I was asked several weeks ago to do a presentation for a well-known industrial supplier in western Michigan. We had built an SEO-optimized website several years ago. The third-generation industrial supplier had received a generous amount of quality leads from their first online marketing effort. Our customer was happy with the ROI from their web marketing efforts. The website had paid for itself several times over.
When I received the call from our customer, he told me the leads had dried up and he wanted to know why. I said, I would be glad to come in and explain how Google has changed the way they ranked their company’s website. Given our position of trust with this customer, it was easy for him to say, “Sure”.
With the two slides below, I demonstrated how quality content (blogs, white papers, e-books, spec sheets, etc.) is now the currency by which Google ranks websites and social media is the conduit by which your content is being delivered to your waiting, searching prospects.
This slide demonstrates the technical aspects of SEO and where Google’s sweet spot was 3 to 4 years ago.
This slide demostrates Google’s new sweet spot and the need for content that resonates with your industrial prospects.
The observant owner replies, “We can’t develop that kind of content.” The crusty old industrialist goes on, “Even if we could, how in the hell are we going to determine what works and what does not work?” “Can Google Analytics measure that kind of stuff?”
My immediate response was, “No”.
I then showed my customer this graphic and he immediately got it.
“You mean to tell me I can see directly what sources are creating the most leads.”
The slide demonstrates one of the many reports from HubSpot giving you the data you need to make intelligent marketing decisions.
The proverbial “bell” had rung.
I have received this question several times from my industrial marketing friends.
“What can HubSpot’s marketing automation dashboard do that Google Analytics can’t?” My quick answer is, “Everything”.
Do not get me wrong, Google Analytics (GA) is terrific…and it is free. GA provides a wealth of data for the savvy marketer…and there is the rub.
Most industrial marketers are simply not well informed when it comes to web-based marketing efforts. Over the past 7 years I have sat with hundreds of business owners and industrial marketers who received monthly GA reports from SEO-optimized websites. Not once did they really understand what they were looking at or how to interpret the data they received monthly from Market Pipeline.
True, we would educate the customer as to what to look for when they received the nicely formatted PDF reports. However, by the time their websites received enough traffic for the data to be valuable, the owner or marketer was on to another project.
You know how entrepreneurs are…right?
Just my opinion…but unless you have a full blown marketing department spitting out a lot of content, a qualified spreadsheet jockey to interpret the data and the payroll to support it…GA is not worth much.
In a condensed manner, here are my reasons for HubSpot analytics versus Google Analytics.
- If content is to work, it must resonate with your audience. Google measures traffic, not quality of content.
- GA does a fantastic job of measuring traffic, but just measuring traffic misses the big picture
- HubSpot and the analytics and dashboards that come with their marketing automation platform help marketers accomplish conversions and engagement. GA has no such mission.
- HubSpot is extremely competent at managing contact lists and gathering data on contacts that sign up on your website. Google cannot offer these features.
- HubSpot’s marketing automation software and methodology is focused on accomplishing end-goals. GA has no such focus.
- The interface in HubSpot is much, much easier to use for an industrial marketer. No such interface is available with GA.
- 70%-80% of HubSpot users install both HubSpot analytics and Google Analytics. They all report they never use GA and HubSpot is much more useful.
- Yep…GA is free and typically comes with a web development project. But…if no one is going to act on the data provided, then what value does it provide the industrial marketer.
There is no doubt HubSpot is an investment. No…it’s a commitment. Almost a lifestyle.
Nevertheless, if your industrial company is willing to make that commitment, then HubSpot’s analytics promotes your website through helpful, quality content, engagement and conversions.
I doubt if your industrial competitor is willing to make that commitment. Are you?
Changing the status quo is difficult. A good place to start is A Beginner’s Guide to Industrial Content Marketing. DOWNLOAD NOW
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Check your industrial website. Are your locations listed properly so your buyers can easily find your products and services at each location independently?
