Many
people in Ireland took their hobby of baking and turned it into a small
business during the Covid-19 pandemic. Out of boredom during the pandemic they
put their skills to good use to deliver tasty treats. These small businesses
offer a range of Confectionary treats ranging from cupcakes to brownies to
cookies. Many of these businesses started around kitchen tables selling to
family and friends. How these hobby businesses turn into successful operations
is due to social media. Platforms such as Instagram allow business
owners to create a page very quickly to promote their businesses. The platform
is ideal for sharing mouth watering images of sweet treats. The sharing of
content on Instagram allows people to tell their friends and popular images can
trend quite quickly. The business can then create a website with ordering
platforms to grow the business.
Once
the business has a good digital footprint it is ideal for them to use Google Analytics
to help grow their business further. Google analytics allows business owners see
what visitors are doing exactly when they visit their website. It allows you
track and analyse critical data on your site. The good news is that it is completely
free for business to use.
One
of the main benefits is the data collection element which will allow the business
owner see how many visitors are going to their page and where are they coming
from and what elements of the site they are engaging with – this is ideal for a
food business as you can determine what is the most attractive offering that is
interesting visitors to the site. Google Analytics will also help deliver
better informed marketing strategies and will pull information regarding
traffic to social media accounts like Instagram which is used a lot in food
businesses. It allows you look at what keywords they are searching and what they
are clicking on.
Overall Google Analytics is the ideal free resource for companies to use to grow their business and make better decisions in marketing and I hope small food business realise this and use it to promote their business.
I'm off to order some sweet treats!
David Donnelly
You are so right David, the pandemic changed everything. One of the positives, however was that it brought out talents in people they never knew existed! It allowed hobbies become real-time profitable cottage industries. Google Analytics is ideal for small businesses. It's a great free business tool allowing companies to see the who, what, why and where of their customer base. Reporting on the reasoning behind what happens on your website/social media is crucial. The data collection element is a great point especially for those who haven't made use of Google Analytics before. I'm looking forward to your next post! Colette Breen-O'Boyle
ReplyDeleteInteresting read, David. I like the way you have explained Google Analytics in simplistic and informative terms. This post is really beneficial for businesses who may not know where to start. Small, hobby-businesses such as personalised confectionery treats have become so popular and a fantastic concept to grow as a side business - especially with the right marketing tools and content. It is also a huge benefit that Google Analytics is free to use - something that a lot of business owners may not be aware of and therefore never look into using. Your point about using the data element is such a good idea for the business to use, so that they have the ability to market their most attractive/popular product and also know who to target.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Suzanne Earley
Great tip David and I completely agree, Google Analytics is a fantastic resource for a small business to utilise- especially as its free. It allows the business to see at a glance which marketing strategies are working and which are not. It also identifies if marketing goals are being met.
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes people are put off by what they might consider as "complicated" tech solutions, but there is really nothing complicated about setting up a Google Analytics account.
The full features of Google Analytics can be explored further by visiting the publicly accessible account that they have linked to the 'Google Merchandise Store' . Here you can see all the reports in action, which helps you better understand its potential to help your business.
Looking forward to your next blog David!
Suzanne Mc Cabe
hi David
ReplyDeletegreat blog.
thanks for all the tips re google anayltics for a small business. It is a potentially mammoth task so its good to contrast that with the fact that it is a free tool.
Caitriona