To Measure or Not Measure That Is the Question
First published as “Directives” column, Direct Marketing, October 2009
A hypothesis for your consideration: renaissance literature and Internet performance measurement have more in common than most direct marketers would assume (what happens when an English Literature major goes to business school and becomes a web analyst).
How so?
Shakespeare’s play, “Measure for Measure” has perplexed audiences and critics for centuries. It’s considered a “problem play” with particularly impenetrable vocabulary. Critics can’t decide if the play is a failure due to its inconsistencies or one of the playwright’s greatest achievements. Ambiguities in the script make it difficult to interpret meaning. And at the end of the day, no one is sure whether it’s a comedy or tragedy.
Similarly, measuring the success of online marketing efforts has perplexed management for years. It’s considered a “problem channel” with particularly impenetrable vocabulary. Critics can’t decide if web analytics tools are a failure due to their inconsistencies or one of our greater marketing achievements. Ambiguities in the metrics make it difficult to interpret meaning. And, at the end of the day, no one’s sure whether investment in yet another web analytics solution will result in organizational comedy or tragedy.
From a positioning perspective, they’re both a bit nightmarish.
Why is my hypothesis relevant to direct marketers?
Simply put, it’s always better to identify how you want your online marketing efforts evaluated versus having someone impose criteria on you. By developing your own online performance measurement framework, you can find ways to demonstrate the impact of your program or efforts; you can provide compelling evidence for increased budgets and you can clarify the resources you require to achieve expected results.
How do you do this?
It’s very simple – change the conversation, not the subject. Instead of talking about hits, talk about conversion. Website strategy circa 2000 assumed a “build it and they will come” approach that was ‘output’ focused. Today, your website strategy should assume visitor engagement with an ‘outcome’ focus.
What should you measure?
The full breadth of engagement key performance indicators – start by establishing a baseline for your online audience. Is it growing, flat or falling? How does that change by segment? Ensure you can identify changes in your visitor source mix (and whether those changes are the result of your marketing activity or in spite of it)? What’s your search visibility by target phrase? How does the quality of visitor shift by phrase? What do your target phrases tell you about prospect or customer intent? Is your cost per click spending delivering a higher quality of prospect over time or simply a more expensive one?
Instead of leaving measurement of the online channel to us web folk and our impenetrable vocabulary, mix it up with us and help us apply the same disciplined analysis you would to any other marketing effort. We’d love to help demystify, interpret and eliminate ambiguity as well. After all, if Shakespeare’s message can transcend generations, I don’t see why direct marketers, online or offline, can’t transcend a few generations as well.
Kelly Kubrick is the owner of Online Authority, a consulting firm specializing in online measurement. She learned her Internet trade at the feet of traditional direct marketers and believes firmly that the two channels aren’t as far apart as they sometimes appear.
Print This Page