Using Nonmainstream Metrics Tools

You can use a few tools to measure some of those out-of-the-box metrics I talking about. These tools include

Foursquare: This simple location tool allows you to see analytics for real-time visits to your brick-and-mortar location. It also allows you to offer deals and specials and see tips about your business.

Yelp: Yelp for Business, shown in Figure 10-6, also tracks metrics for both real-time visits and planned visits. You can see reviews of your business and offer limited deals.

TripAdvisor: This one offers insights for certain kinds of business in the travel and tourism industry, as well as customer reviews and recommendations.

Facebook: Facebook’s Insights on its business pages are a fairly comprehensive look at the demographics of who is coming to your site, placed into easy-to-read graphs and charts.

It’s actually a bit creepy, how much they know about your page’s fans. Combined with Facebook’s check-in feature and events app, you can do quite a bit with Facebook to track your company’s success there.

PeerIndex: Similar to Klout but offering some deeper metrics, this one is more about brand than customer loyalty information.

Kickstarter: This one is for the brand that has a product to get to market and needs funding. It offers analytics on each of its campaigns.

PayPal: If you have a PayPal button on your site, you can track the conversion rate (if someone abandons their purchase) using the links you’re allowed in the button-creation form for confirmation of purchase or abandonment. Put these as goals in your analytics program.

SlideShare: If you put content out to your customers on SlideShare, it offers analytics to its pro users (see Figure 10-7).

YouTube: The granddaddy of video now offers on-page analytics as well as the ability to have goals set in your analytics program.

YouScan.me: This QR Code generator is one of many out there to choose form. It offers metrics on users who scan the code. It’s up to you to use links, like Bit.ly links, that can be tracked.