Since the emergence of ads on Google and social media platforms, marketing has evolved to a whole new level. Companies’ marketers can now reach the target audience in various regions and countries with the smart use of online campaigns.
However, it is one thing to start an online ad; it is another to run it productively. In some cases, the project could be successful with a lot of traffic, conversions, and a significant rise in sales. When the campaign is successful, it is only right to note every action and event that help the promotion. And when things go south, you should do the same.
When a company annotates events, such as a sudden rise in traffic, or the impact of changes in in-app features, it helps determine the important components of a market campaign. In this way, the brand can double down on what has been helpful and optimize what’s not helpful.
Before now, the Google Analytics property used to have an annotation tool. So, what’s this tool? How did it become popular among marketers, and how can you use it? Find out in this article.
Google Analytics annotation: What is the tool about?
GA annotation is a tool that takes note of any changes in marketing ads on Google Analytics property. It also reports any significant changes in website performance. Such events could be an increase or decrease in traffic, changes in weather updates, mentions, ranking on search engines, or trends. Users may choose the report with fellow team members or keep it private.
Why do online marketers use GA annotations?
If you are new to GA property, you’ll most likely not notice the feature on the latest Google Analytics 4. However, most marketers still use annotation tools on their analytics today. Below are major reasons why it is popular among experienced campaigners:
1. Track changes in social media ads
Annotation tools help note down the trends in your ads' performance on various social media platforms. This includes Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The measured metric could be mentions, likes, conversions, retweets, or shares. Marketers watch annotation records, most especially when a new tweak has been made to the ads.
2. Monitor newsletter ads
An email campaign is more common now than ever. Companies use newsletters to get across to their target buyers. In the message, call-to-actions are often added with tips and freebies. When such an approach is made to sell, marketers track the email campaign using an annotation tool to see how it is contributing to ad productivity.
3. Monitor changes in site performance
Website owners, entrepreneurs, and marketers track the site’s performance. This is especially important after an influx of new content with specific keywords. In this way, they can see how the new addition to the website contributes to the SERP. If it is not working, then the site and content could be re-optimized.
4. Holidays and special event annotation
Public holidays in specific countries can determine the sales of a specific product or need for a service. By monitoring how a specific holiday affects traffic and sales, the company can better prepare for the next holiday. The same thing applies to weather updates such as storms, heavy rainfalls, or snow. Marketers use annotation tools to determine the influence of such events that are not within their control to optimize campaigns as appropriate.
How to use Google Analytics Annotation
As stated earlier, the recently introduced GA4 lacks an annotation feature like the previous Universal Analytics. However, marketers have been able to bypass the issue by using an annotation tool developed by Crystal Ball. By downloading the Crystal Ball extension, users can annotate social media ads, events, website performance, etc.
Final note
If you would like to start using the annotation tool on your Google Analytics 4, feel free to sign up with Crystal Ball. Using the extension comes with other tools and apps. In this way, you never get to miss out on crucial information that can take your business to the next level.
FAQs
i. Can I transfer data from Universal Analytics to GA4?
Yes, Google enables users to map their UA data and migrate them to a new GA4 account.
ii. Can you add annotations in GA4?
Yes, users can add annotations in GA4 by using the Crystal Ball extension.
iii. How do I export annotations?
You can export annotations by pasting them into an excel sheet and uploading them to Crystal Ball, then you can view them on your new GA4 property with the Crystal Ball Chrome extension.
iv. Why are there no annotations in GA4?
Google decides not to include the tool in the new analytics property.