Using Google Analytics to Drive Marketing Decisions

by Mark S. Gothberg

Going Beyond Website Visits and Page Views

“We used to focus all our attention on how many people were visiting our website, what content they were interested in, what was the level of engagement,” says Joe Ebeling, e-business and marketing supervisor at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. “Now, we look at the value of each visitor, evaluating all the things that move the needle for the organiza­tion, and what communication vehicles … generate the most con­versions or appointments and which messages resonate with visitors.”

Success in taking this new approach to marketing and the website, which began about two years ago, has required a number of changes in developing and evaluating campaigns, notes Ebeling. Specific digital touch points had to be added to traditional as well as digital media vehicles. Instead of driving people to the main Web page, www.barnesjewish.org, advertising needed to include links to specific landing pages tied to a campaign. The custom landing pages had to have messaging that encouraged visitors to interact with the organi­zation. In addition, unique phone numbers, rather than a general call center number, had to be available for consumers who prefer to call the organization immediately. A strong partnership had to be established with the call center so that consumer requests would be addressed rapidly and inquiries tied back to campaigns.

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