The foundation of every marketing is data. It can show you where to concentrate your advertising budget, which customers are the most lucrative, what’s working and not working, and so much more.
Data is merely numbering on its own. You need to understand the meaning of your data to utilize it fully. And this is where Google Data Studio comes in.
This article will tell you what Google Data Studio is and how to make the most of it to create a report everyone will love.
What is Google Data Studio?
Google Data Studio is a free analytic tool that transforms your raw data into insightful, straightforward, shareable dashboards and reports.
With the drag-and-drop report editor, you can use charts, such as line, bar, and pie charts, geo maps, area and bubble graphs, paginated tables, pivot tables, and more, to help you tell your data story.
Google Data Studio is essentially a more powerful version of the outdated and severely constrained Google Analytics data dashboard that has just 12 widgets per dashboard and can only connect to the data in the particular view the dashboard is in.
One thing we love about data studio is how easy it is to connect your data from multiple data sources into the dashboard and create the report you want. No limitation or hindrance and this awesome tool is all for free.
How can I create reports using Google Data Studio?
Contrary to popular belief, you can easily create a new report in Google Data Studio.
- To begin, sign in to Data Studio with your Google account, and you will be welcomed with the homepage.
2. Next click on the + sign and you will see Report, Data source, and Explorer.
If you click “Report,” you will then have to input a data source to use in the report. The source can be from Google Analytics, Google ads, Google Sheets, Hubspot, or even Shopify.
If you click on “Data source,” you will create a new data source that you want to use for the report, and finally clicking on “Explorer” will be for exploring and helping you find insights faster.
The explorer helps simplify the experience of viewing, editing, and data visualization.
3. But we want to create reports so we choose “Create report.”
4. Next thing is for us to put in our data source (that is the data we want to use for our report.) Again you can use any data source. This list is quite endless.
You can connect your data either through Google connectors or Partner connectors.
Google connectors allow you to import data from Google-related services like google analytics data, google sheets, Google search console, and so on.
For instance, if we use google sheets, it will use the native Google Sheets connector shown below and display all Google Sheets you have access to.
Partner connectors will have you using third-party connectors but they are trustworthy because Google tends to vet most of them before allowing them to be included.
The only drawback is that this is not a free method, at least for most third-party connectors.
5. Once you connect your data source, you will see “Add to report,” click on it, and then the next thing you see is the Google Data studio Dashboard loaded with your data.
6. For us we choose YouTube Sample as our data source and as you can see, the dashboard opens up with our data.
From here we can modify our report, add charts, tables, scorecards, dimensions and metrics, and so on.
And once done, you can download your report as a pdf and share or better still add people using the share button and share with them.
It’s that simple.Porter metrics even makes it simpler by providing templates you can use, so instead of staring at a blank dashboard with your data like ours.
You can hit the ground running with our templates already putting all the necessary information and charts easily for you, so all you have to do is modify the data you want into the report,
What is cross-channel reporting?
Cross-channel marketing is all about developing a marketing plan that enables you to communicate accurately and consistently with your target audience across multiple channels or platforms.
Now, cross-channel reporting is designed to make it simple to compare two or more channels—which may often span various ad accounts—in order to track and boost each one’s effectiveness in relation to the others.
Imagine this scenario, a potential customer comes across one of your excellent Twitter posts, maybe through an organic search.
As she goes through it, there is a link to your website to explain more, so she visits your website to learn more by clicking through, possibly to a blog article that expands on the subject of the Twitter post.
During her visit, she was impressed that she decides to join your mailing list. She instantly receives an email with additional details regarding the exact problem she had just read about on your website.
Later, while she’s on Google or any other social media, she sees a tailored advertisement showing how your business can help her in solving the same problem.
What she just went through is cross-channel marketing. You just moved your customer and potential leads smoothly from one channel to another, with consistent and complementary messaging on each platform.
The goal of a cross-channel report is to compile a detailed breakdown of all the metrics and campaign performance for each channel, including clicks, impressions, cost, and conversions.
It’s a lot of work, frankly speaking, but thankfully this is where cross-channel reporting is useful in this situation.
These automated reports can locate the top-performing channel with lightning speed by aggregating the metrics in easy-to-read comparison charts.
As such, if you click here right now, you will be given a cross-channel report in less than 30 minutes based on the data you give us. It’s that quick and effective.
Multi-channel vs Cross-channel reports: Differences
A cross-channel report and a multi-channel report may initially resemble one another. They both utilize multiple channels to reach their target audience but despite having certain similarities, they both have significant differences we are going to look at.
We already know what Cross-channel is, so let’s look at what Multi-channel is. Multi-channel marketing is the process through which businesses engage with customers through a variety of direct and indirect channels to sell them products and services.
Companies can either utilize direct channels, in which they actively pursue customers — such as physical locations, catalogs, and direct mail — or indirect channels, also known as inbound marketing, in which they push material via websites or social media.
We gave an example with Cross-channel, so let’s give an example with Multi-channel.
“The same woman in the earlier example is looking to buy a new pair of shoes. Somehow, she gets a 40% discount voucher for a new shoe brand called WalkIt. Going online, she checks out WalkIt’s website and finds a pair of shoes she likes.
But when she heads to the checkout, she finds she can only redeem the voucher in-store. She’s already getting annoyed that she has to go out seeing as she didn’t plan to, but 40% off is a good bargain, so she decides to check out the store.
She finds the salesperson a little pushy when she gets to the store. Although she knows which shoes she wants to buy, they keep upselling a different pairs.
She finally tries on the shoes, but it’s missing when she goes to show the salesperson the 40% discount code.
Because she quit the session before buying the shoes, the information hasn’t been stored. As a result, she ends up paying full price for the shoes.”
This straightforward example demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of a multichannel marketing strategy.
She used a number of channels —such as the website, and the store—and was eventually persuaded to make a purchase, but her journey was anything but straightforward.
Every time she changed channels, her journey had to be started over.
She exits with a sensation of slight annoyance due to both the invalid voucher and the pushy salesperson, as well as the fact that her experience was not entirely integrated.
The next time she goes shopping, she might think twice about using WalkIt.
Even though the two mediums both use multiple channels to attract customers, the way they go about it is different. So let’s see how they differ from this simple table.
| Multi-Channel | Cross-Channel |
| 1. Multiple disconnected channels are used in multichannel marketing. | Multiple connected channels are used in Cross-Channel |
| 2. Brand-centered, individual campaigns like “share this content,” “purchase this product,” and “hit this link” are the emphasis of multichannel marketing. It’s all about the brand and what they do and not usually about the customer. | Cross-channel marketing puts the customer first and provides more consistent messaging over all platforms. These will meet the needs of the customer, such as an online or in-store e-voucher, followed by a promotion for a different connected product. (Why stop at a shoe, why not buy a pair of socks too?) |
| 3. Multi-channel marketing is used as a general term to show all marketing channel strategies, including cross-channel marketing. | Cross-channel marketing is a particular subset of multichannel marketing. |
| 4. Multichannel marketing is perfect for a more flexible approach that offers broader market coverage and risk dispersion. | Cross-channel marketing is perfect for more data-driven, client-centric programs that target certain customer groups. |
| 5. Brand comes first. | The customer comes first. |
Both of them are good, useful, and can help visualize your sales pipeline and customer’s journey. Some companies have recorded great success thanks to Multi-channel funnel data, so both are good and you can use them in your marketing strategy.
In the end, the primary difference between cross-channel and multichannel is how and why they engage with clients.
While cross-channel marketing is more interactive with the specific goal of putting customers first, multi-channel marketing is less risky but less convenient for consumers.
How can I use Google Data Studio to improve my data?
Google data studio has a lot of features and advantages that can help you improve your data. We are going to list some of those features.
1. Have access to countless widget choices
Google Data Studio allows you to use an unlimited number of widgets in your report. You can share and explain your report in a variety of ways with this tool. Widget choices include:
- Heat maps by state, region, or nation
- Pie graphs
- graphs of time series
- and a lot more.
Each of these widgets can also be altered using a range of metrics.
There is a great deal of creative freedom when using Google Data Studio to produce reports and present data.
2. Data from multiple data sources
The capability of Google Data Studio to draw from up to 12 different data sources, which you can use in your reports, is probably one of its most distinctive and useful features.
A report can have data from 5 distinct data sources if need be. This alone can improve your report tremendously.
With this feature, you can use these tools to produce a data studio report that examines every aspect of your business.
3. Create an understandable report
Another way Google data studio can improve your report is by making it easy to understand, even if the person has no previous knowledge of analytics. You can even create custom reports for your business.
Data Studio reports can be divided into one page or twenty pages, showcasing the adaptability and customizability of Data Studio.
It adjusts to the particular requirements of your business, simplifying the process of sharing crucial data stress-free. Even better, you can alter the design of your report.
It’s simple to modify the fonts, colors, themes, sizes, and more to make each report simple to read. Additionally, you can add one to ten widgets on each page.
With this design, you may give team members and corporate decision-makers a comprehensive understanding of your report.
Features of Google Data Studio dashboard
Some features on the Google data studio dashboard are:
1. Add data
This feature allows adding more than 800 ready-made datasets and more than 270 connectors as built-in features. It is important to remember that the number of connectors is constantly growing, so if you can’t find the one you need right away, you could have better luck checking back in a few months.
2. Number of pages
You can leverage the function of several pages to better explain your big data instead of cramming all the information you can into one page. Doing this will help you to stay away from pointless complications and information overload.
3. Filters
You can use two different types of filters in Data Studio. Include and exclude ones. Include filters display the data that satisfies the set conditions, whereas exclude filters do the opposite and display just the data that does not. Charts, filter controls, groups, pages, and reports can all be filtered.
4. Calculating fields
You can develop new dimensions and metrics by using calculated fields. Use the list of functions from the help section if you are unsure which functions you can use in calculated field formulas.
Of course, not all pre-built dashboards will fit you perfectly. However, you can change your dashboard with templates like ours and modify it to your needs.
Paid channel mix template for Google Data Studio
Performance marketers know it best. Keeping track of your paid campaign can be challenging, especially if you are handling them across several channels.
For starters, you need to log into each platform to see the status of things. Chances are, by the time you arrive at platform number three, you most likely have forgotten what you did on platform number one.
Imagine going through Twitter ads, Facebook ads, Google ads, and website ads all at once.
It can be challenging to analyze cross-channel campaigns and reports. But we are here to help and with the right tools and templates we have, you can spend less time collecting data and more time optimizing your campaigns.
What are key metrics in paid channel mix report?
Not all metrics need to be counted or considered. Even though you have your sights set on a big list of metrics, you should never forget about your business’s objectives and the business issues you hope to find answers to. Those are the metrics worth looking at.
What you should concentrate on is:
- If your ads are working
- If your landing pages are working
- Your overall Channel Performance
Ad performance metrics
Any paid advertising campaign’s ultimate objective is undoubtedly that lovely conversion process. But to get to that stage, your audience must click on your advertisement first.
So, how can you tell if your advertisement, like Google ads, is successful? Simple. By using analytics for your advertising performance.
When assessing the effectiveness of your ads, you should pay attention to the following metrics:
Impressions- These are the overall counts of people that have seen your ad.
Clicks- The total number of times your advertisement has been clicked. Your chances of driving conversions increase as more people click on your advertisements.
CTR(Click-through-rate)- The ratio of total clicks to total impressions is known as CTR. A high CTR usually indicates that people see your adverts to be relevant and beneficial. And a low CTR might indicate that:
- Your advertisement doesn’t speak to your target market.
- Your target market has already become tired of your advertisement.
In both instances, enhancing the ad copy and/or modifying the style could increase your CTR.
Landing page performance metrics
Is it time to grab a bucket and gather some conversions now that your target audience has clicked on your ad? Well, not quite yet.
Because if they can’t find what they are looking for on your landing page, they won’t convert. These metrics can tell you how effective your landing page is:
Conversions – This is the total conversions from everyone that landed on your page. A conversion could be anything, such as completing a form, beginning a free trial, or making a purchase. (Pro tip: make careful to clarify what you mean by conversion when discussing conversions with your supervisor or client.)
Conversion rate- This is total conversions/total clicks. (/ means divided by)
Channel Performance
This will show you which channel is performing. You might think Facebook is giving you leads only to find out your leads are coming from Instagram.
This metric will help you know which is working, so you can know to track and optimize your lead generation efforts.
How can I add pages to the Google Data Studio report?
This is quite simple because you can boldly see it on the dashboard. Just click on the specific tab “Add page.” And a new page will be created for you where you can continue with your report.
The marketer’s checklist of preparation for advanced reporting
Checklist 1: Have Adequate Data
Assemble and combine data from your data sources. It could be from your website, CRM system, advertising services, and so on. For small businesses, using Google Analytics’ free features is sufficient.
While solutions like Google Analytics 360 or OWOX BI can help medium and big firms that regularly use Google Marketing Platform products take advantage of new opportunities and then put all those in Google data studio for either multi-channel funnel data or cross-channel funnel data.
Checklist 2: Determine the KPI and metrics for your company.
You must first understand who your clients or audience are, what interests them, and what routes bring them to you in order to avoid losing the same metric critical to your business success.
Checklist 3: Use the appropriate tool.
You don’t want to be using a report template for a sales funnel when you need a report template for CRM. Using the right tool is critical to a good report.
To help, try answering these questions:
- What are the needs and size of your company? For most companies, the data visualization features of Google Data Studio are enough.
- How frequently do you need your report? Monthly, daily, or in real-time?
Answering these questions will help you figure out what tool to use in your report.
Conclusion
Marketing plans and strategies should be based on data, not educated guesses. You can use Google Data Studio to build stunning interactive reports that you can offer to your boss, clients, or even investors and use your data to make smarter marketing decisions for your business.
Google Data Studio has a slight learning curve, but it is worthwhile investing a few hours to learn this user-friendly data visualization tool, and with our templates, we make the learning process even shorter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google Data Studio free?
Yes, It is free to use.
Who can use Google Data Studio?
Google Data Studio was created with the average user in mind, this means anyone can use Data studio for their reports.
What does Google Data Studio do?
Google Data Studio aggregates data from data sources to create visual reports to help you and your team better understand what impacts your business.
Can I create a cross-channel report with Google Data Studio?
Yes, you can. As such, Data studio thrives on combining different data into one appealing, easy-to-understand report.
Does Google Data Studio allow collaboration with other people on reports?
Yes, you can share your reports with others by sending them an email invite to visit Data Studio. You can also share broadly by letting anyone with the link access your Data Studio reports.
Can I use Google Data Studio Offline?
No, you cannot. Data Studio is web-based and, as a result, requires an internet connection to function.
Can I have a Multi-channel and a Cross-channel report in one report?
Yes, you can. Even though a multi-channel report can come from a different API, it can still be included. Also, make sure you specify which is which (best to be done on different pages), so it’s easy to comprehend.
