Cross Device Measurement & Attribution

Google Partners Event Recap Part 1

This month’s Google Partners event focused on the theme “measurement”. The first speaker was Jeff Montgomery from Google Marketing Solutions. Jeff’s talk outlined how mobile devices have dramatically changed the world of digital advertising. Kevin Cho, an Agency Account Strategist with Google Marketing Solutions then shared how correctly leveraging Attribution Modelling in AdWords can change how you measure the success of your online advertising campaigns.

The Traditional Digital Path to Purchase

Digital once had a big advantage over traditional advertising channels like radio, billboards or print; you could easily measure the return on investment (ROI) by directly measuring the conversions that came through your digital marketing channels. For example, if someone clicked on a Google Ad on their desktop computer, went to the website, and later made a purchase, that person was tracked end-to-end and the purchase could be attributed to the original click on the ad. Marketers then used this wealth of data to optimize and improve their digital marketing campaigns and improve ROI for their clients.

An Evolved Customer Journey

Mobile devices changed all of this. With the introduction of digitally connected mobile devices, the customer journey evolved to be more complex. The path to purchase online no longer occurs only on one device, but across multiple devices (phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, even wearables). Mobile devices are also playing a role in in-store conversions and phone call generation.

• 90% of people report they use multiple devices when making an online purchase
• 87% of consumers research online before going to a store
• 30 billion phone calls were generated by Google searches in 2013, this is expected to grow to 73 billion by 2018

The Challenge of Cross Device (XD) Measurement

Mobile has completely changed the way that we measure digital marketing success. Now when users are considering a conversion they often use multiple devices before making a purchase, submitting a contact form or making a phone call. Google calls these “micromoments”, the touch points on the customer journey that lead to a conversion. Google AdWords attributed 1 Trillion in sales to mobile micromoments last year. However, 40% of people who begin their research on a smartphone, still go to a desktop to make the final purchase. The challenge to marketers is to make sure we can track individuals across all the devices they are using, so we can correctly attribute conversions to the marketing dollars spent.

To further complicate things, your digital marketing also influences off-line behaviour more than ever before.

People who performed a mobile search are:

• 57% more likely to visit the actual store
• 39% more likely to call the business
• 51% more likely to make a purchase.

Key Takeaways

According to the experts at Google, to accurately account for your marketing efforts, you have to “connect your micromoments“. To do this effectively you must:

1. Measure Across Screens

Consider micromoments on mobile devices, desktops, tablets and wearables. To do this effectively Cross-Device Conversion and Attribution Modelling are critical tools (available through AdWords)

2. Measure Across Channels

Tie your digital efforts to off-line activities when possible.

3. Don’t forget to Track Phone Calls

Google AdWords has call tracking integrations available. There are also several third-party providers that can provide solid call tracking data that can be tied to your marketing efforts.

If you missed the presentation, or would like to watch it again:

At Ontario SEO we are experts at analyzing the customer journey and using that information to inform our marketing strategies. If you would like help with your digital marketing, contact us to discuss more.

Stay tuned next week for our part two of this blog that will recap of Kevin Cho’s discussion of attribution in Google AdWords.