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You do NOT know what you do NOT know

Your prospect’s and customer’s experience on your website can mean the difference between them buying your products/services or not.

Many times they move so far as to almost register on your website but something happens that stops them from doing so ie. poor internet connection, got distracted or your SUBMIT button is not working. Could be anything.

Without a tool like MergedAnalytics…you do know what you do not know. There could be a company out there that really liked what you had to offer but did not move forward for a silly reason.

MergedAnalytics keeps you in the game. You can proactively reach out and make sure your prospects/customers got what they were looking for on your website.

In this segment of “Take a Breath” Thom and I discuss how many companies have no idea about the experience their customers and prospects are having on their website and how MergedAnalytics can help.

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Turn a monthly expense into a Revenue Stream

Since November of last year we have been in the process of courting a highly respected Digital Marketing firm to use MergedAnalytics on their company website.

They were already using our biggest competitor but they agreed to try MergedAnalytics so they could compare accuracy of the data we deliver vs. our competitors.

Long story short….that firm not only has adopted MergedAnalytics for their own purposes…they have signed on to resell a White Labeled version of MergedAnalytics for their customers.

How did we win you ask?

We won for three reasons….

– Our Pricing options

– Our Custom Branded Short URL tool

– A new Revenue Stream was created for their company instead of a monthly expense

Boom!!!

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Do you A/B Test ?

Do you A/B test your marketing campaigns? You should and MergedAnalytics makes it easy for you to do so.

A/B testing is the process of comparing two or more versions of a web page, email, or any other marketing asset with just one varying element.

In the above example….Our customer wanted to see where she would get the most clicks from ONE specific landing page for a promotion she was running for the month of February.

She created 5 Short URLs in MergedAnalytics. All 5 Short URLs in the image above will take the people who click them to that exact landing page.

The varying element are the 5 different places she will post those URLs.

Those 5 SHORT URLs will be posted to…FB, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and in an Email campaign.

The click data from those 5 different mediums where she posted the SHORT URLs will MERGE into one location so ANALYTICS can be measured.

COMPANY NAMES and in some cases EMAIL ADDRESSES will be identified as to who did the clicking and she will know where those clicks originated from….Plus….she will see which OTHER pages on her site were clicked after that initial click.

Listen…The big companies ALL have expensive tools that do this type of stuff…luckily MergedAnalytics is leveling the playing field for the rest of us.

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More on MergedAnalytics Short URLs…vzit.co

 1. Ability to Track Performance

Aside from making URL Links shorter….Most URL shorteners provide analytical data about the people who have clicked those links. The same is true for vzit.co URL links (which is the URL shortening tool that comes with MergedAnalytics) only we take it a few steps further.  By tracking the success of posted URL links, a business can understand how their audience engages with their company.  The data allows your business to adjust your marketing strategies accordingly.  You can measure things like….Are you getting more clicks on your posted URLs in your email blasts vs LinkedIn postings vs Twitter postings?  The data may surprise you!

2.   SHORT URLs are….Shorter

Actually size DOES matter….with URLs.  When it comes to social media posts especially, saving every possible character is critical. Less is always more when it comes to this stuff.  Additionally …your custom short url can contain information about the article or landing page you want them to visit.  Short URLs can also contain information about your brand.  Here is an example of a vzit.co short url that contains  information about what you can expect if you decide to click on the url …. https://vzit.co/What-are-Short-URLs.  The subject of the article is in the URL link….”what are short urls”.

3.  Shorter URLs Promote Sharing

You want as many people to click on your posted url as possible.  If that was not true…why post it in the first place.

Which URL looks easier/safer to share?

https://www.livechatinc.com/url-shortener/8-reasons-why-to-use-url-shorteners/?partner=quora.com&utm_source=quora.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=post352346

Or

https://vzit.co/What-are-Short-URLs

Shorter links make sharing significantly easier, which promotes sharing as a whole. Branded Short URLs increases trust.  Short urls get clicked more than their longer counterparts.

4. Company Names

MergedAnalytics Short URLs provide a layer of analytics that even Google Analytics does not give you.  Aside from being able to tell you where that person clicked that short url link in the first place ie Facebook vs Linkedin….you will also know THE COMPANY NAME of the people clicking your short urls.

5. Higher Click through Rate

Using shortened url links will drastically increase your click through rate. Many of the reasons why were covered above.  In short…they appear more trustworthy.

An unshortened URL sticks out like a sore thumb and some readers might even consider it unprofessional.

Final Thoughts

All URL Links contain valuable data that can and should be leveraged.

Using a “SHORT URL Generator” like the one that comes with Visit Intel will not only increase your click through rate but will provide actionable intelligence that will help your business.

Additionally….If the MergedAnalytics Pixel is placed on your website pages your organization will understand the entire journey from the initial click on a short url to the other pages visited on your website or otherwise known as a sales and marketing person’s nirvana.

Create a vzit.co short url in minutes at no charge and see for yourself…. https://vzit.co/try_it_for_yourself

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SHORT URLs Should Be a Part of a Larger Story

There are times in life where you believe you can see into the future.  Where you instinctively know what the outcome will be.

However in the world of analytical software…you do not need to be a physic or guess outcomes. Your software tools measure and report results that erase the need for the guessing game.

Unlike measuring how well your marketing strategies are performing…understanding the results in the sales department are easier to measure.  At the end of a month, quarter or year you can measure the opportunities that were won and how profitable they were.

On the contrary…figuring out and measuring the success of your marketing initiatives is a bit grayer at best.

One tool that brings marketers clarity in the fog of war is “MergedAnalytics URLs”. https://mergedanalytics.com/vzit-co/

“MergedAnalytics URLs” are a marketer’s best friend.  They provide a type of feedback that marketers have been craving.  They are simple to create and there is no set up or deployment needed either… Once you sign up …you can Create a MergedAnalyticsShort URL immediately ….https://mergedanalytics.com/how-to-create-a-visit-intel-short-ur/

Getting your “message” out and measuring the engagement with your audience with today’s various digital channels whether by social media site postings and/or email campaigns…can now be measured with precision.

By using the “MergedAnalytics” Short URL generator for URLs that you post both to social media and emails…Marketers can shorten, brand and post URLs with “MergedAnalytics” tracking and receive useful data from the companies who click them.  You will know where the link was clicked, the COMPANY NAME of the person who clicked it and more.

Knowing the names of companies who click on a posted URL link and where they found that link should be a part of much larger story.

What did that person who clicked your posted link do after that initial click?  What was their entire journey from that initial click?

  • Where did they go next on your website?
  • Did they start to fill out a form on your site but leave your website before they pressed submit?
  • Did they go to other pages on your website? Which Ones?
  • How long did they stay there?
  • Did they return to you website?

You can certainly know that information but you will need to put the “MergedAnalytics” Pixel on your website.

The MergedAnalytics Pixel ( https://mergedanalytics.com/how-do-i-put-visit-intel-on-my-website/ ) takes  minutes to deploy for your entire website.  You will get information like…

  • The company name of the people who click on your website
  • Which pages were clicked
  • How they found your site
  • How long they stayed on specific website pages
  • How many times that company returned to your website
  • And so much more.

So although the “MergedAnalytics SHORT URLs” report which companies clicked specific posted URL links and where they found them in the first place …by adding the “MergedAnalytics” Pixel to your website will give you the tools to understand the entire journey of that person even if they never identified themselves and remained anonymous.   This type of information from a marketing perspective is the Holy Grail.

I hear from sales people across many industries that cold calling is dead and I somewhat agree with that statement but only if you are from a company that is NOT using MergedAnalytics.

However….If you are using MergedAnalytics ….tell me this…..if you know for certain that people from a specific company clicked your posted URL link and then clicked on other pages on your website and then returned to your website AGAIN and spent more time on your site the following days….Tell me this…..When you contact that company for the first time knowing there is specific interest…is that initial call really that cold?

For more information visit … https://mergedanalytics.com/

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3 Reasons Marketing Agencies Are Adopting “MergedAnalytics” for their Customers

“MergedAnalytics” is a URL and Website Visitor Intelligence tool that provides businesses with the knowledge of which companies and in many cases Email Addresses click on their posted Links and website pages. It’s like Caller ID for your posted Links and Website pages.

We did not plan for MergedAnalytics to become a favorite for Marketing Agencies to MergedAnalytics…but that is what is happening. As it turns out…companies are more apt to use tools from the companies they trust and already work with…. in this case their Marketing Agency Partners.

Below are 3 reasons why Marketing Agencies are integrating “MergedAnalytics” into their suite of customer offerings.

Synergy – Many marketers offer a wide range of services from lead generation, SEO, creating content and even website development. The URL and Website Visitor Intelligence that “MergedAnalytics” offers fit perfectly within most Marketing Agency offerings. Unless actual leads and/or sales increase… measuring the effectiveness of how your marketing partner is actually helping your business can be arbitrary and tough to quantify at best.

Marketers like the way “MergedAnalytics” can serve as a score card and verification that their efforts are adding value even if there is no measurable impact to their customer’s bottom line.

How? Unless a person from a company identifies themselves to you in some way by opting in, filling out a form or even signing up for demo…they will remain anonymous resulting in lost opportunity. You will never know there was interest in your company. How would you know they were ever on your website or clicked on a link they found on LinkedIn in the first place? Why “MergedAnalytics” of course.

Marketers create and distribute content through various channels like social media and email campaigns in effort to make your audience aware of your offerings. There is usually some “call to action” to get you to download a white paper, sign up for a demonstration/consultation or gasp…make a purchase.

Even if someone starts filling out a form on your website and then gets distracted and does not finish…”MergedAnalytics” would still generate an automatic notification that would tell you that someone from a specific company visited your website and visited the page where they had to fill out a form. You will know what other pages they clicked through as well. This is incredible information. Maybe that person will be back and finish filling out the form they started. Or… Maybe you start to see a trend where many people visit that page with the sign up form…. but DO NOT finish filling out that form. This gives you the ability to react to this information…perhaps adjust that form and make it more user friendly and simpler to fill out.

SmartLinks: As I mentioned above…marketers are constantly posting URL links on social media and in email campaigns. These URLs could be Press Releases, Landing Pages or any other “Calls to Action”. While Google Analytics will give you the Clicks and Visits information…knowing which specific Companies clicked on your posted URLs and in some cases the actual person… is pure Gold.

By using the “MergedAnalytics” SmartLink generator for all of your posted URLs…you will understand which specific URLs were clicked and even more importantly WHERE they were clicked and…where those people go after that initial URL click.

If you have a specific landing page link and post that same link to Facebook, Twitter , LinkedIn and as part of an email campaign ….by utilizing the “MergedAnalytics” SmartLink generator…you will know where clicks originally came along with the company names of the people doing the clicking.   This gives you the insight to understand where your audience is interacting with your link posts the most. Are you getting more clicks from Twitter vs LinkedIn? Visit Intel will tell you this information plus the Company information.

White Labeling – Although I love and am proud of the name “MergedAnalytics”… Many of our Marketing Partners prefer to Brand “MergedAnalytics” with their own logos, coloring etc. They White Label “MergedAnalytics” so there is no mention of the “MergedAnalytics” brand anywhere. A White Labeled version of “MergedAnalytics” will look like it belongs to the Marketing Agency you are working with but with the exact same functionality available with a normal “MergedAnalytics” install.

There is a very logical reason they prefer their branding over ours.

“Top of Mind Presence”

Marketers understand that the “MergedAnalytics” notifications represent a rare opportunity to stay in front of their customers every single day. The emailed alerts give them the elusive “top of mind presence”. This means that their customers will see their logo and branding and will be reminded throughout the day that THEY are the people who are delivering valuable information that is helping grow your business.

As I mentioned above…every time someone from a company clicks on one of your posted Links to social media or in an email campaign and/or clicks on your website…you will receive a “MergedAnalytics” notification via email that looks like the one below…

The Notifications come in with “MergedAnalytics” branding all over it and from a MergedAnalytics.com email address domain.

A marketing agency wants their customers to see THEIR branding, their domain and wants their customers to contact them if there are questions.

To Learn More visit… https://mergedanalytics.com/

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What’s all the fuss about SHORT URLs?

Do you ever think twice before clicking long URL links with too many weird looking parameters?

Have you ever wanted to share a 30-character URL but could not remember the URL address?

Have you ever wanted to brand your URLs in such a way before you post them to social media that would make people more apt to click them?

How about…have you ever wanted to know the Company Names of the people who click on those URLs you post to social media or emails?

Some URL shorteners simply turn long links into shorter URLs and that is it… while others let you customize/brand the text of the new URLs created with a Short URL generator to track clicks and inform you about who’s clicking your links.

Why should you use Short URLs at all?

#1 Clean and short links appear more trustworthy and get clicked more often than longer links.

Let’s be honest, which of these links would you feel more comfortable clicking?  Keep in mind they will both take you to the same destination…

https://www.livechatinc.com/url-shortener/8-reasons-why-to-use-url-shorteners/?partner=quora.com&utm_source=quora.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=post352346

Or

https://vzit.co/What-are-Short-URLs

The second URL is obviously cleaner, at first glance seems trustworthy and provides a concise description of what you can expect if you click it. People tend to prefer clicking on visually appealing links, especially when the links are Customized and/or Branded. AND…Because it is a “MergedAnalytics” SHORT URL…you will know the COMPANY Name as well as other valuable data about the clicker.

#2 Customize your Short URLs

Short URLs do not have to look “spammy”, with random combinations of numbers and letters. By adding branding and/or information about they can expect when they click the URL…will ensure more clicks.

#3 Go beyond number of clicks

Tracking clicks is one thing, but measuring the quality of the traffic coming to your website is another. AND…add in the information that you will receive with the MergedAnalytics Short URLs like…the COMPANY NAMES of the people who clicked your URL links, where they found your website or posted URLs and what their specific interests were.

#4 Understand the complete journey of the people who click your URLs

MergedAnalytics has two main components…

  1. Short URLs
  2. Website Visitor Intelligence

Assuming you have the MergedAnalytics website visitor intelligence pixel on your site….By utilizing the SHORT URLs…you are able to see the entire journey of the people who are interested in your company.  You can see the initial click on a Short URL you posted to LinkedIn for example and then have insight as to where that person went on your website after that initial click. This creates an understanding of not only the behavior of your prospects but what their specific interests are in your company.

For more on MergedAnalyticsShort URLs visit… https://mergedanalytics.com/vzit-co/     

Create SHORT URLs RIGHT NOW?  Click here… https://mergedanalytics.com/how-to-create-a-visit-intel-short-ur/

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“We are NOT getting useful “MergedAnalytics” Website Activity Reports

“Nice product but MergedAnalytics is not for us.  We are not getting any meaningful reports” said a prospect who is evaluating MergedAnalytics.

Before I address that statement …. let’s review what MergedAnalytics is and does.

MergedAnalytics is a B2B website visitor intelligence tool that generates automatic Website Activity Reports that get emailed to you when someone from a company clicks on your website.  https://mergedanalytics.com/

MergedAnalytics reports on the Company Name of the person who clicked on your site, how they found your site and what their specific interests were while there.

The ways your website visitors find your website depend on many variables.  These variables are mostly determined by the various marketing strategies, techniques and initiatives in place at your company.

People find your website by….

  • Typing in keywords in a search from Google , Bing etc
  • Sent Emails containing URLs either in the body of the email and/or signature block
  • Typing in your website address organically
  • Social media postings that drive traffic to your site
  • Press Releases and other Articles/Blogs/Landing Pages
  • Digital Advertisements, Google Adword Campaigns etc.

Countless money and time is spent on these types of strategies to drive people to websites.

MergedAnalytics simply reports on ALL visitors who click on your website.  It is NOT a tool that drives traffic…rather we report on the site visit activity.  It is a tool that should be a barometer as to how your marketing and advertising initiatives are working…..or not.

So by saying MergedAnalytics is not helpful because you are not getting good reports ….. to me that means MergedAnalyticsis actually giving you very useful information.

MergedAnalytics is telling you that your marketing strategies need to be modified in order to get your desired website traffic results.

We also hear from companies that the website is not that important to businesses in this modern age.  My question is…companies spend countless hours and money developing their website and the content on it, spend countless time and money on the marketing strategies to drive people to their websites…if all of that is true…why wouldn’t you want to know the company names of your visitors, how they found your site and what they did while they were there?

IF you do NOT want to know website visitor information ….why have a website at all?

Here is a link to a MergedAnalytics demonstration YouTube video …. https://vzit.co/vtl–4

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7 different companies from 7 different industries benefit from MergedAnalytics 7 different ways

Many think MergedAnalytics is a tool that just generates new leads and although that is one way to benefit from the tool…we are finding many other applicable uses outside of just pure sales leads from brand new prospects.

Below are 7 unique stories describing surprise benefits we have heard from current MergedAnalytics customers who ALL  happen to be from different industries.

  1. Short URLs – A Marketing Company posts many articles via URL links to social media ie Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc Although MergedAnalytics will alert you when one of those URLs were clicked…the MergedAnalytics report did NOT always tell you the company name that person was from.  The company started using the MergedAnalytics SHORT URL generator on all of their posted url links.   Now when they receive a Visit Intel site alert they can see the Company name and the referrer ie Facebook, Twitter, Linked etc.  They now know the performance of their posts and can understand which social media sites get the most clicks and from which companies.
  2. Untargeted Prospects – A Cyber Security Company thought they had a great target list to go after. They send emails through their ESP a few times a month.   They were skeptical as to whether Visit Intel would add any value to their current process.  Once they deployed MergedAnalytics, they were astounded as to how many website visitors they had that were NOT on their target list.  This information allowed them to widen their net.  They were now going after companies who normally they would not be going after as a result of the MergedAnalytics visitor intelligence they were receiving.
  3. Existing Customers – An enterprise CRM Software Company that uses Visit Intel was able to understand and support the needs of their existing customers better based on the content of the MergedAnalytics reports. They were able to understand by the MergedAnalytics visitor intelligence what other services were of interest based on the pages and content that was of specific interest.  The software company was able upsell based on that information.
  4. Targeted Prospects – An Art Gallery that uses Visit Intel is marketing itself to other businesses as they would like to place art in Lobbies, offices etc. The Gallery has a targeted list that they send monthly emails to letting them know what Prints and Paintings are available. Because of MergedAnalytics the gallery is able to see what artists are most popular as well as what specific paintings are of interest to those companies based on the visitor Intelligence they get from MergedAnalytics.
  5. Winning Deals when you think you are out of the running – An Executive Search Firm was bidding on a major project to staff an entire marketing and sales team for a Pharmaceutical Company that was launching a new drug. The firm thought they were out of the running. They started seeing MergedAnalytics alerts come in from that Pharma Company and realized they were still in the running.  The MergedAnalytics reports was showing them exactly what the Pharma Company were interested in.  As a result the Executive Search firm emailed the Pharma Co information that reinforced exactly what they were interested in.  Without the MergedAnalytics reports they would have lost the deal.  They thought they were out of the running but the Visit Intel reports showed they still had a chance and they ultimately won the business.
  6. Discovering OLD URL links on the internet that were forgotten – An Online Lead Generation Company uses various links on websites to get people to “opt in” to all sorts of things from products, services, meals, news etc.  They deployed MergedAnalytics and started getting reports and saw that people were clicking on old forgotten URL links still out there on the web.  These links could cause confusion and could tarnish their brand.  With the help of MergedAnalytics, they were able to identify old URL links that lead to nowhere and have them removed.
  7. Bidding Early on Projects – A Construction Company that is using MergedAnalytics found that because of the MergedAnalytics Site Alerts that are automatically emailed to their sales reps,   they were able to contact the visiting company and bid on construction projects earlier than normal.  Typically they have to wait to be contacted by companies with construction needs.  Now based on the pages viewed in MergedAnalytics Alerts, this construction company beats out competition because of the early leads MergedAnalytics provides them.

MergedAnalytics.com