1. Mobile Traffic
With the continual increase of smartphone and tablet adoption, mobile will become an even more important marketing channel in 2012.  Using Google Analytics, you can easily identify traffic coming to your website from a mobile device.  You can also determine which type of device, service provider, and operating system they are using.  As these numbers continue to go up, it’s crucial to optimize the mobile marketing initiatives around this data.

2. Flow Visualization
According to the Google Analytics blog post announcing this new report on October 19, 2011, “Our goal is to help marketers and analysts better optimize their visitor experience by presenting the ways that visitors flow through their sites in an intuitive and useful way”. With Flow Visualization, you can graphically visualize how visitors use the website, including entrance and exit points and goal conversion.  This report is highly interactive, providing additional information when hovering over certain nodes within the Visual Flow.  Click here for more information regarding Visual Flows.

3. Multi-Channel Funnels
With the new version of Google Analytics also comes the addictive reporting referred to as Multi-Channel Funnels.  These reports allow you to identify not only the last click leading to a conversion, but also the preceding clicks – or “assists” – which influenced a desired action.  For example, a customer may ultimately make a purchase through a CPC ad. However, prior to making the purchase, they may have interacted with an email campaign or a display ad.  Now, using Multi-Channel Funnels, you can view this rich data set in an easy to absorb graphical display.  For a video with additional information about this type of reporting click here.

4. Real Time Reporting
Up until now, Google Analytics has done a great job reporting on past performance of the website.  Now, you can actually see what is happening currently with the website traffic. This new report was rolled out toward the end of 2011 and has been a lot of fun for marketers to begin using.  A few key things we can track using real time reporting include new vs. returning visitors, pageviews per minute or per second, top keywords, top active pages, and top locations.  Real time reporting allows you to access analytics before and during your marketing campaigns critical launch phase.  You can also easily identify which channels are sending your traffic into the site, in real time.

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at results” – Winston Churchill

Online marketing has many complexities. The work itself is based on traditional marketing principles (i.e. drive brand awareness, create a community, and get people to buy my stuff!) yet highly technical. With Google as the “gate keeper” of search marketing, and the fact they release new updates almost daily, it can be challenging to stay current.

Source: PPC Crew

So what is the best way to cut through the confusion, and sift through the constant change? Just like anything else, set goals for your campaigns and grade performance by your firms ability to reach those goals. It is imperative to identify benchmarks and set out goals for your company and your online marketing campaigns even before launch.

This single factor can better insure that all parties are rowing in the same direction. It will make your process, implementation, execution and ongoing optimization more efficient and effective, and help keep your executive team sane.

The process of goal selection is not easy.

On the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) side of online marketing, the most typical initial goal request is “first page of results”.

When presented with this goal from prospects or clients, we like to immediately ask “why”? The most typical answer is “more traffic” and when we ask why they want more traffic they typically state that they want more conversions.  For purposes of this post, let’s assume a sale is a form of conversion.

We have therefore been able to dig down to the heart of the goal.  The goal, in this case, is not to be #1 on Google or “on the first page”.  The goal in this case is more conversions.

Here is where it gets fun. The next steps are answering the following:

• How many conversions are you currently getting?
• How many conversions are currently coming from organic (the direct result of SEO work)?
• How much gross or net revenue is derived from an organically originated conversion?
• How many conversions would you get by spending that same budget elsewhere (opportunity cost)

Being #1 on Google does not always ensure success. Driving tons of traffic to your site doesn’t always mean more sales. However, user testing and site optimization through specific and highly technical marketing techniques will help you to achieve an increase in organic conversions and that will most certainly drive revenue.

Below are some of the studying findings.

Highlights from the A &T and Nielson Survey

• The AT&T-Nielsen survey found that restaurants were the top local search category in mobile.

• “Professional services” and “contractors” were industries that has less searches but users searching for these industries turned out to be the most likely to click on mobile ads.

• Men under 45 are more inclined to share their location with mobile apps.

• More than a third of respondents said they allowed mobile apps to get a fix on their location at least weekly.

Source: Searchengineland.com

Local Ads Perform Extremely Well

Location based ads in mobile search marketing perform exceptionally well, and consumer response continues to increase. Microsoft projects 53 percent of mobile search has local intent and Google quotes that number at 33 percent. Additionally, mobile users are generally more inclined to take immediate action than PC searchers, according to both Google and Microsoft.

The AT&T study found that about two-thirds of local-mobile search users see ads weekly; and roughly 25 percent of users click on mobile ads at least weekly.

• Top Reasons for Clicking on Mobile Ads
• Interested in Brand or Product – 36%
• Deal, Promotion or Coupon – 33%
• Relevancy to my search – 31%

The ROI

The study found 43 percent of local searchers on mobile devices physically showed up at the business location. Perhaps even more impressively 22 percent of those users actually made a purchase.

Source: Searchengineland.com

Image Credit: The DMA

“Social Mobile” and “Location Based Marketing” are new buzz words in the interactive marketing world. 2011 marks a year in advancements of online and mobile geolocation tools, not the least of which are Foursquare and Facebook Places.

A study conducted by Webroot in 2010 showed that that 64% of US users would use geolocation apps to get informed about a business’s products and services. Shortly after Webroot released their findings, JiWire announced their survey uncovered that 29% of users checked into location based platforms to receive discounts and promotions.

So which one is the best?
Location based services were designed to prompt people to go out and explore venues and storefronts in their local city. At first, the rave was around platforms like SCVNGR and Gowalla. Currently, Foursqaure and Facebook Places seem to be leading the charge in location-based service (LBS) marketing.

So how does it work?
LBS give users the opportunity to connect with others based on geo-targeting and proximity to local venues. Users “check in” to places like stores, restaurants, and bars, using their mobile device. There check-in’s then post out to their social networks.

What’s so appealing about these platforms?
Many of these services contain a gaming component, which allows users to compete against one another, and collect virtual and tangible rewards such as badges and discounts for their participation. These badges are unlocked as an incentive for checking in at local venues and events. Users that check-in are also rewarded with discounts, specials and promotions for checking in.

The viral potential
Each check-in is broadcasted to a user’s friends, and can also be posted to users Facebook or Twitter feeds. The potential for viral, word of mouth branding occurs when users publicly check into venues. The idea is that if other users see their friends check in to a location, they may be more likely to visit or remember the venue in the future.  The majority of location-based tools allow users to leave reviews of the places they visit, and give tips for surrounding events or deals in the neighborhoods. These reviews are available to others who check in to those locations.

Facts and Figures
In 2010, Foursquare announced that it had more than 6 million members around the globe.  Facebook followed shortly thereafter and said that they had more than 30 million try their places service, just within 2 months of its launch.

Based on download volumes, it’s clear that Facebook had a huge launch, although it is unclear as to how many are still active users of the service.  A recent study done by Business Insider, looked at a one-month comparison of the two services looking at the difference in total check-ins at several different restaurants in New York City.  The study showed that five times as many users checked in on Foursquare than Facebook during this time.  With 5 times the amount of check-ins, Foursquare dominated the study and proved that more active users of location-based services use Foursquare as their tool of choice.

Competitive Landscape
Foursquare’s average user’s network is typically under 100 friends.  This means that the check-ins will most likely be seen by a much smaller number of people.  However, Foursquare integrates into other social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook where any given users network is 300-3000 friends.

An advantage Foursqaure has over Facebook Place is the customization for B2B and B2C marketing. Business will now be able to offer Specials to swarms, groups of friends, regulars, newbies, Mayors, or simply to everyone. The places screen in the mobile Foursquare app showcases all the specials nearby, making it easier to find venues that reward foursquare users. With over a quarter million businesses verified on foursquare, these new tools will mean more rewards for users everywhere in the world.

5 tips for organizations to maximize marketing on LBS

• Set goals
• Educate yourself
• Learn from others
• Promote
• Be creative
• Get the word out by offering incentive

In closing
Both Foursquare and Facebook Places are fun applications for users, and strong marketing tools for organizations. LBS marketing is still a fairly new format in the interactive marketing space. As a business or a user, show your friends, fans and family how to use LBS platforms and highlight their uniqueness. If you offer them the guidance and the help that they may be lacking, they may be more likely to participate.

At the heart of local opportunity is the online-offline consumer behavior pattern. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, consumers spend $4 trillion on retail each year, with 95% being offline. However, 80-90% of consumers visit a store’s website before buying in-store , making the internet’s impact on shopping absolutely undeniable. Mobile has the power to bring the internet to the point of sale.

Using local-mobile advertising networks, such as Where, LocalAdXchange, Chitika and Citygrid raise metrics dramatically compared to online and traditional media, sometimes by as much as 20%. By using location tools, marketers can add a unique aspect to their campaigns, and make them more relevant and personal to the customer, which will increase response rates.

Besides providing better targeted campaigns, mobile devices generate local-search click throughs 64% more often, and decrease search-related tasks which are completed on the computer in a week, to about one hour.

Marketers continue to experiment with local features as mobile marketing gains power and credibility. How do you think consumers will react?

Despite of the great potential of mobile marketing for retailers, a Multichannel Merchant survey revealed that almost 80 percent of multichannel retailers are not using m-commerce.

Retailers who do not take advantage of mobile marketing may find themselves missing opportunities to acquire new prospects or improve relationships with their loyal customers. With a lack of a mobile marketing strategy, retailers will not be operating at full potential and will find themselves lagging behind competitors. This could result in a damaged image as well as decreased sales.

Half of all US spending will be influenced by online research this year, a percentage that is predicted to greatly increase. As shoppers look to the internet more and more, demand for an in-store experience to take advantage of web capabilities will only grow.

How do you think in-store mobile apps will impact your shopping experience?

First, you should audit your current reach with your website. Google Analytics’ capabilities allow for mobile visitor tracking where tracking by device and carrier is possible. As Search Engine Journal writes, “[t]his will give a benchmark of your current stats, and give you a good idea of how mobile savvy your visitors are. If more than 5% of your visitors are on mobile devices, NOW is the time to start developing mobile-specific search campaigns”.

From this data you’ll also be able to decipher how your users are finding your website, and get an idea of a keyword list. Then, it’s time to build your mobile-optimized AdWords campaign.
Before launching, ask yourself this: Is your website mobile-ready? “Your mobile ads need device-optimized landing pages. Start by creating mobile-optimized landing pages for the most popular device according to your device report in Google Analytics,” advises Search Engine Journal.

Is your website ready for a mobile search campaign?

Flurry, a mobile analytics company, recently published data that looks into the usage of mobile applications. According to Mashable: On both iPhone and Android phones, social networking apps were used most frequently — about 20 times per month — with news coming in a distant second. In fact, in terms of frequency alone, we’re using social networking apps at double the rate we’re using news applications, and four times the rate we’re firing up mobile games.

Why are these facts important? It’s clear that social networking is used at greater rates than entertainment and games. It’s up to you to be in front of the computer screen, and the phone screen.

Flurry states that it gathers mobile application usage data from over 1 billion end-user sessions across more than 50 million unique handsets from more than 200 countries.
ComScore will be able to add the following metrics to their reporting: frequency of use, length of use, user geographic location, new v. repeat usage and Wi-Fi v. carrier network usage.

Is this the next step in solidifying mobile analytics?

Google says, “just in time for the holidays, we’ve made it easier to find discounts when you’re on the go. If a business adds a mobile coupon to its Google Local Business Center listing, you’ll be able to access it from your mobile device. Just go to google.com on your phone and search for a local business”. From there, users can go to the business’ Place page, pull any coupons and then show the business the coupon for redemption.

Have you started using coupons in your Place Pages?