COMPANY WITH 50+ EMPLOYEES IS GETTING ABOUT 700 UNIQUE VISITS WEEK TO THEIR WEBSITE. ON AVERAGE,
WEBSITES CONVERT VISITORS INTO INQUIRIES AT AROUND 3%, MEANING
700 X .03 = 21 INQUIRIES. BASED ON THOSE CALCULATIONS, BUSINESSES THAT RELY SOLELY ON ORGANIC WEBSITE TRAFFIC MAY BE WOEFULLY
UNDERSERVED; MEANING POTENTIAL BUYERS JUST AREN’T FIND YOU.
AUGMENTING ORGANIC TRAFFIC WITH A WELL-PLANNED PAID MEDIA CAMPAIGN CAN INCREASE TRAFFIC AND DRIVE MORE INQUIRIES. AN PAID MEDIA
CAMPAIGN, THAT IS WELL-DESIGNED AND MANAGED, CAN HELP YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SHOW UP ON THE FIRST PAGE OF SEARCH ENGINE
RESULTS FOR HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF KEYWORDS. PAID MEDIA CAN FILL THE GAP WHERE YOU DON’T YET HAVE AN ORGANIC PRESENCE TO ENSURE
THAT YOU’RE FILLING YOUR FUNNEL WITH PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMERS.
THE GOAL IS TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE USING A BALANCED APPROACH BETWEEN ORGANIC AND PAID MEDIA. BY MAXIMIZING YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE,
YOU CAN GROW AWARENESS AND PROSPECTS, YET ENSURE A BUSINESS PAYBACK.
PAID MEDIA- DRIVE INCREMENTAL ONLINE TRAFFIC FOCUSED ON KEYWORDS RELATED TO YOUR CORE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

23. LEAD NURTURING
A SERIES OF COMMUNICATIONS TO EDUCATE PROSPECTS AND
CUSTOMERS DEPENDING ON THEIR BUYING STAGE AND INTEREST

24. LEAD NURTURING- A SERIES OF COMMUNICATIONS TO EDUCATE PROSPECTS AND CUSTOMERS DEPENDING ON THEIR BUYING STAGE AND INTEREST
FACT
Email Marketing is the #1 channel for driving leads and
revenue- 57% of marketers find email to be the most
effective way to nurture leads-
MarketingSherpa 2012 Lead Generation Benchmark

25. SEO PPCSocial
Landing
Page
Leads
LEAD NURTURING- A SERIES OF COMMUNICATIONS TO EDUCATE PROSPECTS AND CUSTOMERS DEPENDING ON THEIR BUYING STAGE AND INTEREST
An increase in online traffic and conversions, will result
in many more prospect inquiries than previously. Much
like a manufacturing process, this may result in
bottlenecks further down the funnel and cause delays
in your ability to handle leads in a timely and relevant
way. That’s where marketing automation or lead
nurturing campaigns can help your sales team’s be
more effective and efficient. By engaging with recent
and relevant content, your likelihood of lead to sales
success increases.
SEO PPCSocial
SEO
Paid
Media
Other
Media
Website Landing
Pages
Web forms or
phone calls
Leads
Multi-channel lead nurturing

26. LEAD NURTURING- LEVERAGE EMAIL TO EDUCATE PROSPECTS AND CUSTOMERS DEPENDING ON THEIR BUYING STAGE AND PRODUCT INTEREST
LEAD NURTURING IS A CRITICAL PART OF ANY ONLINE MARKETING AND SALES FUNNEL PROGRAM. IT IS COMMON FOR MARKETERS TO LAY OUT
SIMPLE NURTURE TRACKS THAT SEND OUT A SERIES OF EMAILS THAT FLOW FROM AWARENESS TO EVALUATION, REGARDLESS OF THE PROSPECTS ACTIONS.
HOWEVER, SIMPLE NURTURE TRACKS ARE NOT ALWAYS EFFECTIVE AND MARKETERS WILL NEED TO DEVELOP MORE RELEVANT PATHS OR TRACKS. SUCH TRACKS
ALLOW COMPANIES TO ADAPT THEIR NURTURING APPROACHES BASED ON PRODUCT/SERVICE SELECTION, INTERNAL SCORES, OR CHANGES IN PROSPECT'S
ONLINE BEHAVIOR, EFFECTIVELY MOVING PROSPECTS GRADUALLY DOWN YOUR ONLINE SALES FUNNEL.
SOME TRACKS INCLUDE:
• GENERAL AWARENESS TRACK
• SPECIFIC PRODUCT INFORMATION TRACK
• ACCELERATED TRACK BASED ON ACTIVITY
• LOST INTEREST OR LOST LEAD TRACK
• AFTER SALE, CUSTOMER TRACK
• CROSS-SELL & UP-SELL TRACK
• CUSTOMER LOYALTY / RETENTION TRACK
BY USING AUTOMATION AND CRM INTEGRATION IT IS EASY FOR SALES REPS AND MARKETERS TO TRACK PROSPECTS ON THEIR NURTURING JOURNEY. ONCE
PROSPECTS ARE FURTHER DOWN THE FUNNEL THEY CAN BE AUTOMATICALLY REMOVED FROM THE LEAD NURTURING TRACKS SO THAT AUTOMATED MESSAGES
DO NOT DUPLICATE THE EFFORTS OF YOUR SALES REPS.

27. MEASUREMENT
TRACK BOTH MICRO AND MACRO CONVERSIONS TO
TRULY MEASURE YOUR ONLINE PERFORMANCE

28. MEASUREMENT- TRACK BOTH MICRO AND MACRO CONVERSIONS TO TRULY MEASURE YOUR ONLINE PERFORMANCE
FACT
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
- Peter Drucker, Acclaimed Management Consultant, Educator and Author

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MEASUREMENT- TRACK BOTH MICRO AND MACRO CONVERSIONS TO TRULY MEASURE YOUR ONLINE PERFORMANCE
Keyword research, content mapping, persona
development and lead nurturing won’t matter much,
if you can’t measure results. But how do you pick the
right metrics to manage your business in a sea of
online data? By identifying and measuring both micro
and macro conversions will provide the insights you
are looking for understand how your online marketing
and sales funnel are working. By tracking micro
conversions (how-to video views) as well as macro
conversions (lead capture from a whitepaper
download), your business can measure and manage
your sales opportunities and revenue stream more
effectively.

30. MEASUREMENT- TRACK BOTH MICRO AND MACRO CONVERSIONS TO TRULY MEASURE YOUR ONLINE PERFORMANCE
BUSINESSBUYERS ENGAGE WITH WEBSITE CONTENT DIFFERENTLY THAN TRADITIONAL MEDIA. ONLINE REPORTING TOOLS, SUCH AS GOOGLE
ANALYTICS CAN PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF YOUR ONLINE ACTIVITY AND PAINT A PICTURE OF YOUR AUDIENCE AND THEIR BEHAVIORS. TRAFFIC
ACROSS PAID MEDIA, ORGANIC, SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER CONTENT CAN BE MEASURED BY TAGGING ENGAGEMENT BASED ON MICRO AND MACRO
CONVERSIONS. ONLINE MEASUREMENT CAN ALSO TRACK WHERE TRAFFIC IS COMING FROM AND WHAT KIND OF TECHNOLOGY (DESKTOP, TABLETS,
SMARTPHONES) IS BEING USED TO ACCESS YOUR ONLINE CONTENT. CUSTOM DESIGNED REPORTS AND METRICS AROUND YOUR BUSINESS OBJECTIVES MAKE
IT EASIER TO DETERMINE WHAT CHANGES OR UPDATES WOULD BRING MORE QUALIFIED INQUIRIES, AND WHAT MARKETING BUDGET SOURCES ARE ACTUALLY
LEADING TO MORE CUSTOMERS. THE KEY IS TO DETERMINE WHAT TO MEASURE, START SIMPLE AND EVOLVE, SO YOU DON’T DROWN IN THE SEA OF DATA.
FOLLOW THESE THREE SIMPLE STEPS:
1. IDENTIFY THE OBJECTIVES THAT SUPPORT YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING EFFORTS
THIS SOUNDS SIMPLE ON THE SURFACE BUT TOO OFTEN WE SEE PEOPLE JUMP DIRECTLY INTO MEASURING VISITS, CLICKS, BOUNCE RATES, ETC. BEFORE TRULY
UNDERSTANDING THEIR OBJECTIVE. FOR EXAMPLE YOU MIGHT HAVE AN OBJECTIVE TO GENERATE LEADS FOR YOUR SALES PEOPLE OR DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS.
2. IDENTIFY SPECIFIC GOALS FOR YOUR OBJECTIVE
FOR EXAMPLE, WE MAY HAVE TWO GOALS: GENERATE INTEREST THROUGH USE OF A PRODUCT COMPARISON TOOL, AND CAPTURE LEADS THROUGH A “HOW
TO” GUIDE ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT. THESE ARE GREAT EXAMPLES OF MICRO CONVERSIONS.
3. SET CLEAR KPIS AND TARGETS THAT SUPPORT YOUR GOALS
SUCH AS 10,000 MONTHLY VIEWS OF A PRODUCT COMPARISON PAGE AND 1,000 MONTHLY DOWNLOADS OF A “HOW TO” GUIDE OR NUMBER OF SALES INQUIRIES .

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