Lyris provides customers with the tools to run and analyze connected, online marketing campaigns. And while the concept of integrated or connected marketing across multiple channels is nothing new, we strongly advocate its importance, and have worked with customers to provide the tools needed to make this happen. As a connected marketing approach across Web, email, social, mobile, search and SEO channels is best, the same holds true for the marketing analytics that measure success.

To date, analytics have tended to be siloed and far from real-time. Marketers have had to work with two types of data aimed at two different audiences: Web analytics data for Web analysts, but also discrete campaign data for marketers like clickthroughs or open rates used to track email and online marketing campaigns.

As an industry, we must work to shift the customer mindset away from this siloed approach that separates Web analytics from discrete campaign analytics to one of broader "marketing analytics". This holistic marketing analytics approach - coupling campaign data with Web analytics data - measures the success of online campaigns from clickthrough, to Web traffic, to conversion, and ultimately to revenues generated.

With this, marketers will better understand how customers respond to online marketing efforts and the specific actions that lead to conversions.

And as we free marketers from being data analysts by merging often-complex Web and campaign data into a complete, easily digestible view of marketing analytics, we must also do so in real-time. Marketers need the ability to follow customers as they pass through the conversion funnel, capturing data and reports as they happen. This type of tracking allows marketers to take corrective and optimizing actions while the campaign is still “hot.”

As marketers continue to embrace and implement a connected approach to online campaigns, we can expect the future of analytics to be one of holistic marketing analytics in real-time for greater campaign visibility and optimized ROI.

This content was originally published in Web Intelligence: Tips & Tricks, Web Analytics World, 2010.

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About the Author

Blaine Mathieu is chief marketing officer for Lyris. Blaine is responsible for Lyris' brand and product strategy, including driving marketing initiatives for the company's Lyris HQ™ integrated-marketing suite and its Lyris ListManager™ email-marketing software.

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