30+ Ideas for Measuring Conversions on a B2B Website

B2B Marketing MeasurementWhen we begin a new online marketing program, the evaluation of the conversion actions on the website is one of the first places we turn our focus towards . Believe it or not, more than a few times, we have learned in our first kickoff meeting(s) that that there is little more than a general contact form or relatively untraceable emails and phone numbers on the website.

Fortunately for B2B marketers, resources like Google Analytics offer multiple opportunities to track leads and conversions, beyond standard website performance metrics.

Why should the B2B marketer care about tracking conversions?

Conversion tracking helps measure and “connect the dots” between the performance of online marketing initiatives and their relationship to sales and business development related actions. Ideally, conversion metrics can ultimately be tied back to customer and prospect behavior on the website.

And as illustrated in Salesforce’s 2015 State of Marketing Report, even though marketing performance measurement criteria is evolving, revenue growth is the top performance metric that defines digital marketing success.

Marketing Performance Measurement

That being said, it never surprises me when marketing managers overlook mechanisms for creating goals and conversions, that help develop lead opportunities for their organization.

If you’re invested in SEO and content marketing at even the slightest level, there are opportunities to establish lead performance.

In this post, we’ll provide a rundown of conversion-oriented opportunities and ideas to consider, based on functionality found in Google Analytics specifically .

New to goal tracking in Google Analytics? Here are a few resources to get you started.

Sales Ready Form Submissions

These types of form submissions and visitor actions can more easily be tied to sales initiatives, though the likelihood a visitor is truly “sales ready” varies amongst these different actions.

  • Request a Quote
  • Request a Demo
  • Request an Evaluation
  • Free Trial
  • Free Download
  • Free Evaluation
  • Technical Specifications Requests
  • Requests for Proposal
  • Contact Sales
  • General Contact Request

All of these types of form submissions should be integrated into Google Analytics goal tracking for performance tracking.

Content Marketing-Related Form Submission Opportunities

For form submissions associated to actions less likely to generate immediate sales interest, attention needs to be made to the level of form field requirements defined. As we illustrate in the 2015 B2B Web Usability Report, there are different levels of form field information – both in volume and detail – that B2B buyers will be willing to provide, depending on content marketing asset requested.

Content B2B Buyers Will Fill a Registration Form to Receive

From the 2015 B2B Web Usability Report

Here is a rundown of potential conversion actions to consider:

  • White Paper Downloads / Requests
  • Independent Research Reports
  • Third Party Studies
  • Analyst Reports / Collateral
  • Webinar Registrations
  • Podcast Subscriptions
  • Email Newsletter Sign-Ups
  • Traditional Newsletters
  • Daily Blog Updates
  • Company Updates
  • “Premium” Content or Subscription Based Content

Tracking Events

Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to put content marketing assets behind a form. That said, marketers still want information as to when / how B2B buyers accessed applicable content assets.

Google Analytics event tracking is one mechanism for doing so, allowing B2B marketers to track actions like link clicks and viewing behavior without intruding on the user experience.

New to event tracking? Here are a few resources to get you started:

Content Marketing-Related Event Tracking Opportunities

Here is a list of potential event-specific tracking events for B2B marketers to consider.

  • Case Study Downloads (Example – a click on a PDF document)
  • Technical Information
  • Product Brochure Downloads
  • Live Chat Interactions
  • Video Views
  • Testimonial Page Views
  • Social Media Clicks
  • Image Downloads / Clicks
  • Email Address Clicks
  • Phone Number Clicks
  • Rating a Product
  • Adding a Review / Testimonial
  • “Additional Links” / Supporting or Cross-Linked Content Assets Recommended for Viewing

Event Tracking Example

Content Grouping

Using Google Analytics content groupings, B2B marketers can segment various content marketing “types” (such as blog posts or landing pages) to compare and measure the performance of each.

This more advanced step in leveraging Google Analytics functionality can still be tied to performance goals and metrics, but isolates content types based on activities that might be being performed (such as optimizing a specific section of material).

Here are a few resources on content grouping:

Advanced Segments

And lastly, Google Analytics advanced segment functionality is another option for developing unique views on site performance, based on content types, demographics, and almost all facets of criteria traditionally found in Google Analytics.

Custom Segment Screenshot

Here are a couple resources on setting up custom segments:

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, there is very little reason B2B marketers should struggle with finding ways to track and measure conversions in their online marketing programs. There are so many options and opportunities.

While we spent a fair amount of time brainstorming ways to measure performance, I’m sure we missed a few ideas along the way. I’d love to read your additions, ideas, and perspectives via comments below.

“KoMarketing understands how to present and execute recommendations across the organization, from the IT professional to strategic marketing leadership. They go beyond expectation in working with the client to evaluate, execute, and implement program initiatives.”

— Silvina El Baba, Senior Manager, Web Marketing, EFI

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