From tracking website visitors to lead referrals and conversions, this essential tool will help you determine if your online marketing goals are being met.

Regardless if you are a Manufacturer or a Rep in the foodservice equipment industry, HOPEFULLY you have a website.  I mean, it is 2014 and today, prospects have made 60% of their purchase decision BEFORE even speaking with a sales rep.  Yep.  60%.

Perhaps it’s dated, perhaps you are considering updating it.  But WHY?  Do you realize how powerful the online channel can really be in terms of generating quality marketing leads that can turn into revenue?

Ask yourself this simple question: How many website visitors are you getting on a daily/monthly basis?

Hey, Foodservice Manufacturers, do you know how many referrals your website generates for your Reps’ websites?

Hey, Foodservice Reps, do you know which Manufacturers are sending you the most online referrals?   Most importantly, are you converting this referral traffic coming from your Factories’ websites into actual leads?

Google Analytics is one of the most important web-based tools to implement allowing you to collect data about visitors to your website.  From how they arrived to what they did on your site, this simply yet powerful is essential to maximizing your online return on investment.

Let’s take a look at a few sections of the Google Analytics report:

Audience

With the Audience section of Google Analytics, discover where your visitors are even down to the local city in which they reside.  It’s important to know that you are driving local traffic ‘in territory’ (for Reps especially).    Here you can also determine the number New vs Returning visitors and how long they are spending on the site.

Other important data from this section includes a complete Mobile report where you can learn not only how much mobile traffic you get, but what specific devices your visitors use (iPhone, iPads vs Android vs. others).

Acquisition

It is within the Acquisition section of Google Analytics where you will find specific details about HOW VISITORS ARE FINDING YOUR WEBSITE.   Other websites like MAFSI, Reps (if a manufacturer), Manufacturer (if a Rep) have your website hyperlinked to your site.  This is where you can discover all of your referral traffic.  Using Social Media to drive traffic to your website?  Yep, you can find those statistics here as well.

Running Email Marketing campaigns to drive traffic to your website?  Use this section to determine not only who is coming to your website from your email content, but what are they doing once they get there.  Are they converting?

In Summary

Whether your foodservice business has been on the web for years or if you are just starting out, Google Analytics is a tool you will certainly want to utilize moving forward.

Not sure where to start?   Let us help.