Evolution or Extinction:Survive and Thrive with New Google Analytics Features

4Ps Marketing
Evolution or Extinction:
Survive and Thrive with New
Google Analytics Features

Hello!
I am Matt Stannard, Head of Analytics and
Tech for 4Ps Marketing.
GAIQ qualified and member of the DAA.
Strong development background from the
days when we didn’t have jQuery.
Passionate about Google Analytics (I could
talk about this all day……)
Follow me:
Twitter: @mattstannard
G+ : https://plus.google.com/+MattStannard

This Sessions Objectives
I want you to leave this session today:
• Understanding Why Universal
• Knowing Custom Dimensions and Metrics are Awesome
• Understanding a customers “touch points” are key with
Cross Device measurement
• Seeing that tracking isn’t just about a website
• Understanding that demographics can help us
contextualise
• Be excited about the future, we’ve come a long way!

Evolution and Extinction:
Why Universal?

A History of Analytics
1990 World Wide Web Invented
1993 Web trends packages emerge
1996 Hit Counters began to appear on web pages

1997 Javascript Tagging Begins
2005 – Google Analytics is born (from Urchin)

2007 – 2014 - Google Analytics

2014 – Universal Analytics out of Beta
Google recognised that Analytics is no longer only about
Sessions is about Users – Real People.
Universal Analytics provides a tool which tracks users.
It can track both on and offline and allows us to record
information that relate to our business – it’s not just about
pageviews.

Why Universal?
Universal Analytics extends the feature set allowing us to:
• Define Custom Dimensions and Metrics
• Track Users across devices (using User-Id)
• Integrate Offline Sources (through the Measurement
Protocol)
• Give us Demographics
• Access to other features (such as Enhanced Ecommerce)

Custom Dimensions / Metrics

Definition
Dimensions : Describe Data
“A dimension is a descriptive attribute or
characteristic of an object that can be
given different values.”
Metrics : Measure Data
“Metrics are individual elements of a
dimension that can be measured as a
sum or a ratio.” – all metrics are
numbers, all numbers are not metrics.

What If…
You wanted to
capture Departure
Airport as a
Dimension?
The standard set of
Dimensions with
Google Analytics is
finite.
Custom Dimensions
allow us to extend the
information Google
Analytics collects.

Built in Search?
GA already includes a built in Search but using Custom Dimensions and
Metrics allows us to refine how users use elements of our site to give us
greater insights.
Dimensions:
Country, Resort,
Airport, Date
Metrics:
Nights, People

What does this give us?
Google Analytics Dashboard
Immediate feedback through a Dashboard in a language our
Stakeholders understand!

Collecting Data
1. Setup
Custom Dimensions and Metrics are defined at a Property Level
within Google Analytics.
2. Track
• As part of a send / set command
• Through GTM (Google Tag Manager)

We have Hit Scope
Hit
Relates to the specific hit sent to Google Analytics.
Product Information
Sent with Event Hit

We have Session Scope
Session
Relates to all hits within a Session (even those before the CD was set).
Weather set at
Session Level on
Entry – applied to all
pages views

We have User Scope
User
Relates to the all hits sent within that Session and future
Sessions by the same User. There are limitations with cookies
and devices
Dimensions set at
User level on
Purchase

Who has a blog?
Author
Article Length
Category
Date Published
Liz and Sally

Summary
• We can define our own Custom Dimensions and Metrics
(20 Free, 200 Premium) to compliment those built in.
• These are configured through GA and tracked either
using the code or GTM.
• Custom Dimensions allow us to record data in a language
relevant to key stakeholders in our business.

Demographics

Demographics
Who is a better donor – men or women?

Performance
Men responsible for
more donations
Women’s donations
tend to be for larger
amounts

Configuring GA
1. Setup
Demographic Reporting is set at a Property Level within Google
Analytics.
2. Track
• Add the ga (‘require’,’displayfeatures’) to our tracking code
• Through GTM (Google Tag Manager)

Summary
• Enable in both Google Analytics User Interface and add
necessary tracking code.
• Understand limitations (not all of your users may have a
Doubleclick Cookie).
• Create and combine with existing reports, segments and
dashboards to benchmark demographics.

Cross Device Tracking

Introducing Cross Device Tracking
In 2013, Cisco and Sophos estimated the average user
connected to the internet on 2.9 devices.
With “The Internet of Things” more of our everyday household
items are becoming internet enabled and this with Classic
Analytics caused a problem:
3 Sessions
3 Users

Cross Device Tracking
Universal Analytics supports Cross Device Tracking so the same
journey would look like:
3 Sessions
1 User
This is done by using a feature called User-Id a unique
anonymous identifier.

Newsletter Signups
What if you have a newsletter signup? Can you track a user if
they open the newsletter on their mobile?

Access User-Id
1. Setup
User-Id is a property level tracking attribute – select User-ID and
agree to the policy.

Create a User-Id
2. Copy Code Snippet
GA will generate a code snippet, your website needs to populate
the {{USER_ID}} parameter.
Session Unification allows us to associate hits a user may have
when they are not signed in with the User-Id if they sign in during
that Session.

Create a User-Id view
3. Create a User-Id View
Cross device measurement requires a new view. This view ONLY
INCLUDES DATA WHERE A USER-ID IS PRESENT.

Our Example
1. Database (Simple CRM)
We created a simple database to store e-mail
address and a unique ID.
2. Form Submitted
When the form is submitted we lookup the e-mail
address and add or return its ID and
execute (where 1 is the User-Id)
ga(‘set’, ‘&uid’, ‘1’);
3. Link contains User-Id in URL
Our e-mail link contains the User-Id as the tid
parameter, this is then read and set:
ga(‘set’, ‘&uid’, ‘1’);

Summary : Cross Device
• Uses its own special view
- Remember it only includes hits with a User-Id so may be a
smaller subset
• Requires User-Id (privacy implications).
- Cannot store personally identifiable data in GA.
• Consider how a user will identify themselves and how you
will issue a Unique Id (CRM, ID Broker / Other)
• Plan – be clear to involve all necessary stakeholders,
especially developers.

Offline Tracking

Offline Tracking
As well as sending data to Google Analytics through
analytics.js you are also able to use the Measurement
Protocol.
The Measurement Protocol defines a set of rules for sending
data to analytics from pretty much any internet connected
device using http / https requests.
This could be using:
• Excel / Google Docs (See who opens your documents!)
• Other platforms (such as Twitter) through their API
• From RFID / NFC or iBeacons
• A CRM tool to log key offline interactions

Tracking Twitter
This example shows we can use Analytics to track anyone using
the #Evolve_GA hash tag.
I am really excited
to be speaking at
#Evolve_GA
Twitter Streaming API fires
Measurement Protocol Requests
http://www.google-analytics.com/collect?
payload_data&z=123456

Loyalty Cards
Consider…
Eric is a customer of Starcups Coffee inc, and he has a
loyalty band.
We email Eric to inform him that we have released a new
coffee. This takes him to a web page:
Link contains User-Id in URL
Our link contains Erics
unique Client ID:
http://apps.4psmarketing.
com/evolvega/coffee.ph
p?cid=0010184609&utm_m
edium=email&utm_source
=crm

How?
Eric comes in store and purchases using his RFID band this
contains the same Client Id which we use to track the purchase.
User-Id http://www.google-analytics.
com/collect?
payload_data&z=123456

Summary : Offline Tracking
• Planning is key
- Are your “offline” devices internet enabled?
• Do I have a way of identifying the user?
- RFID has a unique ID built in
- CRM allows me to lookup data and return an ID
• Plan – be clear to involve all necessary stakeholders, especially
developers.

The Past and the Future

The Past
The Past
Personally – I think we may have seen the extinction of purely
looking at Sessions.
The Future
Not Big Data but Smart Data – Google Analytics has
empowered us to begin integrating all sources of user data
into one package.
Measurement Planning is key and looking beyond the Web is
exciting.

The Happiness Index
We are measuring Happiness of our Staff and Clients

Measurement Planning

Key Takeouts

Why Universal?
My Key Takeouts For You Are:
• Define your Custom Dimensions and Metrics
- Blogs think Author, Publish Date, Article Type
- Ecommerce – Page Type, Product, Brand (or use EE).
• Do you need to Track Users across devices?
- If Yes - how can you integrate a User-Id
- Create the User-Id view
• Integrate Offline Sources
- Discuss the Measurement Protocol with your developers.
• Embrace Demographics but contextualise with real data.
• Enjoy and be creative!

References
4Ps Marketing
http://www.4psmarketing.com/
The Happiness Index
http://the-happiness-index.com/
Measuring Twitter with Universal Analytics
http://analytics.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/measuring-twitter-with-
universal.html
IDC Bands
http://www.idcband.co.uk/
Measurement Protocol
https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collecti
on/protocol/v1/

Want To Know More?
Please speak to your account manager or email
Planning@4psmarketing.com

THANK YOU!

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