5 Ways Analytic Tools Can Have a Big Effect on Small Businesses

Analytics tools is just another way of saying “useful statistics about your forms and content.”

It assists you in getting a greater understanding of how many people want to fill out your form, as well as what promotion tactics are effective.
Even if you’re not much of a bean counter, remember that each specific view can be a potential customer. And every abandonment is someone who didn’t finish your form or buy your product or services.

The whole purpose of an online form is to gather data, not get stood up halfway through. When you take the time to review your metrics, you get a better idea of how viewers are flowing through your form.

According to (PDF) the SBA, there are over 27 million small businesses in the United States at last count. The majority of them are using analytic tools successfully, and here’s why:

Form Analysis Tells You Where Your Traffic is Coming From

Maria Contrera-Sweet is the current Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, and she advises:

“Your online traffic needs to be tracked, analyzed, and engaged on a regular basis; the fact is, that the more often you update your information the better your chances of success.”

Or, in the words of Sun Tzu in his famous book, The Art of War, “Old information is no better than old weapons.”

It’s All About User Behavior

Social scientists have an axiom: “Past actions predict future behavior.” Aytekin Tank is the founder of JotForm, a form analytics company facilitating business.

He states:

“Understanding your customers is key to success in any business, big or small. As you track their previous behavior you are given insights into what they are likely to do in the future, and then you can format your landing page and social media to meet their expectations.”

Don’t Be Colorblind. Use Heat Maps!

Back in the days of rotary phones and Rolodexes, this used to be called color coding. Today it’s called heat mapping, and it happens in real time — you can view your landing page or any other platform, and actually tell by how ‘hot’ the colors are, just what people are viewing and clicking on the most.

It is analogous to a Doppler radar screen that’s tracking a storm. The more intense the red, the more activity there is in that area. This can be an enormous help in repositioning things like your CTA button for maximum effect.

If You’re Using Twitter . . .

Followerwonk analyzes your Twitter followers and all tweets to present a variety of information that can be used for targeted marketing. And it’s free. The data is divided into charts that allow for a simplified graphic representation. It also allows marketers to figure out most-often-used hashtags on an account plus optimal times for tweeting (when most of your followers are actively on Twitter).

As a statistical tool, Followerwonk is a treasure trove. The insight displayed allows you to streamline posting times and employ Twitter more effectively in the form of a marketing channel.

You can even try researching your competitors, since Followerwonk is not restricted to providing data for one lone Twitter account.

And the Best for Last

Google Analytics gives detailed demographic data about your target audience. It measures engagement, helps you to determine which topics are best liked, and identifies exactly where the audience is likely coming from.

You can trust Google Analytics to appraise the effectiveness of your social media marketing campaigns, plus many other custom strategies.

Along with the company’s analytics, you should also use Google Webmaster Tools. You can trace keywords for which your website has been ranked, the quality and number of backlinks, plus the number of indexed pages and broken pages. You will receive error messages, plus reports that are useful to improve your website’s performance and boost the effectiveness of all SEO efforts to reach the proper audience.