Google Analytics: A Digital Marketing Dream

In an effort to learn about Google Analytics, I signed up for an account at http://www.google.ca/analytics/ and linked my analytics tracker to this very blog. My objective was simple: I wanted to determine how useful this foreign tool would be, to an up-and-coming Marketing professional. As I analyze my own blog metrics over the course of the future, I will undoubtedly have a better understanding about the breadth and depth of this Google ‘add-on’, but for now, since this blog is in its infant stage, I intend for this first post to simply serve as an introduction to the program.

As the handy Wikipedia describes, “Google Analytics (GA) is a service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about a website's traffic and traffic sources and measures conversions and sales. The product is aimed at marketers as opposed to webmasters and technologists from which the industry of web analytics originally grew. It is the most widely used website statistics service.”

Immediately, I realize that this is definitely a tool that I will most likely find useful in my career. Might as well dig deeper and learn more, before data from my blog begins to appear, right? With a simple YouTube search, I come across a video that outlines basic features and uses of the GA program. It may be titled ‘Metrics,’ however the 9-odd minute video illustrates both metrics and dimensions. For thorough information on defining and understanding these words, please click here to be directed to a page which was produced by Google itself. 

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Very quickly, a ‘DIMENSION’ is a descriptive attribute or characteristic of an object that can be given different values. For example, a geographic location could have dimensions called Latitude, Longitude, or City Name. 

Alternatively,‘METRICS’ are individual elements of a dimension that can be measured as a sum or a ratio. For example, the dimension City can be associated with a metrics like Population, which would have a sum value of all the residents of the specific city.

Well, can’t wait to learn and share more. Until next time…

Klever Words And Interpreting Them

Ever since I heard the phrase 'perception is reality,' I really started to think differently. Pretty quickly I came to the belief that anything is possible and to me, these three words came to mean that how one sees something is in fact what appears to be true in that person's mind. Let me prove this to you with an example from class:

Professor T.Supra instructed on the first day of class "Create a blog and discuss branding." Not much instruction was given in addition to this point, and on the board he had written "Blog #1: how-to"..."Blog #2: 5 links..." etc, for the purpose of following a lesson schedule.

So that evening  I went on to create my blog and I thought nothing of it (besides, of course, the fact that I had no idea what the assignment REALLY entailed). I believe now that little instruction was given intentionally, in a simple attempt to evaluate perception and interpretation of instruction. Days later when I reviewed a few of my classmates blogs, I noticed something rather interesting and unsurprising at the same time. Everyone. Did. Something. Different.

Tolga interpreted the words on the board "Blog#1:how-to" apparently as a 'how-to' post about something and resulted in his first production as an instruction on how to transform an ordinary fridge into a fridge with a chalkboard surface (which was really cool). Ai and Marti both seemed to be on the same train of thought, as they discussed what their online brands should be in today's market and what characteristics each of their brands would likely look like if they had to choose. Meanwhile, Ryan provided an informational page about a consumer packaged good and his overall opinion on it from a functional standpoint. In the end nobody had written about the 'wrong' topic, but in an effort to direct traffic back to her blog I think Lianna  had one of the best ideas. Although blogging is all about referencing others and getting traffic to bounce around, she stimulated return to her own blog by provided a logical puzzle which was originally asked in an interview.

So, given that perception is reality in the case of assumptions, I find it so important to clarify before simply jumping to what you think to be true.

Where To Begin?

Well, these days with unbelievable advances in technology and the belief that eventually anything is possible, us worker bees have a career road ahead that looks anything like a road itself. In the preliminary stages of a students career, at least, that imaginary road actually looks more like a body of water, as far as the eye can see. There's usually a general direction or current which would be foolish to fight against... but when it boils down to it, we all do what we feel is necessary.

Twenty five years later and few people I know even have a clue where they're headed. Wouldn't the smartest action in that case be to stand still so you're not wasting your time, going in the wrong direction? Maybe I'm not taking into account that in general, people learn by trial and error and discover their love on the way to nowhere. So, when should we start branding ourselves, and how old is too old to explore?

Personally, music helps me think about what's going on in my life, such as today's topic: Branding ones self. Let me introduce you to a group that's been keeping me company for a year or two now. Maybe you'll enjoy their sound as much as I do. Until my next post, here's the latest episode from Above & Beyond's Group Therapy radio show. Enjoy!