The numbers are your mightiest weapon for 2019 as digital and social analysis continue to display their powerful ability to strengthen campaigns and increase conversion. While views continue to be the local metric of choice, more and more brands and agencies are learning the importance of different metrics for each part of their funnel.
There is an important issue that must be brought to light; views aren’t a metric for conversion nor a good metric for most campaigns. Not all campaigns aim for brand awareness, hence why not all campaign metrics and analysis should be on views. As campaign strategies and goals evolve, so do the things we measure for their success.
Here are several digital metrics you should measure for 2019.
Measuring Time
When it comes to marketing, time equals attention and we all know how hard it is to grab long-term attention in today’s fast paced world. It is clear, however, that time bound data is becoming key in understanding the relationship between you and consumers.
There are many time-related or time bound metrics your brand should be following or keeping an eye on to ensure a more successful 2019.
When it comes to websites, measure metrics such as
- Average Time Spent (by visitor)
- Average Time on Page
- Average Scroll Depth (Event)
Average time spent is a simple tell-all metric, showing the amount of time a visitor spends actively reading, watching, or engaging with your content. The interaction event, average scroll depth, allows you to have a more accurate measurement of average time spent.
Average time spent is calculated off of sessions that do not end up bouncing (visitors continue into the website); to improve its accuracy, and understand if consumers are actually interested in your content, analysts should compare it to average scroll depth which shows how far a visitor has scrolled.
Facebook’s growing video portfolio continues to strengthen, meaning it has become more and more important to ensure your branded video content is actually doing well. In 2019, watch out for
- 3 Second Video Views vs Average Watch Time
- Audience Retention
Measuring Instagram Insights
Most major local brands can be easily found on Instagram, with its highly visual nature becoming a strong selling point for those in commerce.
However, many brands still have problems with understanding whether their work on Instagram should continue and just how much ROI it brings back. To ensure your brand is doing its best on the photo sharing platform, make sure to measure these essential insights.
If you’re using several hashtags, and are looking on reducing the number or checking if your hashtags are actually doing well, don’t forget to check your post’s Impressions and scroll down to “From Hashtags.”
Finding the right one, or finding those that aren’t working, will require some testing.
Keep an eye on your brand’s Instagram stories and, if you usually post more than one story at a time, how many people you lose along the way. The most important metrics for Instagram’s stories are
- Impressions Progression
- Back (Navigation)
- Next Story (Navigation)
An important note, Forward (Navigation) is not a strong metric to follow as many users actually “speed run” stories. Back (Navigation) is a stronger indication of interest, as people are actually returning to your story to rewatch.
Impressions Progression is keeping an eye on how many users you are losing throughout your multiple stories. This will help you understand how strong your content is.
Measuring Interest and Consumer Behavior
Getting people to landing pages seems like an accomplishment but, truthfully, it is getting them out that’s more important. Out of your landing page and into more pages on your website.
Understanding how your website’s content is attracting visitors is important, once they are already in your website. Metrics such as Pages per Session, New vs Returning visitors and your Bounce Rate will provide a better understanding of how interested visitors truly are.
Remember that your bounce rate is the number or percentage of visitors that come to your site and leave without opening other pages or content.
For those using email marketing, Email CTR continues to be the powerful driver in campaigns and everyday newsletters.
Think Ahead for 2019
Measuring campaigns and content continues to be a growing priority in the industry, as brands become more and more aware of their importance in ensuring success and understanding where to prioritize work flow and budgets.
These metrics will be powerful indicators and helpers, so make sure to keep an eye out.
Sharing is caring, if you feel like we’re missing something, comment with the hashtag #ThinkAhead2019 and let us and the community know!
