Amplitude

Advanced product and user behaviour analytics

Amplitude offers a much more granular level of product and user behaviour tracking compared to Google Analytics. While Google Analytics excels in traffic analysis, Amplitude is built to help you understand how users engage with specific features or actions within your product. For B2B marketers, this is essential when you're looking to track complex customer journeys and understand the product interactions that drive conversions. Amplitude allows for tracking detailed user actions, which can give you a more accurate picture of how your marketing efforts are influencing the user experience at each stage of the funnel.

Customisable events and data exploration

Amplitude stands out with its robust event tracking and customisation options. You can define and track events that are directly relevant to your business, like specific user actions, clicks, or engagements, which can be useful when optimising a B2B funnel. With Google Analytics, while you can set up custom events, the platform's focus is generally more on website traffic and sessions rather than deep user engagement. Amplitude’s flexibility in tracking product and feature usage is ideal for B2B companies that need a more detailed analysis of how users are interacting with the product and the impact of specific marketing campaigns.

Funnel analysis and cohort tracking

One of Amplitude's key strengths is its cohort analysis and funnel tracking capabilities. These features allow you to segment users into cohorts based on specific behaviours or attributes and then track their progress through a funnel. This is especially useful for B2B marketers who want to analyse how different groups of users move through the acquisition, activation, and retention stages. While Google Analytics offers funnel visualisation, it is much more generic and less sophisticated than Amplitude’s deep cohort and funnel analysis.

Pricing structure and scalability

Amplitude’s pricing model can be a deciding factor for many businesses. While Google Analytics is free and accessible to businesses of all sizes, Amplitude’s pricing can become expensive, particularly for businesses that require access to advanced features like event segmentation and deep data analysis. However, for large-scale B2B operations that need detailed product and user tracking, Amplitude’s pricing may be justified by the depth of its features. Smaller businesses or teams that are just starting to optimise their marketing funnel may find Google Analytics sufficient for their needs.

As a head of growth and founder of two agencies, I’ve spent years using Google Analytics to monitor traffic and user engagement. However, as my focus shifted towards understanding user behaviour and optimising product funnels, I found that Google Analytics didn’t offer the depth I needed. Recently, I began testing Amplitude for my own funnel, specifically looking to track user behaviour and product engagement more effectively. Although I haven’t used Amplitude extensively in the past, I’ve been conducting some desk research and plan to update this review with real-world results as I continue my testing.

Strengths of Amplitude

One of the standout features of Amplitude is its ability to track detailed user interactions. In Google Analytics, you can track page views, sessions, and events, but Amplitude allows you to track specific user actions within your product, like clicks, feature usage, or sign-ups. This level of detail is essential when you’re looking to optimise a B2B funnel, as it enables you to understand how users are interacting with the product and where they drop off in the process. You can also set up advanced segmentation based on user attributes and behaviours, which helps identify high-value cohorts that are most likely to convert.

Another benefit of Amplitude is its funnel analysis and cohort tracking. These features allow me to break down how different groups of users behave across various stages of the funnel, giving me clear insights into areas that need optimisation. Google Analytics, on the other hand, offers more basic funnel tracking, which doesn’t provide the same level of detail. The cohort analysis in Amplitude allows me to track user groups over time and see how their behaviour evolves after different marketing touchpoints, making it a great tool for tracking product adoption and customer retention.

Limitations of Amplitude

The primary downside of Amplitude, at least for now, is its pricing structure. Google Analytics is free and offers a broad set of features that work for many B2B marketers. Amplitude, however, offers a free version, but to access more advanced features like custom events and segmentation, you’ll need to opt for a paid plan, which can get quite costly. As a B2B marketer testing the waters with a new tool, this is something to consider, especially if your business is still growing and doesn’t yet need the full power of Amplitude.

Another limitation is the learning curve. Amplitude’s interface is powerful, but it can feel overwhelming if you’re used to simpler tools like Google Analytics. There’s a lot of functionality packed into the platform, which means it may take some time to set up and start extracting valuable insights. While this is a sign of the tool’s depth and potential, it’s important to factor in the time required for learning and setup before fully integrating it into your workflow.

Ideal fit for B2B marketers

Amplitude is perfect for larger B2B teams focused on understanding detailed user behaviour, tracking advanced funnels, and segmenting users based on specific actions. It’s a powerful tool for teams that need to optimise a product-led growth model or those with complex sales and marketing funnels. If you’re looking to dive deep into user engagement and need advanced cohort analysis and product tracking, Amplitude is a tool worth considering. However, if your needs are more focused on website traffic and general user engagement, Google Analytics will still suffice, and it’s a more cost-effective choice for smaller teams or startups.

If you’ve decided to integrate Amplitude into your B2B marketing strategy, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to get started and make the most of its features.

Setting up Amplitude

1. Sign up for an account: Go to the Amplitude website and create an account. You’ll be guided through the initial setup process, which involves selecting the type of data you want to track and integrating your product or website.
2. Install Amplitude SDK: If you want to track user events within your product, you’ll need to install the Amplitude SDK (software development kit) in your app or website. This requires some technical setup but is crucial for tracking in-app or on-site behaviour.
3. Set up your data streams: After installing the SDK, you’ll need to define the events you want to track. These could include specific user actions like signing up, making a purchase, or clicking a button. Defining these events is key to getting accurate and actionable data from Amplitude.

Creating user cohorts and segments

1. Identify user groups: Once your events are set up, you can start creating cohorts based on specific behaviours. For instance, you could create a cohort of users who have visited your website more than five times or those who clicked on a particular feature in your app.
2. Segment users by attributes: You can also segment users by specific attributes such as location, age, or subscription plan. This helps in identifying high-value cohorts and tracking their journey through the funnel.

Building and tracking funnels

1. Create funnels: With Amplitude, you can build detailed funnels that track how users move through different stages of your marketing process. For example, you can track users from landing page visits to form submissions, or from email opens to product sign-ups.
2. Monitor conversion rates: Once your funnels are set up, you can monitor how different cohorts convert at each stage. This helps you identify bottlenecks and areas where your marketing efforts need improvement.

Analysing user retention

1. Track retention rates: Amplitude allows you to track user retention over time, helping you understand how well your product or service retains users after the initial conversion. This is especially important for B2B businesses that rely on long-term customer relationships.
2. Set up retention cohorts: You can create retention cohorts based on users who return to your product after a certain period, allowing you to see how well your marketing efforts are driving repeat engagement.

Integrating Amplitude with other tools

1. Zapier integration: Amplitude integrates with over 8,000 apps through Zapier, enabling you to automate workflows and connect with tools like Slack, Google Sheets, and Notion. This makes it easy to set up automated alerts, reports, or updates across your tools.
2. Google Analytics integration: You can integrate Amplitude with Google Analytics to combine website traffic data with detailed user behaviour tracking. This gives you a complete view of how users interact with your website and product.

Conclusion

Amplitude is an incredibly powerful tool for B2B marketers who need to track detailed user behaviour, analyse complex funnels, and monitor retention. While it can be more expensive and has a steeper learning curve than Google Analytics, it offers unparalleled depth in product and user engagement tracking. If your B2B marketing strategy relies on optimising user experiences and understanding the impact of your product features, Amplitude is worth the investment. As I continue testing it for my own funnel, I’ll update this article with more results, but for now, Amplitude is proving to be an invaluable tool for deep analytics.