AllaboutColumbus: May 2015

Marion police fight rise in heroin use despite cuts

Of the 11 people Marion County law-enforcement officials announced they arrested in a crackdown on heroin, five were charged with dealing the drug, ac

Daily Data-Informed Decisions With Google Analytics Premium and Google BigQuery

The American Precious Metals Exchange (APMEX) is the leading purveyor of precious metals, serving millions of customers worldwide. The company partnered with E-Nor, a Google Analytics Premium Authorized Reseller, to better understand the customer journey and gain insights to improve marketing initiatives.

The first challenge they tackled was to integrate various data assets by exporting Google Analytics Premium data to Google BigQuery. This was accomplished using both the BigQuery export and the User ID features to connect website behavioral data to the company internal customer profiles. This enabled APMEX to use data more effectively to interact with different types of customers.

In addition, by bringing Google Analytics data into the company’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, they empowered their internal teams to make data-informed decisions on a daily basis. For example, when customers call, site usage information is now available to the customer representative talking them.

“We have found BigQuery data to be immediately actionable. It focuses our marketing efforts, personalizes our onsite experiences, and improves the effectiveness of our sales department. When used in conjunction with our current data systems, there is seemingly no question about our customers that cannot be answered. It’s that powerful.”— Andrew Duffle, Director FP&A, Analytics & Optimization, APMEX, Inc.

As a result of the work mentioned above, APMEX has decreased the average cost per acquisition (CPA) by more than 20% while maintaining the same level of new customer orders.

They have also used Google Analytics Premium data to build a statistical model to target valuable customers earlier in their life cycle. For customers identified in the model, the company has increased email open rates by 58%, email conversion rates by 62%, and revenue per email by 163% as compared to the overall business.

To read more about how APMEX and E-Nor used Google Analytics Premium along with BigQuery in order to make more informed decisions, download the full case study.

Posted by Daniel Waisberg, Analytics Advocate.

Five questions with ... John McGroarty

canton brewing

John McGroarty is the head brewer at the Canton Brewing Co. The 15-barrel production brewery and tasting room opened late last year in downtown Canton.

Question: Why did you become a brewer?

Answer: Previously, I was a staff accountant at a large furniture manufacturer and was becoming increasingly frustrated sitting behind a desk every day. I had always enjoyed craft beer and homebrewing, so when I began thinking of a career change, I started looking at working in A/P for a distributor but came to the realization that I'd still be stuck behind a desk the majority of the time so I started volunteering at a startup brewery in Houston, Texas, (Karbach Brewing Co.) and the rest is history -- I was shuffled through packaging, the cellar, then the brewhouse where I worked my way up to be their head brewer.

Q: There’s a concern that the craft beer industry – thanks to the phenomenal growth over the last few years – is reaching a saturation point, particularly in some areas of Ohio. Are there too many breweries here? If yes, why? If no, why not?

A: In my opinion, no. I feel that we will see an eventual settling of the total number of breweries in Ohio, but as long as people continue to put out great beers, we'll see more and more craft tap handles around the state.

Q: What advice can you give future brewers to be successful? It's all about the beer.

A: When I was training in Houston, I'd ask my brewmaster thousands of questions and he'd always tell me the same thing, "Well, is that what would be best for the beer?" It's funny because from five gallons to 100 barrels, the principals of brewing remain the same. It's just the equipment that changes.

Q: What’s your best-selling beer and why do you think it’s so popular?

A: Currently, our Black Jack Dünkel has been flying off the shelves. It's a very sessionable Dunkel with nice toast and chocolate notes and a crisp lager finish. The time of the year will heavily influence what beer is being sold, and this was the perfect segway from winter into spring.

Q: Which beer – any beer in the world – do you wish that you created/invented/brewed and why?

A: That's a very hard question. I'm a huge lover of Bavarian lagers, but hold a similar enjoyment for saisons. It would have to be between Weihenstephaner Helles and Saison Dupont. The methodical brewing tradition in Germany intriques me, while the farmhouse brewing of Wallonia has such a freedom to it, so I really couldn't choose just one!

2015 Grandview Digfest

The Grandview Chamber is hosting the Annual Grandview Digfest on Saturday, June 13, 2015, from 4 – 10:30 p.m. at The Grandview Yard. Digfest is a celebration of local micro-brewers, micro-distilleries, and wine producers, and will feature tastings, as well as food, craft vendors, and entertainment. Admission and parking is free. Drink tickets are $3 Read More

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High-school baseball: Olentangy Liberty back in regional title game

Olentangy Liberty has been an all-business baseball team that sweats the small stuff. Even after the Patriots reached a Division I regional championsh

Annual Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show Makes its Way Back to Columbus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Media Contact Becki Silverstein 440-227-8794 Becki@ag-shows.com Annual Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show Makes its Way

Scene and Heard: Local musicians creating space for women, transgender and non-binary artists

As a teenager, Mickey Mocnik attended youth camp at Fur Peace Ranch, a picturesque musicians’ retreat in the small, riverside town of Pomeroy, and the experience nearly led the Nervosas guitarist to give up the instrument altogether.

Kroger sues Giant Eagle in Kingsdale dispute

The Kroger Co. wants a judge to rule there’s no deed restriction preventing it from building a grocery at Kingsdale Shopping Center in Upper Arl

Summer Reading Program with Half Price Books

Half Price Books is hosting the “Feed Your Brain” Summer Reading Program to encourage kids of all ages to keep up with reading during these summer months. Those in grades 8 and under should print off a Feed Your Brain Reading Log from the website and try to read for at least 15 minutes Read More

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Food Truck Food Court – Thursdays!

Eat well on Thursdays at the Columbus Commons for Food Truck Food Court from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Local food trucks will be offering some of the best eats in Columbus. You can enjoy lunch from Aromaku, Blue Olive, Mikey’s Late Night Slice, Mixing Bowl Asian Grill, Paddy Wagon, Read More

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Life Lately: May

Hi May, I love you. That is all.

^ Tried on this pretty plaid button up at the new(ish) Vineyard Vines at Easton Town Center. Y’all should stop in if you haven’t already. A bit of prep in Columbus.

^ Perusing through Clintonville’s Wholly Craft store – so many locally made finds at this gem!

^ The lil’ baby birds grew up in my front tree.

^ Aw, the most amazing acai bowl. Specifically, it’s a banana acai avocado bowl and you can find the recipe on Hummusapien here. You can also find this on the menu at Alchemy! It’s so delicious, it’s really hard to believe it’s healthy!

^ A walk in the Short North. I literally said “I have to get this.” — Talking about taking a photo of this crazy cool tree. See the bark? Yeah, it definitely caught my eye!

^ Thank you SO MUCH for voting me the #2 Best Local Blogger in Columbus in 614 Magazine’s ColumBEST Awards! I’m truly honored.

^ The chips & margaritas at Nada are soooo amazing.

^ Buzzing around Easton Town Center. I love this mall so (too) much!

^ Such a cool, annual event in Columbus: The CCAD Fashion Show. Yep, that’s Kristyn Hartman!

^ I can’t believe it took me so long to try Philco Bar + Diner in the Short North but it was worth the wait! I stopped in for breakfast after yoga on a Saturday… such a cool diner atmosphere. Loved!

^ Selfie situation, yes. I shared my Ultimate, Go-To Beauty Routine this month. I just can’t help it: I love makeup + skincare and always have!

^ The perfect place to mingle with Columbus creatives in discussion of future Capital Style Magazine guest contributions: Lindey’s in German Village.

^ Sooo nice to finally meet these two: Left, Maudie of Maudie Lloyd and Candace of Live, Love, & Read. p.s. I’m wearing the local Honey Rose & K’s Gamuza Tassel necklace (love!).

^ I’m such a regular at Strader’s. I LOVE flowers + plants and basically just digging in the dirt.

^ Picked up a yummy Native Cold Pressed juice after yoga in the Short North. This stuff makes me feel instantly healthy.

^ Couldn’t help but snap this shot of the Where I’m From mini-shop in the Kenwood Town Centre! Their stuff is so cute and I’m especially loving this Ohio Heart tank.

^ Sunday Funday around Columbus wasn’t complete without a stop at Ohio State Campus.

^ Love the architecture of this building on Ohio State’s Campus, the Fechko Alumnae Scholarship House.

^ Golden Hour in German Village is definitely something to be experienced. Such a gorgeous neighborhood already + that lighting sets it on fire!

^ Another Golden hour shot. Come to think of it, May had a lot of sunny, beautiful golden hours! This is from my back deck + I was so happy to have found these pretty pink dahlias earlier that day.