SparkToro or Audiense: For demographic and platform data.
Brandwatch, HootSuite, or Sprout Social: For social listening.
Ahrefs, Moz, or SpyFu: For keyword research.
Google Trends or Exploding Topics: For detecting internet search trends.
How Do You Spot The Missing Holes?
If you’re in the initial stage of building business awareness and acquiring user interest in other countries, then how do you spot the missing holes?
For over 10 years, I used the now sunset Google Surveys to answer questions like that. You can still use Google Forms or SurveyMonkey.
I asked survey expert and CEO of Growth Survey Systems Nathaniel Laban if he would provide a sample question for such a survey, and here’s what he sent me via email:
For a consumer or B2B study, it might look like this:
1. Where do you get news and information about (brand/product)? (Select all that apply. Multiple response.)
From friends, family, and colleagues.
From an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well.
Organic search.
Blogs, news sites.
Paid search.
Email.
Organic social.
Organic shopping.
Organic video.
Other (Specify):
Laban added:
“Communications and marketing channels should always be investigated for one’s target audience.
You need to meet people where they are today to be successful in communications and marketing campaigns. Test your assumptions about where your audience is and back it up with statistically representative data.
Trust your math, not your gut!”
What Can You Expect To Discover?
Now that you know how to spot the holes at the top of the funnel where GA4 can’t – or doesn’t – tell us what we need to know about ZMOT, what can you expect to discover?
GA4 provides a way to measure engaged-view key events, which indicate that someone watched a YouTube video for at least 10 seconds and then triggered a key event on your website or app within three days of viewing the video.
Engaged-view key events are a more accurate way to measure the performance of your video ads. They recognize the fact that users often don’t act immediately after seeing an ad, but rather after they’ve finished watching a video.
This also explains why 70% of YouTube viewers say they’ve purchased a brand after discovering it on the platform. It indicates that YouTube is a highly effective medium for brand discovery and purchase intent.
But to measure engaged-view key events, you need to link your Google Ads account to allow data to flow between Ads and GA4.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a similar way to measure engaged-view key events for other default channels in GA4 like organic video (e.g., YouTube or TikTok), organic social (e.g., Facebook or LinkedIn), or referral (e.g., blogs or news sites).
Users actively seek information about products and services by watching or reading this content, often leading to buying decisions based on what they’ve seen and learned in these channels.
But if you conduct an information sources survey and invest in the right channels and sources of influence, then you shouldn’t be shocked to find that you tend to generate more traffic, leads, and sales, too.
Conducting Brand Lift Surveys
What if your company or clients are in the automotive, consumer packaged goods, or retail industries, and your business objective is to raise brand awareness? How do you measure that?
As I mentioned previously, you can conduct Brand Lift surveys.
Either periodically or before and after major campaigns, you can survey your audience and ask:
Standard Brand Awareness: Have you heard of (brand/product/message)?
Unaided Brand Awareness: Which of the following (brand/product category) have you heard of? (Tick all that apply.)
Top-of-Mind Awareness: Which of the following (brand/products) comes to mind first when you think of (statement)?
Standard Favorability: What’s your opinion of (brand/product)?
Familiarity: How familiar are you with (brand/product name)?
Intent: Will you buy (brand) the next time you shop for (category)?
Action Intent: How likely are you to purchase (brand)?
Recommendation: Will you recommend (brand/product) to a friend?
Consideration: How likely are you to (consider) (brand/product) the next time you want to (shop for) (category)?
Preference: Among the following (brands), which do you prefer most?
In other words, old-school market research can measure Brand Lift, which GA4’s event-based data can’t – even if it’s supplemented with audience research data.
The Lesson We Can Learn From The Missing Bullet Holes
Digital marketers who don’t conduct market research may know what users do when they reach the middle and lower funnel, but they haven’t a clue about why users in the upper funnel aren’t aware of their brand yet or where they can reach them.
That’s the lesson we can learn from “Abraham Wald and the Missing Bullet Holes.” It’s a lesson that my father learned more than 80 years ago, and he shared it with me about 40 years later. Now, I’m sharing it with you.
In short, trust GA4’s data, but verify your analysis and interpretation of it.
More Resources:
Featured Image: alphaspirit.it/Shutterstock