Are you wondering how your competitors are using Web analytics to gain a competitive edge in their email marketing programs? It’s really very simple – they are using Web analytics to understand what motivates their email subscribers to take action, in order to make their offers more relevant and valuable. And when offers are more relevant and valuable, overall email marketing performance improves.

While it’s important to know about your subscribers’ demographics, opinions and attitudes, their actual online behavior is also quite telling. It’s a great feeling when your email subscribers report positive impressions and intentions around your brand, but it’s an even better feeling when they do something that generates revenue for your business.

So why exactly is behavioral data so valuable and important? Because it’s based on real-life customer actions. And while you can expect that your customers won’t always act logically or predictably, any demonstrated action – no matter how illogical – is indisputable.

To better understand the nuances that behavioral data can provide, consider this example. Let’s pretend that you’re an online marketer at a shoe retailer and you’ve created a questionnaire designed to better understand your email subscribers' preferences. One of your subscribers, Jane, reports that she wears a size 8 shoe. However, when you study her actual behavior on your website, you learn that, in reality, Jane buys shoes in size 11. Would you send her offers featuring brands that don’t provide product selections in the size that she actually purchases? Not if you want to keep her as a satisfied customer.

Self-reported data is notoriously riddled with subscriber subjectivity, outdated information and seemingly harmless fibbing. If you base your email marketing segmentation and messaging strategies purely on what your subscribers tell you about themselves, you’re marketing to personas rather than real live human beings.

The takeaway in our example is that your analysis of Jane's BEHAVIOR is far more predictive of what will motivate positive future action. When you demonstrate your ability to anticipate her needs through consistently delivering valuable and relevant email offers, you will earn her loyalty and trust. And her ongoing loyalty and trust translates into increased retention, conversions and profitability. So everyone’s a winner!

Have you had success utilizing Web analytics behavioral data to improve email marketing campaigns? Tell us about it!

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