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I'm on a mission.

I'm on a mission to show marketers the tools available to them to quantify their promotional efforts.

Translation - let's use data to see what's working - NOT OUR OPINIONS.

One such tool is hidden - nested deep - if you will, within Google Analytics - it's called "Top Conversion Paths," also known as "Assisted Conversions."

The concept is simple. Let's say a friend tells you about a chiropractor that you need to see.

Later that week, you hear a radio advertisement for that same chiropractor, then you call them to make an appointment.

Shouldn't both the friend's referral AND the radio spot get credit for the "conversion" (the fact that you booked an appointment)?

Totally, because you kind of forgot, and the radio spot reminded you.

But now, instead of the customer, you're the marketer. So with that "hat on," as the chiropractor, you really have no way of knowing how this call came in, do you? Unless of course, you ask.

Now, imagine scaling this out to understand how not just that one customer found you, but how ALL customers find you - and how many touch points it takes them along the way before they call you or walk in for an appointment (or buy a product online, request a demo, etc. - whatever your "conversion" is).

I talk a lot about marketers and business owners needing to use Google Analytics for 30 minutes per month.

Assisted Conversions and Top Conversion Paths is one reason why.

It shows you how each user has converted on your website, how many times it took them before they converted, and which marketing channels (social media outlets, links from other websites, Google Adwords campaigns, email blasts, etc.) contributed to each individual conversion.

This is eye-opening because you learn that no single channel is plug and play. You learn that the 99% case is that users need to come back 3-5 times or more before they convert.

You learn also that they come back in different ways or (channels). They may learn about you at first on a Facebook post, then come back 5-6 times via typing in your URL. Then click on a link from an email, then convert.

This, my friends, is a conversion path.

Any channel that plays a role in a conversion, gets assigned it's due credit under "Assisted Conversions."

This helps complete the puzzle, as it doesn't just assign credit to the last channel that the user came from before converting (known as "last click conversions.")

Now, you can make truly data driven marketing decisions. 🙂

Thanks for reading / watching - and have a great day!

Paul Hickey has created and grown businesses via digital strategy and internet marketing for more than 10 years. His sweet spot is using analytics to design and build websites and grow the audience and revenue of businesses via SEO/Blogging, Google Adwords, Bing Ads, Facebook and Instagram Ads, Social Media Content Marketing and Email Marketing. The part that he’s most passionate about is quantifying next marketing actions based on real data.

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