Measurement in a Constantly Connected World

by Paul Muret

Smartphones and tablets are the first things many of us check in the morning, and the last things we read at night. We use smartphones on the sidewalk, at work, at lunchtime, in line at the grocery store. In the evenings, we’re on our tablets while we watch TV.

對(duì)今天的許多人而言，每天起床的第一件事是查看智能手機(jī)或平板電腦。不管是在路上、上班時(shí)、午餐中，還是在超市排隊(duì)的間隙，我們幾乎每時(shí)每刻都在使用智能手機(jī)。到了晚上，一邊看電視一邊使用平板電腦早已成為許多人的常態(tài)。

Being constantly connected has changed our behavior: we simply expect the right information to be at our fingertips. And the more we come to expect that information will be there whenever we seek it out, the more we search and browse, research, share with friends and family, and (most importantly for businesses) buy things.

這種時(shí)刻與網(wǎng)絡(luò)互聯(lián)的狀態(tài)改變了我們的行為：我們希望輕動(dòng)指尖就可以獲得想要的信息。我們?cè)较Ｍ@得信息，就越依賴搜索、瀏覽以及研究，直到最終購(gòu)買(mǎi)商品（對(duì)商業(yè)活動(dòng)而言，這是最重要的一點(diǎn)）。

According to Google research,?88% of consumers?research products and services before making a purchase, and the average customer consults 10.4 sources before making a choice. Today, these purchase decisions are a product of our activity across screens.

根據(jù)谷歌所做的研究，88%的消費(fèi)者會(huì)在購(gòu)買(mǎi)商品之前對(duì)商品或者服務(wù)進(jìn)行調(diào)查。在做出最終決定前，每位消費(fèi)者會(huì)平均參考10.4個(gè)不同信息源。今天，這些購(gòu)買(mǎi)決策都是跨媒介跨屏幕搜索的產(chǎn)物。

This is creating tremendous opportunities for business teams to engage customers throughout their new and more complex buying journeys. But before you can take advantage, you have to understand that journey by measuring and analyzing the data in new ways that value these moments appropriately. The payoff is better alignment between marketing messages and consumers'intent during their paths to purchase — and ultimately, better business results.To adapt to this new constantly connected customer, businesses should do three things:

這為商家創(chuàng)造了絕佳機(jī)會(huì)——在這個(gè)全新、更為復(fù)雜的購(gòu)物旅程中牢牢吸引消費(fèi)者。不過(guò)，在充分利用這一優(yōu)勢(shì)之前，你必須通過(guò)全新的方式衡量和分析數(shù)據(jù)，更準(zhǔn)確地理解顧客購(gòu)物旅程中的每一時(shí)刻。這一做法能幫助你更好地利用營(yíng)銷(xiāo)信息，影響消費(fèi)者的購(gòu)買(mǎi)意圖，讓他們購(gòu)買(mǎi)產(chǎn)品，最終提高公司業(yè)績(jī)。若想迎合這些每時(shí)每刻處于互聯(lián)狀態(tài)的消費(fèi)者，商家應(yīng)做到以下三方面：

Practice Holistic Measurement.

全面衡量。

?Let’s say you’re planning a family summer vacation. You search for “family friendly vacations” on your desktop computer and find a travel site promoting a “kids stay free” offer at your favorite beach. It sounds great, but you decide to do some more research before settling on that particular trip. That evening, while catching up on last week’s TV shows on your tablet, you remember the “kids stay free” offer so you return to the online travel site.

例如，你在為全家計(jì)劃一次夏日旅行。你在電腦上搜索“適合家庭的旅行計(jì)劃”，然后發(fā)現(xiàn)一家網(wǎng)站正在大力宣傳“兒童住宿免費(fèi)”的促銷(xiāo)活動(dòng)，目的地恰好是你最向往的海灘。這聽(tīng)起來(lái)很美，但你還是決定在訂購(gòu)最終行程前多做些研究。某個(gè)晚上，當(dāng)你在平板電腦上觀看電視劇時(shí)，你突然想起那則“兒童住宿免費(fèi)”的廣告，于是你再次點(diǎn)開(kāi)了那家旅游網(wǎng)站。

This is the key moment: If the site remembered your earlier interest in family friendly vacations from your desktop, it would show you that same tailored promotion. And chances are you’d be excited by this seamless experience.

關(guān)鍵時(shí)刻到了：如果網(wǎng)站留有你早前在電腦上的瀏覽記錄，那么平板電腦上會(huì)出現(xiàn)為你量身定制的廣告。結(jié)果，你很可能會(huì)被這樣的無(wú)縫銜接營(yíng)銷(xiāo)體驗(yàn)所打動(dòng)。

But consider what happens if the site instead shows you an offer tailored to business travelers. Would that make you more or less likely to buy a family trip? The answer is pretty clear: a complimentary continental breakfast and proximity to a convention center isn't quite as much fun as snorkeling and building sandcastles.

但如果出現(xiàn)的廣告是針對(duì)商務(wù)旅客的呢？答案顯而易見(jiàn)：免費(fèi)的歐陸式早餐和靠近會(huì)議中心的住宿位置，顯然沒(méi)有潛水和在沙灘堆城堡吸引人。

The constantly connected consumer comes in contact with your brand in a variety of ways, over many days or weeks, across different devices and channels. They engage with you as they search for information, browse their favorite websites, or watch videos online. A Google research study found that?90% of multi-device owners?switched between screens to complete a task. Understanding how customers connect with your brand across these multiple touch-points is the first step toward effective measurement.

永遠(yuǎn)互聯(lián)的消費(fèi)者可以通過(guò)多種方法接觸到你的品牌，這個(gè)過(guò)程可能持續(xù)幾天或幾周，并橫跨多種電子設(shè)備與渠道。他們?cè)谡覍ば畔?、瀏覽網(wǎng)站，或是觀看網(wǎng)絡(luò)視頻的過(guò)程中實(shí)現(xiàn)與你的互動(dòng)。谷歌的另一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，為完成一項(xiàng)任務(wù)，90%擁有多種電子設(shè)備的人會(huì)游走于多個(gè)屏幕。了解消費(fèi)者如何通過(guò)多個(gè)觸點(diǎn)與你的品牌取得聯(lián)系，是邁向有效消費(fèi)者分析的第一步。

Attribute the Right Value to your Marketing Channels.?

為營(yíng)銷(xiāo)渠道分配恰當(dāng)?shù)耐顿Y。

Our research shows that while only 14% of marketers consider last-click analysis to be “very effective,” over 50% still use last-click measurement as the biggest influencer for a purchase decision. It remains the industry standard in many places. But consumers now come in contact with your brand in a variety of ways, in multiple contexts, across different channels and screens before that last click. Consumer behavior has evolved, and brands need to as well.

我們的研究表明，盡管只有14%的營(yíng)銷(xiāo)人員認(rèn)為最終點(diǎn)擊分析（Last-click Analysis，一種追溯消費(fèi)者是通過(guò)何種渠道進(jìn)入商家網(wǎng)站的分析方法——譯者注）“非常有效”，但仍有超過(guò)50%的人認(rèn)為，最終點(diǎn)擊是影響購(gòu)買(mǎi)的最主要因素。不可否認(rèn)，它依舊是很多行業(yè)的慣用衡量標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。然而，今天的消費(fèi)者在最終點(diǎn)擊之前，已經(jīng)通過(guò)多種方式、環(huán)境、渠道以及設(shè)備接觸到你的品牌。消費(fèi)者的行為在不斷變化演進(jìn)，而商家也應(yīng)當(dāng)跟緊步伐。

Marketers today need a better understanding of how to attribute value to each one of their channels; when you know which ones drive action for different groups, you can value each appropriately and invest in the right points of their customer journey. Tools like?Google’s Multi-Channel Funnels?and?Attribution Modeling?help businesses grasp each marketing interaction and how they influence each other along the customer journey.

今天的營(yíng)銷(xiāo)人員需要清楚如何將價(jià)值分配到各個(gè)渠道中。當(dāng)你知道哪些渠道可以產(chǎn)生驅(qū)動(dòng)作用時(shí)，你就能合理估價(jià)并在恰當(dāng)?shù)那郎线M(jìn)行投資。

Let’s go back to our travel example. Before the multi-screen era, that travel site you visited might have looked only for the “l(fā)ast click” — the one that brought you to their website right before you bought the vacation package. That click is still hugely important, of course, but now businesses can understand the path leading up to it as well. Were you particularly moved by a search or display ad? Did you receive an email newsletter? Did your friend share an online promotion with you?

讓我們回到旅游廣告的例子。在進(jìn)入多屏幕時(shí)代之前，旅游網(wǎng)站也許只看重你的最終點(diǎn)擊，即在付款前把你帶到網(wǎng)站的那一次點(diǎn)擊。雖然最終點(diǎn)擊依舊很重要，但如今的商家有能力順藤摸瓜，了解消費(fèi)者是如何到達(dá)那一步的。例如，你是否曾收到促銷(xiāo)郵件？是否看到頁(yè)面廣告？是否有朋友與你分享鏈接？

Developing a strategy based on this richer picture is a crucial part of connecting with on-demand consumers, and it starts by asking the right questions and using the right models for analysis. Are you reaching the right audience at the right scal? Are you doing it profitably? How are your activities interacting with each other to increase the likelihood that you’ll achieve your goals?

要吸引這些新潮消費(fèi)者，商家要全方位地了解客戶，開(kāi)發(fā)出新戰(zhàn)略。詢問(wèn)正確的問(wèn)題及使用正確的分析模型是首要任務(wù)。你的信息能否在正確的范圍內(nèi)傳達(dá)給目標(biāo)用戶？你這樣做能否獲得收益？如何讓你的市場(chǎng)活動(dòng)形成互動(dòng)，從而實(shí)現(xiàn)營(yíng)銷(xiāo)目標(biāo)？這些都是需要考慮的問(wèn)題。

Understanding how different channels work together enables your company to improve these models over time. This will help your organization learn new ways to provide consistent messaging and customer experiences — and help you invest in the right parts of your business as well.

當(dāng)理解了不同渠道是如何共同起作用的，你的公司就能一步步完善自己的商業(yè)模式。這種理解可以幫助你的組織學(xué)習(xí)到新方法，提供更加穩(wěn)定的信息與用戶體驗(yàn)，從而有的放矢地對(duì)營(yíng)銷(xiāo)渠道進(jìn)行投資。

Act, Measure, Repeat.?

行動(dòng)，評(píng)估，重復(fù)。

More searches, posts, views, and connections are producing waves of new data to measure — and some entirely new buying signals. As a result, marketers need to experiment relentlessly with their campaigns. Try developing different creatives for consumers in different geographies. Test various graphics, messaging, and timing. If the audience you’d like to reach is shopping for family vacations, perform A/B tests with slightly different creatives and copy, and carefully measure which ones perform best.

越來(lái)越多的搜索、發(fā)帖、瀏覽及聯(lián)系催生了越來(lái)越多的有待分析的新數(shù)據(jù)以及一些前所未見(jiàn)的購(gòu)買(mǎi)信號(hào)。因此，市場(chǎng)營(yíng)銷(xiāo)人員需要堅(jiān)持不懈地試驗(yàn)營(yíng)銷(xiāo)活動(dòng)。例如，你的目標(biāo)客戶在選購(gòu)家庭旅游產(chǎn)品，你就可以嘗試對(duì)比測(cè)試(A/B tests:將兩種不同的展現(xiàn)方法給兩組不同的用戶同時(shí)使用，并對(duì)其操作行為進(jìn)行相互比較，得出哪一方更勝一籌的測(cè)試方法——譯者注)，保留一些元素的同時(shí)更改幾處創(chuàng)意，從而仔細(xì)評(píng)估哪一方案的效果最佳。

Using our travel example, let's say the online travel agency decides to experiment with a number of different creatives for their online display ads. After a period of time, they see that customers who see the promotional “kids stay free” offer on both desktop and tablet buy 17% more vacation packages. That information should now be linked directly to their ad system, to both optimize creative messaging and adjust investments to boost overall sales. More broadly, savvy businesses should be integrating their internal data platforms, such as CRM and in-store systems, with their digital marketing as well.

再回到我們制定旅游行程的例子。假設(shè)網(wǎng)上的旅行中介決定在廣告中試用幾個(gè)不同的創(chuàng)意。一段時(shí)間后他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，在電腦和平板電腦上都看到“兒童住宿免費(fèi)”廣告的消費(fèi)者購(gòu)買(mǎi)此行程的可能性增加了17%。這一信息應(yīng)當(dāng)直接反饋到廣告系統(tǒng)中去，以便優(yōu)化廣告創(chuàng)意，調(diào)整投資，從而提升銷(xiāo)售額。廣而言之，有遠(yuǎn)見(jiàn)的商家應(yīng)該將內(nèi)部信息平臺(tái)（例如，客戶關(guān)系管理系統(tǒng)）與他們的數(shù)字營(yíng)銷(xiāo)進(jìn)行整合。

Of course, none of this means less work. But it does mean more opportunity — if marketers spend more time planning, testing, and optimizing their digital efforts. When?60% of online purchases?happen after multiple brand interactions, it’s critical to stay agile, and act on the insights of your customers and their journeys.

當(dāng)然，做到這一切絕非易事。但如果營(yíng)銷(xiāo)人員愿意花更多時(shí)間規(guī)劃、測(cè)試并優(yōu)化他們的數(shù)字營(yíng)銷(xiāo)活動(dòng)，商家就能發(fā)掘更多商機(jī)。調(diào)查顯示，在網(wǎng)絡(luò)購(gòu)物成交前，60%的消費(fèi)者會(huì)與品牌進(jìn)行多次互動(dòng)。在這一過(guò)程中，商家的敏銳嗅覺(jué)至關(guān)重要，你需要通盤(pán)了解顧客的消費(fèi)過(guò)程。謀定而后動(dòng)，往往能出奇制勝！

(譯/康欣葉? ? 校/安健)

Paul Muret?leads product and engineering for Google Analytics and the related suite of measurement tools. Paul has overseen the development of Analytics since its inception in 2005 through today, and has also been the CEO of two start-ups, including Urchin Software Corporation, which was acquired by Google in 2005.

保羅·米雷（Paul Muret）負(fù)責(zé)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)谷歌分析產(chǎn)品及相關(guān)評(píng)估套件的研發(fā)。自2005年產(chǎn)品上線以來(lái)，他一直負(fù)責(zé)此項(xiàng)工作。與此同時(shí)，他還是兩家初創(chuàng)公司的CEO，其中一家名為Urchin Software Corporation，于2005年被谷歌收購(gòu)。