Connecting the dots - tying the offline and online worlds together By: Jim Hazen, Analytics Director Capstrat

1. Connecting the dots:
tying the offline and online
worlds together
Jim Hazen, capstrat

2. The narcissist slide
Twitter: @hazenj

3. Agenda
1.Measuring offline tactics
using online tools
2.Measuring online tactics
that drive to offline
conclusions

4. 4
How do I measure
my offline marketing
efforts using web
analytics?

5. Why is this important?
5

6. Issue #1
You’ve launched a
fabulous print ad
campaign and can’t
determine the impact.
Was it worth it?

7. Forrester estimates that $917
billion worth of retail sales last year
were “web-influenced,” with online
and web-influenced offline sales
combined accounting for 42% of
total retail sales.
That percentage will grow to 53%
by 2014, when the web will
influence $1.4 billion worth of in-
store sales.
Issue #2

8. Why do we need to do this?
• Take out the guesswork of impact
• Optimize across all tactics
• Attempt to put tactics on level playing field
• Segment these visitors and understand what interests them
• Understand differences between other marketing channels

9. 1. Unique Phone Numbers
2. Isolation
3. Regression/Factor Analysis
4. Surveys
5. Guessing/Voodoo Magic
Old ways to track offline tactics

10. 1. Acts as a proxy, though might not be a direct indicator.
2. Most people use the web for information gathering even for offline
purchases/activities.
3. Easier, cheaper and faster to get data.
Why use web analytics for tracking offline tactics?

11. What are some ways to track offline
tactics using web analytics tools?

12. Use vanity URLs and redirect with tracking codes.
http://www.capstrat.com/?utm_source=office_visit_brochure&ut
m_medium=print&utm_campaign=jimhazen_marketing
Websitedomore.com
Vanity URLs can be your friend

13. Problem is a majority of visitors aren’t going to use your fantastic
vanity URL, unless they have to.
Instead they search in Google.
Use Google Insights/Trends and your web analytics data to see
changes.
But most folks don’t use your Vanities…they search

14. Geographic isolation tests are a good way to determine impact of
marketing.
My huge print campaign in Mountain Home worked wonders!
Isolate your web analytics by geography

15. 1. Unique coupon codes to
use only online.
2. Rebates for purchases that
have to be applied online.
3. Unique codes to unlock
content.
4. Loyalty programs where
customers have to go
online to redeem.
Coupons, codes, rebates, oh my!

16. Look for spikes in your traffic (particularly from SEO and Direct)
and when they occurred to see if correlation exists.
In October, Capstrat’s traffic spiked which coincided with my hiring!
Correlation?
Changes in visits to your site

17. • Look for changes in your mix of traffic.
• Typically, you’d see a shift towards Direct and SEO.
Shifts in mix of traffic sources
Before After

18. Did your share of traffic compared to competitors change during the
campaign period? Or were the spikes throughout the industry?
Use tools like:
• Hitwise
• Compete
• Google Trends
Your share of traffic…did it change?

19. 1. Track Product Level detail on your website for changes in interest
for particular products/services, such as Model Details, Additions
to Carts, etc
2. Track changes in internal search keywords
3. Do you see an uplift in New Visitors coming to your site?
4. Changes in conversions based on timing
Behavioral changes:
Visitor behaviors…did they change?

20. Want to know how they got there? Ask them!
While not always 100% accurate, ask visitors how they heard about
you via onsite surveys. Looks for changes based on timing.

21. QR codes…the future or a gimmick?
Embed tracking codes inside of the
QR code to tell you which ads are
being scanned.
Somewhat limited awareness and
adoption so far. But interesting
promise.
Big in Japan.

22. Location-based services - future or a gimmick?
Measure check-ins as a way to monitor upticks if you mention
checking-in in your ads. Give away some discount through check-
ins to incent action.
• Holds promise,
especially if
becomes a
virtual loyalty
card.
• Still not
mainstream,
limited adoption
by businesses.

23. Real world example: Gregory Ng’s biz card
The greatest example I could find
Gregory created 6 different business cards and each of the URLs
goes to a landing page with unique tracking parameters, telling him
which events/conferences/etc are driving traffic to his site.
The QR code also is trackable via web analytics. Genius.

24. Recap of tracking offline campaigns online
24
Measuring offline tactics using the web:
• Vanity urls
• Spikes in certain keywords
• Geography isolation
• Unique coupon codes
• Unique phone numbers
• Uplift in conversions tied to particular product or content
• QR codes
• Ask people how they got there
• Changes in mix of traffic (did Organic search or Direct change)?

25. 25
How do I measure
my online efforts
that convert in the
offline world?

26. Issue with online efforts
26
My conversion actually happens outside of the web.
Whether it’s a lead form, phone call, or something in
the physical world.

27. What are some ways to track my
online efforts that convert offline?

28. 28
Unique phone numbers
Use scripts on your website to create unique phone numbers for
web visitors based on referring source. Pass those unique phone
numbers into your CRM.
newsletter

29. Passing information to your CRM
29
Create a unique identifier on your lead form/order confirmation that
is passed to your web analytics vendor as well as your CRM
system.
Lead form
pageTracker._setCustomVar( 1,
“Lead-ID", “LEADID-123456", 3
Set a Custom Variable for your web
analytics:
CRM
CRM record with
LEADID-123456

30. Passing information to your CRM
30
The common identifier (primary key) allows you to link the 2 data
sources together to understand:
• What happens to the lead once it goes into the backend?
• What are the touch points that leads to a sale?
• Do these visitors purchase more in the long run?
• What sources of traffic/tactics generate the best customers?
• What content leads to better leads?

31. Instant chat
31
Track interactions that happen online via chat agents and the
results of those chats. Tie it back to sources of traffic and activities
on the website through a primary key.

32. Online forms, mobile codes or rebates that have to
be printed
32
Companies are using the web to embed traffic sources,
keywords used and other visitor activities in barcodes to be
scanned in person.

33. Correlate online activities to in-store sales
33
Look at behaviors such as visitors looking for retailers/resellers
and correlate to in-store sales.

34. Geographic isolation
34
Run your online advertising in selected markets and measure
uplift in sales/inquiries in those geos compared to those without
online advertising.
Bonus – change the online media mix in some to isolate which
mediums are the biggest influencers.

35. Recap of tracking online campaigns offline
35
Measuring online tactics using offline mechanisms:
• Using unique phone numbers on the web
• Linking to your CRM with online forms
• Printable coupons embedded with tracking codes
• Geographic isolation
• Correlation of online activities to in-store sales

36. Mega summary
36
• Don’t get lazy, measure your offline just like you would online
campaigns.
• It’s important to understand all your tactics (online or offline) in
order to optimize.
• Segment, segment, segment
• Find those common linkage points.
• Don’t worry about absolutes, you are looking for directionally
correct correlations.

37. Questions & Potentially Answers
37

38. Thanks and enjoy
your day!
Twitter: @hazenj
Email: jhazen@capstrat.com
Google: “Jim Hazen”