Track Emails with Google Analytics

(This was posted 6 months, 1 week, 15 hours, 49 minutes's ago.)

Here is a thought, if you use Google Analytics do you know the number of people that click on a website link from places like your email signature?

Chances are you can’t or rather don’t.

Let’s think about your emails... How many do you send? In a given week how many emails are sent to existing clients, to prospects or to service providers?

Wouldn’t it be nice if the link to your website in your email signature could identify where it came from?

I like to think that the better I understand how and where the visitors to my website have come from the better placed I am to understand my website.

So here is what I do...

My email signature contains a link to the Thinking Virtually website. When somebody follows that link I know that it came from my email signature as Google Analytics records the Source, Media and Campaign.

Here are the things you need to decide on:

Name for Source – for me that is ‘davidemailsig’

Type of Media – in this case we identify it as ‘email

Name of Campaign – we kind of cheat here as we simply call is ‘davidemailsig’

So my signature shows www.thinkingvirtually.co.uk but when you click on it you are sent to www.thinkingvirtually.co.uk/?utm_source=davidemailsig&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=davidemailsig.

Right, so now do one for yourself.

Source: ?utm_source=your-source

&utm_medium=your-media

&utm_campaign=your-campaign

To make life even easier Google have provided a page that will create the link! Click here to get started.

What if I don’t do this?

Then nothing will change. However Google Analytics records email click though vists as ‘Direct Traffic’ (unless clicked on through Google Mail).

Suppose 90% of your direct traffic is from your email signature, would this make you think differently about your email signature? Would you consider what is said and the possibility of adding offers there as well?

If you don’t do it you won’t lose as you’ll never know. Spend 10 mins and do it and you’ll start capturing data and you will know – even better is now you can start playing with it!

I know if somebody has visited my site because of links in my emails – do you?

Chigwell Golf Club – One of our first Content Managed Websites

(This was posted 6 months, 1 week, 16 hours, 28 minutes's ago.)

Chigwell Golf Club, in Chigwell Essex is a beautiful course. The management team respect and uphold the history of a course that has been open since 1925.

The main reason for the new website back in 2008 was to ensure that the members could access all the information they would need. There is a strong emphasis on the members section of the website, providing Chigwell Golf Club members with course information, upcoming events, news and different blogs.

For me the website conveys the spirit of the club. The images taken by a member of staff capture the course, really showing it off in its full spender.

Chigwell Golf Course is respected throughout Essex as a top golfing venue; click below to find out more about:

• Corporate and Society Golf Days
• The Chigwell Golf Club Opens
• Their Pro Shop
• Course Info

Or to just find our more about Chigwell Golf Club click here.

Belmont Laundry are doing well on Google

(This was posted 6 months, 1 week, 16 hours, 39 minutes's ago.)

Belmont Laundry have been providing a great linen hire service to London and the home counties since 1984.

The website that we built for them was designed to win them searches such as ‘hotel linen hire essex’ as this is their primary business.

The Belmont Laundry site is a simple design that we feel really works well with their existing branding.

We’d like to thank the Team at Belmont Laundry and wish the all the best of luck at their new premises.

A Lovely Restaurant - The Baytree, Melbourne, Derby

(This was posted 6 months, 1 week, 16 hours, 52 minutes's ago.)

The Baytree Restaurant, Melbourne, Derby

The Baytree is a lovely restaurant in Melbourne, Derbyshire. The owners and staff are passionate about everything they do; and it really shows.

Some time ago we were asked to look at a website for them by Baseline Creative. Baseline had come up with an exquisite design and had arranged some delightful photography; all that was needed was the development.

The site is fully content managed and benefits from a really nice slideshow on the home page.

If you are ever in the area and want somewhere friendly and good to eat – get yourself to the Baytree.

Electric Cars – but not ones you Pedal!

(This was posted 6 months, 1 week, 18 hours, 8 minutes's ago.)

A client or ours (Planet Leasing) has been speaking to us about something new on the horizon – electric cars.

You may say (and you would be true) that electric cars really aren’t that new but these puppies are!

If you Google ‘Electric Cars’ you will see sponsored links from Smart, Nissan, Renault, Honda, Toyota, Fiat and even Volvo.

Electric Car Options

• The ‘Electric Drive’ Smart Car boasts an effective 300 mpg with Zero emissions.
• The Nissan offering is a little harder to understand from their website but seems to be built around the Nissan Leaf.
• Renault has launched Renault Z.E, a range of 4 electric concept vehicles; each more futuristic and larger than the last.
• Honda and Toyota have hybrid offerings that in truth seem more like conventional cars but still seem better for the environment that a standard vehicle – a friend of mine said that it drives like a car, has the same range, doesn’t cost less to run except I don’t have to pay the London Congestion Charge and as I’m in town most days that saves me a fortune (every days, 48 weeks per year is a saving of £1,920!)

But in truth my favourite, after looking around was what seems to be an independent company called Aixam Mega.

Aixam Mega have a range of private and light commercial vehicles, that put the focus on being friendly to the environment. It’s debatable but I wouldn’t think they will win many awards for the design of their vehicles but I think they are 100% fit for purpose.

I don’t know why they are not more popular in the cities. They are an ideal replacement for small vans and city run-arounds.

Planet Leasing Ltd

So what’s the point of this entry? Simple really, I like the idea of electric cars and it highlights something we can all do – think ahead.

Planet Leasing have looked ahead and thought if the main line manufacturers are getting in on this should they?

They have looked at what is coming up and have decided that they need to put themselves in a place that allows them to not only position themselves in what might be a new market but at the same time allow themselves to be there when their customers want/need them.

If you look at it this is at least a year off, probably two or more. What Planet Leasing have done is decided to establish themselves online they need the time to establish a website so that search engines know about them.

Thinking ahead may well put them in a great organic position, ready for when people go looking for Electric Cars...