How to Measure Real-Life Events with Google Analytics Measurement Protocol (UA)

Google Analytics is a powerful tool for measuring and analyzing website traffic and user behavior. However, it can also be used to measure real-life events, such as in-person purchases, phone calls, and even TV ads. This is possible through the use of Google Analytics Measurement Protocol, which allows you to send data to Google Analytics from any digital device or application.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to use Google Analytics Measurement Protocol to measure real-life events and provide examples and cases with statistics.

What is Google Analytics Measurement Protocol?

Google Analytics Measurement Protocol is a set of rules that allow you to send data to Google Analytics from any digital device or application. This means that you can use it to track user behavior across multiple platforms and devices, including offline events such as in-person purchases, phone calls, and even TV ads.

Using Google Analytics Measurement Protocol, you can send data to Google Analytics in the form of a hit. A hit is simply a piece of data that describes a user interaction with your website or app. There are four types of hits:

  • Pageview: A pageview hit is sent every time a user loads a new page on your website or app.
  • Event: An event hit is sent every time a user performs a specific action on your website or app, such as clicking a button or filling out a form.
  • Transaction: A transaction hit is sent every time a user makes a purchase on your website or app.
  • Social: A social hit is sent every time a user interacts with your website or app on social media.

To use Google Analytics Measurement Protocol, you’ll need to generate a tracking ID in your Google Analytics account. This ID will be used to associate the data you send with your account.

Now that you understand the basics of Google Analytics Measurement Protocol, let’s explore some examples and cases where it can be used to measure real-life events.

In-Person Purchases

If you have a physical store, you can use Google Analytics Measurement Protocol to track in-person purchases. To do this, you’ll need to generate a unique ID for each transaction and send the data to Google Analytics using the transaction hit type.

For example, let’s say you run a coffee shop and want to track in-person purchases. You can generate a unique ID for each purchase and send the data to Google Analytics using the following code:

https://www.google-analytics.com/collect?v=1&t=transaction&tid=UA-XXXXXX-X&cid=1234&ti=12345&tr=3.50&cu=USD

In this code, “tid” is your tracking ID, “cid” is a unique ID for the user, “ti” is a unique ID for the transaction, “tr” is the total revenue, and “cu” is the currency.

Phone Calls

If you have a phone number on your website or app, you can use Google Analytics Measurement Protocol to track phone calls. To do this, you’ll need to generate a unique ID for each call and send the data to Google Analytics using the event hit type.

For example, let’s say you run a plumbing company and want to track phone calls. You can generate a unique ID for each call and send the data to Google Analytics using the following code:

https://www.google-analytics.com/collect?v=1&t=event&tid=UA-XXXXXX-X&cid=1234&ec=phone&ea=call&el=1234567890

In this code, “tid” is your tracking ID, “cid” is a unique ID for the user, “ec” is the event category, “ea” is the event action, and “el” is the (phone) number that was called.

TV Ads

If you run TV ads, you can use Google Analytics Measurement Protocol to track their effectiveness. To do this, you’ll need to generate a unique ID for each ad and send the data to Google Analytics using the event hit type.

For example, let’s say you run a car dealership and want to track the effectiveness of your TV ads. You can generate a unique ID for each ad and send the data to Google Analytics using the following code:

https://www.google-analytics.com/collect?v=1&t=event&tid=UA-XXXXXX-X&cid=1234&ec=tv&ea=ad&el=Ford

In this code, “tid” is your tracking ID, “cid” is a unique ID for the user, “ec” is the event category, “ea” is the event action, and “el” is the name of the ad.

Once you’ve sent the data to Google Analytics, you can use the platform to analyze the effectiveness of your TV ads. For example, you can track the number of website visits, phone calls, and in-person visits that result from each ad.

Case Study: University of Alabama

The University of Alabama used Google Analytics Measurement Protocol to track in-person visits to their campus. They installed sensors at various locations around campus and used the Measurement Protocol to send data to Google Analytics every time a user entered or exited a sensor zone.

By analyzing this data, the University was able to gain insights into how users moved around campus and which areas were the most popular. They were also able to track the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns by measuring the number of users who visited campus after seeing an ad.

According to the University, the use of Google Analytics Measurement Protocol allowed them to “understand our users better than ever before.”

Google Analytics Measurement Protocol is a powerful tool that allows you to measure real-life events using Google Analytics. By sending data to Google Analytics using hits, you can track in-person purchases, phone calls, and even TV ads.

Whether you run a physical store or a digital business, using Google Analytics Measurement Protocol can help you gain insights into user behavior and track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. So why not give it a try and see what insights you can uncover?.

One important thing to keep in mind when using Google Analytics Measurement Protocol is to ensure that you are collecting data in a compliant manner. This means making sure that you are collecting data ethically and in accordance with any relevant laws and regulations, such as GDPR.

In addition, it’s important to ensure that the data you collect is accurate and reliable. This means testing your code thoroughly and using error checking to ensure that data is being sent correctly.

Overall, Google Analytics Measurement Protocol is a powerful tool that can help you measure real-life events and gain insights into user behavior. By using it effectively, you can track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns, improve user experience, and make data-driven decisions that will benefit your business.

So if you haven’t already, why not give Google Analytics Measurement Protocol a try? With a little bit of coding and some testing, you can start measuring real-life events and gaining insights that will help you grow your business.

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