There is truth to the saying “what gets measured gets done.” And incorporating analytical tools into your practice can help you strengthen your business, says Sara Gilbert, founder of Strategist in Montreal.
“If you don’t have a way to measure the success of your marketing or communications,” Gilbert says, “you won’t know what works and what doesn’t. Having that data from your analytical tools helps you solve the mystery.”
Tools such as Google Analytics, for example, can help you attract and hold your clients’ attention — and attract similar like-minded prospects more efficiently. These tools are easy to use and either included in the platforms you use — such as YouTube or your blog hosting service — or are easily downloadable.
Gilbert offers some tips on how to make analytics work for you:
> Set goals
Start by identifying what you want to measure.
For example, do you want to find out how many visitors you are getting to specific pages on your website? Or, do you want to see which types of articles are consistently the most viewed in your newsletter?
As a rule of thumb, Gilbert says, choose three key metrics to track. This will give you enough data to tell you whether one of your marketing strategies is working, and to what degree, without burying you with data.
> Measure what matters
You might be curious about the number of people who clicked on the “about me” page of your website. But you should focus on areas that will really help you make better use of your time and resources.
If you are making your first foray into social media, for example, you should try to find out whether the time you spend on LinkedIn and Twitter is helping you generate more business.
If you aren’t sure what is important, review the objectives you’ve set out in your business plan.
> Set aside time to analyze
Just as you set aside time in your weekly schedule to prospect for new clients, you should follow the same routine to analyze your analytical data.
This thought shouldn’t fill you with anxiety, nor will it require any advanced training in calculus. Most analytical tools produce user-friendly reports that can be customized to help you answer basic queries.
It’s about making “big data” work for your practice, Gilbert says, to help you make more informed choices with your money and time.
> Don’t jump to conclusions
Resist the temptation to make immediate, drastic changes based on one data analysis.
Great practices are not built overnight. So avoid brazen decisions if your clients didn’t flock to your latest newsletter. If, however, you see a trend that develops quarter after quarter, then you may have reason to act.
Next: Using analytical tools.