As someone who has a side business, I am definitely interested in strengthening that business through the public relations skills I am learning. One area that I feel incompetent in is Google Analytics. This is a term that I hear often, but I am unfamiliar with just how to properly use it to grow a business. This article was an interesting read that helped clear up some of my confusion.
The article profiles Mandy Menaker and her time at Fluent City, a language school in New York City. She was given a small budget and big task: get Fluent noticed. She decided to write a blog that used keywords and Google Analytics to their advantage. Since Fluent City was targeted toward people in NYC that were interested in learning a foreign language, Menaker targeted other areas of foreign interest as well including films and cuisines.
With Google Analytics, she would type a term in and not hit enter. This brings up previous searches that included that term. She also used GA to insure she was not using a title of a pre-existing article for her new blog posts. While keywords are important, her advice of writing for people instead of machines is helpful. I think that every article should always have a solid amount of content. No one wants to waste their time without finding something of substance in return.
She suggested dividing your blog content into two types: seasonal and evergreen. Evergreen would always stay on the site, while seasonal would be related to something that would potentially outlive its usefulness (like advertising certain foreign films before the Oscars each year). Menaker also stressed the importance of following through on your momentum. Keeping posting regularly. Fluent City posted at least once a week in her stead.
Similarly to the ideas presented by Olivier Blanchard in his Social Media ROI book, Menaker says, "your goal is to convert clicks into customers…not just have people searching your site.” Always be searching for ways to allow people to sign up to receive future information. Just as Domino's has proven with their campaigns promoting buying a pizza through Twitter, users want ease of access. It's a win-win situation.
Menaker's blog helped produce impressive results for Fluent City. When the blog launched, Fluent City served 2,000 students. Four years later, enrollment was 23,000. This is another example that social media can be a powerful tool when implemented well. While I don't feel skilled in Google Analytics just yet, I do recognize that it has the power to help achieve many goals.
Great post.
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