The typical small business owner has a wealth of customer data available to them. This is true even if we limit ourselves to the most common digital marketing tools – the website, social media, email marketing, and digital advertising. Each of these tools have fairly robust data capture built in, which should, theoretically, help you better understand your customer.
And therein lies the problem. Many small business owners are data rich, but insight poor. The fact that you have tons and tons of data to work with doesn’t mean it’s easy to understand what you’re looking at. Translating what you see about website visitors, for example, doesn’t necessarily automatically lead into a clear understanding of which merchandise you should promote right now to get your customers excited and in the store.
Simplify & Succeed: Focus on the Critical Customer Insights
While every piece of information data capture systems gather is important, they’re not all equally important at the same time. Through our work with small business owners, including retailers, manufacturers, brands, and service providers, we’ve found that there are 6 critical points to concentrate on.
The Big 3: Google Analytics, Google My Business, and Google Ads
You’re not going to be successful online without being in Google’s good graces. The world’s largest search engine has an outsized impact on the way we all do business. Use Google Analytics to get a rich understanding of your customers’ on-site behavior. You’ll learn who your website visitors are, where they’re from, and what it is about your website they find appealing. Google My Business listings can dramatically increase the quality and volume of in-store traffic you receive. Google Ads are proven to generate more website traffic: when they’re carefully crafted and targeted appropriately, these ads can convert nearly two-thirds of the time.
Need help understanding your Google Analytics? Our Customer Data Behavior Package is for you!
Learn How to Attract More Local Customers
Nearly half of all Google searches are for local businesses. These are sometimes called “Near me” searches, such as when a customer searches for “Italian restaurant near me”. Your data can help you determine the local demand for your offerings, as well as highlighting opportunities where you can make yourself easier to find for nearby shoppers.
Learn from Your Email Marketing
Every time you send your customers an email, you’re talking to them…but they’re also talking to you. Spending time with your email marketing data can reveal a lot about what products capture customer attention, what types of language and imagery evoke strong reactions, and what calls to action will move on-the-fence browsers into enthusiastic buyers.
Facebook Ads Deliver Actionable Insights
Facebook’s advertising platform is almost as robust as Google’s, reaching similarly sized audiences and delivering equally valuable customer insights. This data can help you better target your advertising, time your messaging campaigns and learn what it is about your brand that causes customers to want to engage with you further.
