Google Data Studio Reporting: A Game-changer for digital marketing!
Nov 26, 2020
10 min read
Along with the fluctuating market trends, analytics is one of those areas where most of the people find themselves in a challenging situation. They find analytics to be confusing, difficult to decipher, and sometimes overwhelming too. In some cases, digital marketers don’t even report back to their clients because they don’t know how to begin on the right foot.
To make matters worse, it is almost impossible for digital marketers to provide a report to companies on their ad campaigns and promotions that can be easily understood. If you are a digital marketer who is required to provide analytics on a regular basis then you must be dealing with complicated and lengthy Google Analytics data and then combining them so that you can forward it to your client.
Thanks to Business Intelligence teams using Google Data Studio reporting that has allowed digital marketers to get better and detailed metrics instead of dealing with data for the whole day.
What is Google Data Studio?
Google Data Studio is a reporting solution that is used by business intelligence teams who want to go beyond the simple reporting of Google Analytics. The Business Intelligence team is the real hero behind using Google Data Studio since they are the one using the GDS platform for coming up with metrics and other detailed reports. It is the Business Intelligence team that is able to use interactive controls and customization options in order to come up with detailed analysis and reporting of data.
How does the business intelligence team make the most of Google Data Studio?
The Google Data Studio offers everything that a digital marketer needs to transform the analytics into an easy to understand and informative report with the help of visuals. The reports generated by Google Data Studio are not only easy to read but they will also save time for both clients and digital marketers. There are a few unique features of GDS that have allowed businesses to understand the true impact of digital marketing.
Highly customizable
There are various options for presenting the data like in charts, line graphs and these options make the life of digital marketers much easier. We can say that Google Data Studio is acting as a panacea for all the issues related to analytics for digital marketers.
Along with this, one can also change the colour, fonts and even brand logos on the report with the help of Google Data Studio (GDS). You can even customize the whole report for emails, PDF, and other formats. Even the easy drag and drop option will add value to better report analysis.
Multiple data sourcing
Image Source: Google Data Studio
One of the coolest things about Data Studio is you can get more data than what Google Analytics expert has to offer you. For example, you can even import detailed Facebook data in your GDS reports. That’s true! Any reporting data that can be fed into Google Sheets can be easily included in your GDS reports.
There is also a feature called ‘Connector’ in GDS that will allow you to pull data from various other sources like Stripe, eBay, DoubleClick, Twitter, and much more.
Dynamic reporting
The reports generated by GDS are dynamic as well and this means that with an update in the data source, the information in the report will be automatically updated. This will minimize the manual workload for digital markers and they will not have to deal with making changes in both the data source and the information in the reports as well. Making these changes manually might sound very easy but it becomes challenging while dealing with a large amount of data.
Easy collaboration
Saving time with GDS becomes more efficient because of easy collaboration and sharing. Just hit the share button and start working with other people on the same reports. Everyone can contribute to the dashboard but you will have full control over the access since you can set permission. From making changes in real-time to sharing the reports through emails and print formats, there are many features of GDS that makes collaboration easy and time-saving.
Some Google Data Studio reporting features that will be beneficial for understanding digital marketing analytics in a much better way
Scorecards
A scorecard might look like a simple number given in the Google Data Studio reporting like the conversion rate but there are many things that you can do with scorecards in order to understand the impact in a much better way. For example, you can easily set a date widget in order to make the data interactive. After that, you can check last week’s rate or February’s rate, just by making changes to the date column.
With the help of blended data, the scorecards can also be used to show calculated fields and this specific feature of Google Data Studio reporting will make it a more powerful tool for reporting in Google analytics services.
Heatmaps
Heatmaps will make changes to the formatting of the table in order to show the relationship between the column values. Imagine having a column that will contain all your webpages and against each web page row, the number of visitors visiting the page will be displayed. The heatmap will show your 5 web pages in red, middle-ranked web pages in pink colour and lowest-ranked pages in white colour.
This will help you in analyzing the hotspots of your website in a much better way and you will not have to spend time categorizing the web pages according to the number of visits. Even a Google Analytics expert can easily understand these heatmaps.
Interactive elements
The GDS is looking forward to making changes in their report so that they become more interactive and there are already many interactive elements in the GDSP reports. For example, generally, people use a drop-down list in order to decide how data will be displayed in the reports but in GDS reports, you can make tables including clickable elements that will change the way the data will appear in the report. You will need to just click on Facebook in your report in order to see data related to Facebook only.
Google Data Studio will not only solve issues related to analytics for digital marketers but it will equip businesses with a much detailed report on their digital marketing efforts. People will be able to unravel many metrics and trends that were earlier not accessible because of limited reporting and complex data. With the power of GDS, even Google analytics services will improve.
If you want to know more about Google Data Studio or wish to talk to our experts about business opportunities regarding this, then please contact us today!
What is Content Hub & How to Create One with Examples
If you want your content to make an impact, it needs to be easily found and understood by search engines. This increases the chances of it appearing in search results and reaching your target audience. That’s where content hubs come in. They help you organize your content in a user-friendly and search engine-friendly way. A content hub is a centralized content marketing platform that organizes, manages, and distributes your content effectively. This guide will explain why a content hub can benefit you and provide simple steps for building one using content hub software. What is a Content Hub? A content hub is a curated collection of branded content focused on a specific topic or subject. Content hubs encompass articles, videos, infographics, digital assets, etc., enabling deep exploration of a brand’s expertise area that is not directly aimed at sales. For instance, IT content hub examples include HubSpot’s Marketing Library, Adobe’s CMO.com, and IBM’s Think Marketing, which showcase various ways to design and organize content hubs effectively. Instead, they establish your brand authority, enhance its presence, and increase sales or conversion rates through organic engagement. Why Do You Need a Content Hub? A content hub centralizes your material, boosting SEO, enhancing user engagement, and positioning your brand as an industry thought leader. It can also serve as a repository for marketing resources, offering a variety of formats such as long-form content, pillar pieces, and top-performing marketing resources. Increased Brand Visibility: Focusing on a specific topic will make your content more likely to generate organic traffic from search results, as search engines recognize and reward comprehensive, authoritative content. Improved Brand Engagement: By providing valuable, informative content, including free content hub tools, you can create a deeper connection with your audience, encouraging them to spend more time on your site and engage with your brand. Lead Generation and Sales: A content hub's primary aim isn't direct sales, but it plays a crucial role in your overall marketing strategy. Well-crafted content hubs are part of a broader content strategy and can generate three times more leads than other digital marketing forms. Competitive Differentiation: A content hub allows you to showcase your expertise and authority in a specific area, setting you apart from competitors. This demonstration of knowledge helps build trust with your audience, making them more likely to choose your products or services. Centralized Resource: A content hub effectively consolidates all your digital content in one central location, making it easily accessible and searchable for your audience and team members. Improved SEO: A hub can boost your SEO efforts by linking related content, helping your content rank higher in search engine results. Additionally, organizing content logically to improve SEO performance and visibility is crucial, ensuring search engines and users can easily navigate and find relevant information. Enhanced User Experience: Creating new landing pages for different countries can also help deliver targeted content and boost website MQLs. It provides a structured and intuitive way for users to find and consume content, leading to increased engagement. Consistent Branding: A content hub ensures that all your digital content, from blog posts to videos, aligns seamlessly with your brand’s unique voice and message, thereby maintaining on-brand consistency and uniformity across various platforms and media types. Organized Content Databases: Content databases within a content hub help organize and curate large amounts of content, assets, and data. They utilize filters, search functionality, and taxonomy to allow users to find specific content easily. This is particularly useful for managing multimedia content, directories, glossaries, and comprehensive directories of specific topics. Data-Driven Insights: By centralizing all content in one accessible location, a content hub simplifies tracking performance metrics and analyzing them, making it easier to gain valuable insights into which content strategies work well and which ones need adjustment. Additionally, there are content hub tools that can manage AI-generated content to ensure consistency and alignment with your unique brand voice. How to Create a Content Hub? Creating a content hub involves several steps to ensure it effectively serves its purpose and aligns with your brand’s goals. Identify Your Goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your content hub. Whether it’s lead generation, brand awareness, or customer education, having clear goals will guide your strategy. Audit Your Content: Review your existing content to identify what can be included in the hub. Look for high-performing pieces and content gaps that need to be filled. Choose the Right CMS and DAM: To organize your hub efficiently, select a content management system (CMS). Options range from free platforms like WordPress to proprietary solutions. Consider a Digital Asset Manager (DAM) to handle multimedia assets, ensuring your content remains well-organized and accessible. Create a Content Plan: Develop a plan for the types of content you will produce and how often. Include a mix of blog posts, videos, infographics, and other formats that cater to your audience. Use a content library model to organize content, allowing for exploring subtopics within each high-level topic. Organize Your Content: Structure your hub with clear categories and tags to make navigating easy for users. Use a logical hierarchy and consider user experience in your design. Structure your hub as a content library to cover multiple complex topics. Incorporate Links: Additionally, incorporate internal links to improve SEO performance by passing authority to other pages and improving rankings. Utilize predefined or custom content models to align with specific business requirements and ensure your content is well-organized and easily accessible. Create and Publish Content: Begin creating content that aligns with your strategy. Whether you produce the content in-house or outsource it, ensure it maintains a high standard of quality and relevance. Focus on providing value and depth in each piece of content. Boost Visibility with Distribution Strategies and SEO: Effective content distribution drives traffic to your hub. Promote your content using search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and email campaigns. Ensure your content is discoverable and engaging across multiple channels. Track Performance: Monitor your content hub's performance using analytics tools like Google Analytics. Track metrics such as views, engagement, and conversion rates to identify successful content and areas for improvement. Adjust your strategy based on these insights to continually enhance your hub's effectiveness. Continue Optimizing and Building: Content hubs require ongoing optimization to stay relevant and valuable. Regularly update your content based on new keyword research, audience feedback, and changes in search algorithms. Promote your Promote Your Hub: Once your content hub is live, promote it through your existing channels, such as social media, email newsletters, and SEO strategies to drive traffic. Ensure you create content that aligns with your strategy and meets the needs of your target audience. Measure and Optimize: Regularly analyze your content hub’s performance. Use metrics like page views, time on site, and conversion rates to make data-driven improvements. Want to reduce your CAC to half? Book a strategy call What a Content Hub Looks Like Online: Content Hub Examples? A content hub is generally smaller than a full website but larger than a typical blog. It often forms its own dedicated section within a website. Unlike a blog that might cover many topics, these hubs are topic-specific and highly curated. For instance, a blog might feature everything from industry news to personal stories, whereas a content hub would focus exclusively on one comprehensive topic, like optimization concepts. These hubs enhance the digital experience by providing centralized content management and synchronization within a digital experience platform (DXP). Content hubs can appear in various forms, including: Help centers or knowledge bases Archives Digital magazines Streaming channels Specialized blogs Examples of effective content hubs include Medium’s various publications, Red Bull’s Red Bulletin, and Airbnb’s Locations Guide. These platforms guide users through an in-depth exploration of topics, often using a structure known as the “hub and spoke” model, which organizes content into main topics (hubs) and subtopics (spokes). Know about Sitecore Content Hub Sitecore Content Hub is an integrated content lifecycle platform that enables brands to manage their entire content lifecycle by unifying content planning, production, collaboration, and management within a single, integrated solution. It's designed to provide a 360° view of your content landscape, making it easier to manage digital assets and streamline and speed up every part of a marketer's job in a collaborative and intuitive way. Why is Sitecore Content Hub useful? Centralized Content Storage: It serves as a unified platform for all disparate content, simplifying content management across various marketing campaigns. Streamlines Complex Processes: Centralizing content significantly reduces complexity and simplifies tasks, potentially adding high value to marketing efforts. Enhanced User Experience: Offers clear views and intuitive features essential for efficient content operation and distribution. Consistent Branding Across Channels: Ensures that all content is aligned with the brand's voice and messaging across different channels and platforms. Tools for Content Creators: Empowers creators with advanced tools that facilitate the content creation. Advanced Search and Metadata Tagging: Features like advanced search functionality and metadata tagging enable quick finding and retrieval of digital assets. Speeds Up Time-to-Market: Streamlining the content creation process enables faster time-to-market for campaigns and content releases. Hence, Sitecore content hub integration centralizes and streamlines content management, empowering brands with efficient marketing and consistent messaging for improved ROI. Conclusion An IT content hub is a powerful process for establishing your brand’s authority, increasing online visibility, and engaging with your audience. By carefully curating and organizing content around specific topics, you can create a resource that informs, builds trust, and drives organic traffic. Follow the steps outlined above to develop a content hub that aligns with your brand’s goals and meets the needs of your audience, ensuring long-term success and growth in the digital landscape. ...
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2 Must-Have Types Of Social Media Content To Use In Your 2017 Campaigns
Content marketing is one of the top strategies for every online marketer, irrespective of what their primary marketing strategy is, in whichever year. Content has been, content is, and content always will be the one-way road to success in web marketing field. Developing high-quality content is key to generating enormous traffic on your website. But, using the right content is also necessary. With the passing of years, the trends change. Therefore, the type of content to use on your website has also changed over the years. Also, if you’re one of them who’re still using written content only, without any modification, the end is near for your web business. Here are the types of content you should be using in 2017. 1. Infographics: Using more infographics on your website can boost your web traffic. The popularity of infographics is increasing day by day. And, as I can observe, the reasonable factors are the visual appeal, availability of sufficient information, and simplified readability. According to stats collected from MarTech and HubSpot, Web platforms like Pinterest and Postano are growing in popularity and set to continue these trends in the future Search volume has increased by 800% between 2010 and 2012 According to a finding on BuzzSumo, infographics were shared more than 5000 times across major social media platforms The science behind the popularity of Infographics. For human brain looking and grasping the data is more easier than reading and grasping the same data. Infographics are extremely engaging. The color scheme used in Infographics are more catchy for the eye. 2. Video content Use of marketing videos for your product rather than simply written content can enhance your web business and boost the traffic reaching your website. A brief glance at the statistics collected by Hubspot and Insivia to find why and how? Led me to the following conclusion. The 2016 report based on 2015 data: If you think video content is a recent thing, you’re totally wrong. Here is some data that proves video marketing existed and started on the journey to its popularity from a while back. Embedding video in your marketing mail increases your click-through rate by 200-300% 45.4% users viewed at least one video online in a month 80% of the college and university students from across the world are a regular visitor to Youtube Including a video on your home-page can increase your conversion up to a whopping 80% From a users point of view, watching a video helps in decision making for 90% of the audience. Youtube reports a 100% rise in mobile consumption of videos Now, heading towards the recent report based on the online user behavior in 2016 92% users share online videos After watching a product video, 62% of users are likely to purchase the product online 37% of successful marketers believe that online video is the reason for their success. The retention percentage increases to 65% after a duration of 3 days, if the information is served with adequate image or video. The psychology behind video content popularity Video is an entertaining way to serve the desired information and easier to grasp. Our mind is more likely to process and retain videos for a longer duration than any other form. Explainer product videos influence decision making. Embed these two content formats in your 2017 content marketing strategy, and you will observe the business growing rapidly. ...
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Salesforce Email Marketing Automation: Essential Tips and Tricks
Today, it's crucial for businesses to communicate effectively and keep their customers engaged, especially with the fast pace of digital marketing. Salesforce, a popular customer relationship management (CRM) solution, offers robust email marketing automation capabilities that can revolutionize your interaction with your audience. Whether you are a beginner or a working professional, this guide will get you started with Salesforce email marketing automation and share valuable insights, tips, and tricks for fully leveraging it. What is salesforce email marketing automation? Salesforce Email Marketing Automation refers to the use of Salesforce's suite of tools to automate various aspects of email marketing campaigns. It helps businesses efficiently manage their email communications with customers and prospects. It enhances campaigns with tools like Journey Builder and Email Studio. It personalizes content, automates tasks, and segments audiences. Businesses using Salesforce report a 44% increase in lead generation and a 37% improvement in customer engagement. Additionally, Salesforce's marketing automation services streamline the entire marketing process, driving more effective and efficient results. Can Salesforce send automated emails? The short answer is yes! Salesforce is not only capable of sending automated emails but excels at it. Salesforce's email marketing automation is a key part of its comprehensive suite of automation tools. It enables organizations to create targeted email campaigns that respond to specific triggers, events, or customer actions. Here's what makes Salesforce email automation better than others: Event-triggered emails: Set up automated emails that fire based on specific customer actions, such as downloading content, filling out a form, or interacting with your website. Routine task automation: Streamline your operations by automating reminder emails for upcoming events, appointments, or follow-ups. Transactional emails: Automatically send order confirmations, shipping notifications, or information request responses to keep your customers informed. Personalization at scale: Maximise the use of the large customer database in Salesforce to develop emails that will be relevant to each customer. Analytics and optimization: Monitor the performance of your automated email campaigns and use data-driven insights to refine your strategies continually. Salesforce email automation options Salesforce has various tools and features for email marketing automation, which are classified depending on the difficulty level. Let's explore some of the key options: 1. Marketing Cloud Email Studio Email Studio is Salesforce's powerhouse for email marketing automation . It offers a user-friendly interface for creating, sending, and analyzing email campaigns. It is ideal for businesses looking to create email campaigns without extensive technical knowledge. Key features: Drag-and-drop email builder Dynamic content capabilities A/B testing Robust segmentation tools Real-time analytics and reporting 2. Journey Builder Journey Builder takes email automation to the next level by allowing you to create multi-channel customer journeys. While email is a crucial component, Journey Builder integrates other channels like SMS, push notifications, and ads. This tool is ideal for companies looking to create multi-channel experiences for their customers. Key features: Visual journey mapping Real-time personalization Behavior-triggered actions Cross-channel coordination Advanced analytics and optimization tools 3. Pardot Pardot is Salesforce's B2B marketing automation solution. It offers powerful email marketing capabilities created for B2B audiences: Key features: Lead nurturing and scoring Account-based marketing features Engagement studio for building complex nurture programs ROI reporting and analytics 4. Einstein AI for Email Salesforce's AI-powered tool, Einstein, can be applied to email marketing to enhance performance: Key features: Send time optimization Subject line suggestions Content recommendations Predictive segmentation 5. Salesforce Engage This tool closes the gap between marketing and sales, allowing sales reps to leverage marketing-created email templates and campaigns: Key features: Real-time alerts for sales when prospects engage with emails Ability to send personalized, marketing-approved emails directly from Salesforce Track engagement and follow up accordingly Know these Salesforce Email Marketing Limitations These limits depend on the Salesforce edition and are in place to prevent spam and maintain system stability. Here's a breakdown of the general limits: 1. Salesforce Essentials Daily limit: 5,000 external emails per organization. 2. Professional Edition Mass emails: Up to 5,000 external email addresses per day. Single emails: No daily limit. 3. Enterprise and Unlimited Editions Mass emails: Up to 1,000 external email addresses per day per user license. Single emails: No daily limit. Additional Tips: These limits apply to external recipients. Emails sent to internal users (within the same Salesforce org) don't count towards these limits. The limits are per org, not per user, meaning they're shared across all users in a single Salesforce organization. List emails sent via Pardot or Marketing Cloud have separate limits and don't count toward these Salesforce limits. How to set up email automation in Salesforce? Setting up email automation in Salesforce involves several steps. We'll walk through the process using Salesforce Flow, a powerful tool for creating automated workflows. Here's a step-by-step guide: 1. Flow setup Navigate to Setup > Flow > New Flow. Choose "Autolaunched Flow (No Trigger)" as the flow type. Give your flow a descriptive name and description. Adding logic to your flow. Note: Use the Flow Builder to add elements like Decision, Assignment, and Loop to create your flow logic. These elements allow you to define conditions for when emails should be sent and what data should be included. 2. Email actions Add a "Send Email" action to your flow. Configure the email details: Choose an email template or create a new one. Define recipients (To, CC, BCC). Set the subject line. Include any attachments if necessary. 3. Email personalization and flow testing Use merge fields to personalize your emails. These can include the recipient's name, company, or other data stored in Salesforce. For dynamic content, use decision elements in your flow to determine which content blocks to include based on recipient data. Test your flow: Click "Debug" in the Flow Builder. Provide sample data to simulate different scenarios. Check that emails are being sent properly and contain the right information. 4. Custom Trigger Go back to the main Flow page and select "New Flow" again. This time, choose "Schedule-Triggered Flow" as the type. This could be a specific time each day, event, or user behavior. Connect this trigger to your email flow. Once you're satisfied with your flow and trigger, activate them. Monitor the flow's performance and make adjustments as necessary. Best practices for Salesforce email automation Salesforce email automation can significantly enhance your marketing efforts, streamline communication, and improve customer engagement. By leveraging Salesforce marketing automation tools , businesses can create personalized, timely, and relevant email campaigns that resonate with their audience. Start small: Begin with simple automation and gradually increase complexity as you become more comfortable with the system. Use templates: Create reusable email templates to ensure consistency and save time. Personalization: Leverage Salesforce's rich data to create highly personalized emails. Test thoroughly: Always test your flows with various scenarios before activating them. Monitor and optimize: Regularly review your automated emails' performance and make data-driven improvements. Is there an alternative? While Salesforce has advanced integrated email marketing automation capabilities, exploring other options that better suit your needs or budget is helpful. Here are some popular alternatives to consider: 1. HubSpot HubSpot offers an all-in-one marketing automation platform with strong email marketing capabilities, an easy-to-use interface, and smooth integration across marketing, sales, and customer service. Key features: Drag-and-drop email builder Personalization and smart content A/B testing Marketing automation workflows Detailed analytics and reporting 2. Marketo Marketo is a complex marketing automation platform favored by many large enterprises. It is now owned by Adobe. Key features: Advanced lead management Account-based marketing Email and mobile marketing Marketing analytics and attribution Integration with Salesforce CRM 3. Mailchimp While often thought of as an email marketing tool for small businesses, Mailchimp has evolved into a full-featured marketing platform with automation capabilities. Key features: User-friendly email builder Customer journey builder Behavioral targeting Predictive segmentation Multi-channel marketing 4. ActiveCampaign ActiveCampaign is a popular choice for small—to medium-sized businesses because it combines email marketing, marketing automation, and CRM features in one platform. Key features: Automation map for visualizing customer journeys Site tracking for personalized experiences Split testing Predictive sending Detailed reporting and analytics 5. Klaviyo Klaviyo is very popular for e-commerce and offers strong email marketing automation that focuses on personalized messaging using customer data. Key features: Advanced segmentation Dynamic content blocks Predictive analytics Flow builder for complex automation Conclusion Salesforce email marketing automation is an effective tool for communicating with the audience, lead nurturing, and conversion. Its features allow you to develop highly targeted email messages that are interesting to recipients and profitable for your business. Key takeaways: Salesforce provides a range of tools for email marketing automation salesforce, from the user-friendly Email Studio to the advanced Journey Builder and AI-powered Einstein features. Understanding Salesforce's email limits is important for planning your automation strategy effectively. Setting up email automation in Salesforce involves creating flows, defining logic, personalizing content, and setting up appropriate triggers. The most effective salesforce email marketing automation strategy often involves a mix of personalization, segmentation, testing, and continuous optimization. Lastly, remember that the goal is not to deliver more emails but to deliver the right emails to the right people at the right time. This will help you establish better relations with your audience and, in turn, help you achieve your business's long-term goals through effective marketing automation workflows and strategies. By integrating marketing automation with Salesforce, you can send out personalized campaigns and manage your customer relationships more efficiently, helping your business grow. Interested in seeing how this can work for your business? Contact Saffron Edge today for more information and take your business to the next level. ...
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