What are web referring sources? These are the top 3–5 places that drive traffic to your venue's website. You may be tracking your leads with a spreadsheet or simple "How did you hear about us?", but that won't give you the full picture of where your leads are coming from. In this module, you'll learn how to effectively track your referring sources to ensure you're using your marketing dollars in the most effective way possible.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN WHEN YOU DIVE INTO THIS MODULE:

HOW TO KNOW THE TOP "REFERRING SOURCES" TO YOUR WEBSITE

2023 VBBC • MODULE 5

Refer to the time-stamped show notes below when you want to revisit any particular portions of the episode.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

SHOW NOTES:

1:34 The topic Jess talks about with all of her clients!
1:58 Are you absolutely sure what’s working?
2:22 Did the website solve the problem of not knowing where leads came from?
3:01 What are the things venues think about with marketing success?
3:10 Here’s what we hear
3:28 A vitally important question to ask!
4:02 What you can do when you know about your referring sources
4:13 Okay but what are referring sources?
5:04 What happens when Jess has these conversations with clients
5:30 1 point of confusion to note
6:01 Key differences between these two ways to track
7:34 Don’t put this option on your drop down menu
7:50 Example of how people do organic searches (and what you can learn from it)
8:40 Make sure to do this to stay current!
9:16 Let’s talk Google Analytics
9:40 The present we are giving you with this episode <3
11:14 If you are someone weighing in on where your money is spent, then you HAVE to get this information
12:01 Venue example #1 – how knowing their referrals turned into a vendor partnership
13:02 Venue example #2 – this data guy was surprised by his referrals!
14:32 Venue example #3 – maybe you shouldn’t let go of the local wedding site
14:50 What you have to ask yourself when looking at your referring sources
15:40 We want to encourage you make these informed decisions!
16:13 List of what to do in order to make the best marketing decisions
17:00 *all of this makes budgeting decisions easier!*
17:15 Using this Google Sheet from a previous module will really help you

If you understand the power of knowing your website's referring sources, you are then going to be able to empower those marketing dollars to be truly effective.

REFERRING SOURCES IN GA4

JessBrie uses Loom to walk you through how to find your referring sources in Google Analytics.

This video walks you through the new interface of Google Analytics 4!

TUTORIAL

YOUR TOOLS FOR THIS MODULE

JessBrie Johnson started at Here Comes The Guide in 2017, working closely with wedding venues in the Southwest market. Her superpower is the ability to make friends with anyone, and her venue clients always appreciate hearing her voice on the other end of the phone—or seeing her smiling face in a Loom! When she's not helping venues strategize their wedding business, she's busy being a bonus mom to two rambunctious boys.

JESSICA BRIE JOHNSON

Meredith Monday Schwartz started at Here Comes The Guide in 1997 (we didn't even have a website back then—there might also have been dinosaurs running around!) and was a wedding venue specialist for 10 years before taking over as Chief Bossypants in 2007. In the years since she joined HCTG, she's learned a lot about wedding couples, wedding venues, and running a company profitably—and well.

MEREDITH MONDAY SCHWARTZ

YOUR HOSTS FOR THIS EPISODE:

How To Create a Virtual Venue Tour

How to Find Your Venue's Superpowers

How To Not Just Survive, but Thrive in a Crisis

How to Make the Sale

How To Get Couples to Respond: The secrets to emails that actually work

The 411 on Elopements and Small Weddings

A FOCUS ON YOUR WEBSITE

Six Ways Your Venue Info Package Might Be Failing You

Innovate + Create – Smart Ways Venues are Doing New Things

Portrait of a Successful Venue Manager with Guest Audrey Nelson

HAVE YOU TAKEN THE 2020 COURSE YET?