Goals are used in Google Analytics to measure business objectives such as generating revenue (sales, donations, subscriptions, etc.), gaining new subscribers to an email list or members to a website, and tracking any type of measurable action such as contest entries or case study downloads. Common examples of Conversion (or Goal) Tracking include the following:
Complete Contact Form
Sign up for Newsletter
Complete the Sale
Download
Contact Form Completions
Sign Up Completions
Sales Revenue, Volume, Avg. Order Value
Conversions or Events
Goal Funnels
The steps (or micro conversions) a visitor progresses through in order to achieve the end goal (or macro conversion) are part of what Google Analytics calls the “Goal Funnel.”
The Goal is the end goal, like filling out a Contact Form and reaching the Thank You page upon submission.
The Funnel is the series of steps taken to access the form, preview the form then submit the form (click submit).
The Simple Goal Funnel below displays the number of conversions for Newsletter Signups. In the example, you can see 4 people arrived at the Sign Up Form from 2 sources (3 came directly and 1 from an internal page). All 4 signed up (reached the Thank You page) so 0 abandoned the process.
Goal Funnel Reports are accessible in Google Analytics under Conversions > Goals > Funnel Visualization.
A more advanced Goal Funnel with micro-actions is used to track goals with multiple steps, like a shopping cart or member registration that requires an email opt-in / confirmation email.
Adding Goals or Modifying Goals
The Goal Settings are accessed from the gear icon in the top right corner, under the tabs for Profiles> Goals.
Google Analytics offers 4 sets containing 5 goals each. Best practice is to group goals according to the type of action. For example, Set 1 may contain all goals related to revenue while Set 2 contains all goals related to engagement (newsletter sign up, share/save).
Follow These Steps to Set Up a New Goal
Create a list of all URLs (or steps) a visitor completes during the course of a particular goal.
Make note of “required” steps, i.e., does a visitor HAVE to navigate through these steps in order to reach the final URL (the final step, the Thank You page).
With the URL path information in hand, create a new goal by clicking on the link for the desired Goal Set.
Provide a descriptive Goal Name, like Newsletter Sign Up Completions.
Set the goal as Active.
Select URL Destination (Note: other options as available such as time on site or events).
Set the Goal URL as the final step (the Thank You page).
DO NOT use the full URL. No http://www.yourdomain.com. Only enter the portion of the URL after .com, .net, .org etc.
Select Exact match if your URLs are always the same, i.e., there are no unique identifiers at the end of the URL. Use Head Match for URLs where the “head” or beginning of the URL is always the same but a unique identifier is added to the “tail” or end.
Goal Value is optional but we recommend that you set a value, even an arbitrary one. For example, 100 may be the goal value for a donation while 50 may be the value for a newsletter subscriber. Since business goals range in value, establishing some range within Google Analytics will help you more clearly see which channels or marketing activities generate the most value (vs. the most volume).
If there is a series of steps that leads to a goal completion, track those micro actions in step-by-step order in the Funnel.
Apply the same URL formatting rules as noted above in the Goal URL.
Required step is important to flag if you only want to track actions that flow through a particular entrance path. In the case of the Newsletter example below, we want to track the number of visitors who sign up for the newsletter BECAUSE they came from a Survey page. Since people can sign up for the newsletter in various ways, we need to set the Survey landing page as a Required Step.
Conversion tracking (Goal Tracking) in Google Analytics makes it easier to understand which channels are effective at generating revenue, encouraging engagement and measuring overall campaign success.
If you need help determining your goals or what to measure, see these related articles:
Timeline Apps help brands tell their story and engage with fans through contests (like the Antavo and Strutta) as well as through apps for shared interests such as travel, food and photos. Some of the most popular apps are TripAdvisor, Goodreads, Pinterest and Causes. (Add apps to your timeline.)
So far, we like the new Facebook Timeline because instead of having apps hidden in a left-hand sidebar, Timeline Apps are now right below the main cover image in a horizontal top navigation bar. Only 4 apps can appear at the top, with a maximum of 12 apps listed on your Timeline.
The other nice thing about the new Timeline for Business Pages is that not only are apps more prominent than page tabs, but there’s more opportunity for customization in how apps appear on your Timeline.
Here’s are 3 easy ways to use, edit and promote apps on your Facebook Timeline.
1. Rearranging The Apps On Your Timeline
You can list a maximum of 12 apps on your Timeline and, other than Photos which can’t be moved from the first position, you can rearrange these in any order you wish.
To rearrange apps:
Hover over the app and click on the pencil icon
Choose the app you want to swap it with
Remember that most visitors to your Timeline will only see the top row, so make sure that the 3 apps you choose to list at the top are the most exciting or interesting apps for visitors. Depending on your apps, this could be giveaways, videos or blog content.
2. Changing Your App’s Name and Thumbnail Image
Changing the name of your Page Tabs was possible before, but now you can also change the image associated with your app.
To change an app’s name and thumbnail image:
Under the pencil icon, choose Edit Settings.
Here, you can change your Custom Tab Name (make sure to click Save before you click Okay) or you can change your Custom Tab Image.
When changing your app’s thumbnail image, the image you upload can be a maximum of 111 pixels x 74 pixels. We suggest using an image close to the maximum size in order to take advantage of the space.
Experiment with different photos, text, and calls to action for your thumbnail images to test out what works with your Facebook fans.
3. Promoting Your Apps Using Facebook Timeline
Because there’s no default landing tab anymore, promoting apps is a bit trickier. For example, you can still use fan gates (or like gates) on a contest app so that only those who have liked your page can see the contest details. But driving traffic to that contest is all the more difficult. This is true for all Timeline Apps.
Here are 3 ways to drive fans to your Facebook Timeline apps:
You can post a status update about your app and link to it. Get the link for your app under the pencil icon by choosing “Link to this Tab.”
If you want to promote the app for 7 days, you can post a status update as mentioned above but then pin your post to the top of your Facebook Page. A pinned post has a orange flag in the top right corner and remains at the top of the page for 7 days. After 7 days, the post will return to the timeline under its original post date.
You can also run a Facebook ad and link to your app. Follow the same instructions as above to find the link for your app.
Changing your Gmail username may be necessary if your name recently changed (say if you got married) or if you were given a default name for your Google Apps account. For example, we were recently given the name “General Delivery 2” for a Google Apps account and we didn’t want this to appear as our name in someone’s inbox. You risk people deleting your emails if it’s not clear who they are from.
Here’s how to change the name linked to your Gmail address:
1. Go to your Gmail inbox.
2. Under the gear icon in the top right corner beside your name, click on Mail settings.
3. In your Settings under the Account tab, click on edit info under “Send mail as:”
4. You can change your name in the popup window.
Make sure to choose a name for your Gmail address that makes it clear that there’s a person behind the email. Please, no General Delivery 2’s.
Need to change your Twitter name or Facebook Page name?
At Boxcar Marketing we are big fans of Grammar Girl so this infographic from Copyblogger struck a chord. These 15 grammar tips are important to keep in mind when writing emails, website copy, Facebook updates or any other online content. As the infographic notes, although online copywriting is informal, correct grammar and punctuation are important—if only to keep you from looking silly.
Need to change the name of your Facebook page? Rebranding on social media just got easier! In addition to announcing Facebook timelines for business pages yesterday, Facebook now provides a way to change your Facebook Page name.
In the past, you were stuck with whatever Facebook name you selected, but now if an organization rebrands, you can rebrand across social media in a much easier way. Previously, Facebook provided no ability to change the Page name, which left organizations in this situation to rallying and encourage their fans to migrate from one page to another.
Having the right name, in particular your company name, as the name of your Facebook Page and URL is important as Facebook extends its use of Open Graph to make the connections and activities of people, pages and apps more prominent. Your Facebook Page name is going to show up in more places more often with the new timeline layout. So, if you have been living with a terrible name, a misspelling or now have a name change, take the opportunity to file your request.
Need to Change Your Twitter Name
Changing your twitter handle or username is also easy to do. Here are the steps for changing your Twitter name.
Book publishers have been on our minds since our post on 25 Lessons Publishers Can Teach Startups. In particular because Digital Book World took place, then O’Reilly Tools of Change, plus the National Book Count data was released and our client Canadian Bookshelf announced today that Amazon.ca will be its lead sponsor for 2012 and they are rebranding as The 49th Shelf. Here’s the big news in books.
Digital Book World Conference Digital Book World keeps a running commentary on their blog of insights into publishing in the 21st century. Following the conference, attendees posted a number of summaries of the sessions and keynotes on various sites. Here are the standout factoids and anecdotes in my mind.
Publisher optimism about the digital evolution has lessened over the past year. 72% of publishers feel they can be competitive in the new digital market (down 83% from last year).
Ebook sales increased 17% in 2011. For top publishers, 15% of their book sales were from digital in 2011. There is a lot of variation across publisher and dependent on the genre of books published.
Also of note, Sourcebooks announced their experimentation with an agile publishing model.
O’Reilly Tools of Change Conference
O’Reilly Media’s Tools of Change conference returned to New York with a stellar line up of publishing innovators and technologists to talk about the present and future of publishing. This year’s TOC kicked off with keynote presenter LeVar Burton. Burton heads a startup multimedia children’s publishing venture called RRKidz that is based on his work hosting PBS’s Reading Rainbow program. Watch the keynote and other presentations from the conference.
The above was Mark Medley’s opening for his National Post article on the results of the National Reading Campaign’s National Book Count. Read the full article: “National Book Count suggests Canada Reads”
It’s true. The numbers are in. Canada Reads. And based on our experience with client Canadian Bookshelf, there’s a strong audience for Canadian-authored titles.
Canadian Bookshelf Announces Amazon.ca As Lead Sponsor for 2012 and Rebrands as The 49th Shelf
Announced today:
Canadian books are getting a well-deserved boost today. Canadian Bookshelf announced Amazon.ca as its lead sponsor for 2012, and that the book community website will now offer expanded features and book listings under the new name The 49th Shelf. http://49thShelf.com
You might remember this Monty Python sketch on “how NOT to be seen”. The players are working very hard to play the game but unknowingly make decisions that blow up in their face. Managing a Facebook Business Page is a bit like that, yes?
You may be investing a lot of marketing time and attention to managing your Facebook page and unknowingly making decisions that don’t get the results you intended. For example, I came across a forum question today from a fellow member who has 60 Facebook fans but, according to his Facebook Insights report, a recent post had a reach of only 29. His question was a common one, if I have 60 fans, why isn’t my reach at least 60? Answer: Facebook Edge Rank.
Facebook has “Edge Rank” which in a basic sense is like how Google decides if your webpage should appear in a list of results or not. On Facebook, Edge Rank is an algorithm that looks at a combination of factors including:
Time. How long ago did you post and how was it initially received.
Affinity. How interactive is a fan with your page, and
Weight. The type of post made, i.e., is there a photo, is there a video, is it a text-only update, is there an app like a poll.
Your Facebook Edge Rank decides if your update should appear in your fans’ feed. Just because a person likes your page, doesn’t mean that he or she will see your post. Visibility in your fans’ feeds is not a guarantee, it’s a rewarded based on the level of engagement you have with those fans.
Borrowing a page from Monty Python, here are some Edge Rank lessons on HOW TO BE SEEN on Facebook:
The Obvious.
Popularity here counts. Find ways to get more clicks, likes and comments. Ask questions like the Monty Python narrator, “Will you please stand up?” i.e., Ask for Likes. “Like this if you ...”
The Cunning.
Relevance matters. How interactive have your fans been with your past status updates? Like in the sketch, Facebook knows that past actions influence current actions. Use an editorial calendar to create a topic series that will get repeat attention.
The Informant.
Recency plays a role. New info is more valuable than old info. How recently did you post and how fast was reaction? Try talking about the news. Current events and slightly controversial topics get attention, just don’t be offensive.
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