1. Prepping Your 6sense Data for Export
- WebTag 2.0 is Your Friend: Make sure you’re using the latest 6sense WebTag (version 2.0) and have enabled the Company Identification API within your 6sense settings.
- Double-Check Your Domains: Confirm that your website domain is included in the WebTag’s “Add Domains” list to ensure the API functions correctly.
- Prep Your 6sense Audience Segments for Data Transfer: We recommend updating your 6sense API Token Management to only display Segment ID for Published Segments. The Segment ID is the snippet you’ll want to use to transfer audience data into Google Analytics 4, but unless you have a really good memory, a random string of numbers may not be much help for connecting-the-dots without some additional context. Create a spreadsheet you can use to show the Segment names and their associated Segment IDs.
2. Setting the Stage: Google Tag Manager (GTM)
- The Hub of Your Implementation: We’ll be working within GTM to manage the JavaScript code and ensure it fires at the right moment. This assumes you’re already using GTM and have your GA4 tag set up. If not, you’ll need to get that squared away first.
- No Need to Reinvent the Wheel: Thankfully, you don’t need to write complex JavaScript from scratch to capture 6sense dimensions. The 6sense WebTag 2.0 automatically pushes these dimensions into the GTM data layer, making them readily accessible. Here’s a list of dimensions available by default, with example variables that would be associated with the dimension:
- confidence_6si Very High
- company_name_6si 6sense
- domain_6si 6sense.com
- name_6si 6sense
- region_6si Northern America
- country_6si United States
- state_6si California
- city_6si San Francisco
- industry_6si Software and Technology
- country_iso_code_6si US
- address_6si 450 Mission St,
- zip_6si 94105
- 13 phone_6si +1 415-212-9225
- employee_range_6si 1,000 – 4,999
- revenue_range_6si $100M – $250M
- employee_count_6si 1192
- annual_revenue_6si 104000000
- is_blacklisted_6si true
- state_code_6si CT
- geoIP_country_6si United States
- geoIP_state_6si Connecticut
- geoIP_city_6si Stars Hollow
- company_match_6si Match
- additional_comment_6si Company name or domain match was found
- industry_v2_6si Software
- sic_description_6si Prepackaged Software
- sic_6si 7372 28 naics_6si 511210
- naics_description_6si Software Publishers
- segment_ids_6si 123456,987654
- segment_names_6si ABC,DEF
3. Google Tag Manager Configuration
- Create a custom HTML Tag in GTM: Paste the single-line WebTag 2.0 code snippet provided by 6sense. It will look something like this: <script id=”6senseWebTag” src=”https://j.6sc.co/j/abcde-12345.js”></script>
- Replace “abcde-12345” with your unique WebTag ID.
- Triggering the Tag: Configure this Custom HTML tag to fire on all pages with the highest priority (set Tag firing priority to 9999). Set the tag firing options to Once per page.
- 6sense Event Trigger: Create a Custom Event Trigger in GTM to capture when 6sense has successfully identified a company. Name it something like “6sense Company Details Loaded” and use the event name 6si_company_details_loaded.
- Data Layer Variables: Create Data Layer Variables in GTM for each 6sense dimension you want to send to GA4:
- Variable Name: company_name_6si
- Variable Type: Data Layer Variable
- Data Layer Variable Name: company_name_6si
- Special Handling for Segments: Segments are handled a bit differently. Each segment an account belongs to is created as a separate variable in the data layer. These variables follow the naming convention segment_<segment_id>_6si (e.g., segment_123456_6si). You’ll need to grab the segment IDs from your 6sense platform and create corresponding variables in GTM.
4. Sending Data to GA4
- GA4 Event Tag: Create a new GA4 Event tag in GTM. This tag will send the 6sense data to your GA4 property.
- Tag Name: 6sense Company Details to GA4
- Tag Type: Google Analytics: GA4 Event
- Event Name: company_details_6si
- User Properties: Under the User Properties section of your GA4 Event tag, map the Data Layer Variables you created in the previous step to corresponding User Properties in GA4. For example:
- Property Name: company_name
- Value: company_name_6si
- Repeat this process for each 6sense dimension you want to capture and use, e.g. Property Name = industry; Value = industry_6si
- Trigger the Event: Set the GA4 Event tag to fire using the “6sense Company Details Loaded” trigger you created earlier. This ensures the data is only sent when 6sense has successfully identified a company.
5. Google Analytics 4 Configuration
- Custom Dimensions: In your GA4 property, create Custom Dimensions for each of the 6sense attributes you’re sending through User Properties. For example:
- Dimension name: Company Name
- Scope: User
- User Property: company_name
6. Validation and Testing
- GTM Preview Mode: Use GTM’s Preview Mode to test your implementation and ensure the 6sense data is populating the Data Layer and being sent to GA4 correctly.
- GA4 DebugView: Use the GA4 DebugView to monitor the incoming events and verify that the data is being captured in your GA4 property as expected.
Troubleshooting Tips:
- Missing Segment Names: GA4 has a 36-character limit for displaying custom dimension data.
- “Not Set” Values: This can happen if your custom dimension is event-scoped instead of user-scoped or if there are naming mismatches between GTM and GA4. Carefully review your setup.
Getting Your 6sense Data Working in Google Ads
OK, so you’ve got all this valuable 6sense data flowing into GA4 — company names, industries, buying stages, scores — the works. Now, how do you actually make this data work for you in Google Ads to refine your targeting and squeeze more juice out of your campaigns?
1. Building Super-Charged 6sense Audiences
Think of 6sense audiences like VIP lists for your Google Ads. These are groups of people who have visited your site and/or are in your email lists, and you can use your 6sense data to create laser-focused segments within those audiences.
Here’s the playbook:
- GA4 is Your Audience Factory: Use the 6sense dimensions in GA4 to build audiences based on specific criteria. Want to target companies in the manufacturing industry that are also showing high buying intent? You got it. Need to reach high-value leads with stellar profile scores? No problem.
- Seamless Connection: Linking GA4 to your Google Ads account is a must-do. This automatically imports those shiny new audiences into Google Ads, ready for action.
- Target Like a Pro: Now for the fun part—apply those audiences to your campaigns. You have two main options:
- Targeting: Your ads will only be shown to users who belong to the selected audience. This is great for laser focus, but keep in mind that you need a sufficiently large audience size for this to be effective.
- Observation: This mode lets you collect data on how specific audiences interact with your ads, even if the ads are also being shown to other users. It helps you understand which audiences are most engaged and provides insights for refining your targeting strategy.
- Boost Your Reach: Remember, smaller audiences might not be big enough to reach a significant number of users on their own. To overcome this, you can combine your 6sense audiences with customer match audiences you’ve created using 6sense Segment Sync. This clever combo significantly expands your potential reach.
Pro Tips:
- Build a remarketing audience specifically for users who visit your website and fall into your ICP or have a strong profile fit.
- Also build an exclusion audience for weak fit profiles so you can avoid wasting budget.
2. Supercharging Conversion Values with 6sense Insights
Instead of treating all conversions equally, use your 6sense data to assign dynamic values based on lead quality. This gives Google Ads the intelligence it needs to prioritize bids for the leads that really matter.
Here’s the game plan:
- Don’t Just Track Form Fills: Broaden your conversion tracking to include valuable events beyond just form fills. Track interactions with chatbots, video views, content downloads — anything that signals engagement from a potential customer.
- Tag Manager is Your Conversion HQ: GTM is the perfect place to set up conversion tracking that takes 6sense attributes into account. You can trigger specific conversion events when users who meet certain 6sense criteria complete desired actions.
- Dynamic Conversion Values: Assigning different values based on 6sense data is where things get really smart. You can use a Custom JavaScript variable in GTM to automatically adjust conversion values based on factors like profile score or buying stage.
Here’s what that can look like:
function() {
var profileScore = {{profile_score_6si}}; // Access the data layer variable
var conversionValue = 0;
if (profileScore >= 90) {
conversionValue = 3000; // High profile score, higher value
} else if (profileScore >= 70) {
conversionValue = 2000;
} else {
conversionValue = 1000; // Lower profile score, lower value
}
return conversionValue;
}
This code assigns different conversion values based on the 6sense profile score. You can adapt this logic and apply it to other 6sense dimensions. These conversion values signal Google Ads to prioritize bids for the most valuable users.
Pro Tip:
Track a conversion whenever someone from your ICP visits your website. This might seem simple, but it’s incredibly powerful. It provides Google Ads with valuable data about which keywords and campaigns are attracting your ideal customers, allowing it to optimize your bids accordingly.
