by Angela Moore | Featured Contributor
Wouldn’t it be great if we knew exactly who visited our website? Of course it would. You’ve no doubt heard that you want to speak to the right audience.
Have you ever gone through the process of trying to come up with your ideal avatar? You know the people that you really want to attract and sell to.
What if there was an easy way to get some demographic information on your website visitors? Stuff like what they are interested in and things they are actively looking to purchase.
Well keep reading because I’m going to show you exactly how to get that information
Now, maybe that feels a little yucky like you’re spying on them or something but really, the more you know about your audience the better.
So let’s get to it.
You’re already aware of Google Analytics. I mean most websites have that tracking code on their website. Most people will use it just for basic information such as how many people visited your website, your bounce rate, and maybe the location of your visitors.
Well check this out. Google Analytics has a feature for Demographics in their Audience section. You may have already checked this out to see your visitor’s age and gender.
But here’s where it gets even more interesting. You can also find out what your visitors’ interests are as well as what they are in the market to buy right now. And somethings might really surprise you.
From your Google Analytics , click into the Audience section and then the Interests and overview.
Whoa – check out all that data! So what is this you ask? Well happy to oblige. The Affinity Category are your website visitors’ interests. And the In-Market segment is things they are looking to buy.
So how does Google get this data for you? Well, if someone is logged in to their Google account when they are searching for anything in the world, Google can track that data. So basically all this is compiled from the user’s search history and habits. And Google is kind enough to share all that with you.
Aw, thanks Google.
Let’s take a look at a specific site and break that down. Here is a site that is about Golf. It’s actually a golf school. So there’s no surprise that visitors would be interested in sports and fitness right? Right, ok. But now let’s look at some of the other interests.
Well I don’t know about you, but the most interesting thing that stands out to me is the fast food cravers. Again, no surprise about sports and fitness but how the heck does fast food go with that. I would have expected health food.
Investors isn’t a huge leap to me since golf is a more expensive sport to play. And news junkies, well that’s not a huge shocker either. Even celebrity news as they may be following celebrity golfers.
Now let’s take a look at the In-Market segment.
Ok so remember this is a golf school so not a surprise that that website visitors are looking at employment or education. The whole reason they are on this site is because they are interested in a career in the golf industry. And travel isn’t such a huge deviation either. Maybe they are looking at vacations and where they might like to stay and who has the best golf resort.
But now this is interesting. Investing. Remember we also saw that as an interest so, it’s clear that this segment is one we want to target. Nice to know our website visitors have some money. Ok, real estate, yeah that’s a form of investing so still not a big stretch.
But wait, what’s that? Dating service. Hmmm, now that one sticks out to me. While it is lower on the list, it’s still an interest I wouldn’t necessarily have guessed on my own.
Now then here’s what you do with this data. You use this to help create a better profile of your website visitor. You can use this to “talk” to them with your website content, videos, social media, etc.
If you really want to make the most of this, you’ll use it in your advertising efforts. Both Google and Facebook allow you to target by interests so make the most of this.
Ok, now it’s your turn. Go check your Google Analytics and let me know what you find. What surprised you the most?
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Angie’s first marketing venture was a lemonade stand in her grandparents’ yard. Fast forward to her first marketing class in college, which is where she realized this was her true calling. After working in sales and marketing in the education and technology space for ten years, Angie felt an entrepreneurial calling to start her own company. Her goal was to help organizations while leveraging her integrity and creativity. From there, Six Degrees Digital Media was born.
When she’s not in front of her computer bringing campaigns to life, you’ll find her studying a new language, learning about technological trends, binge-watching her favorite shows, or playing games with her family.
