Introduce automation to your marketing flow with Google Apps scripts

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Automation is a holy grail in marketing. But with so many automation methods available, it can be difficult for marketers to identify where to start.

One place for marketers to experiment is app scripts, a JavaScript-based instruction set similar to JSON in data. App scripts are typically used with digital ads, so you can imagine the two platforms using them: Bing and you guessed it Google.

Google Apps scripts offer a way to automate the movement of data between Google properties, allowing marketers to automate repetitive tasks. Google first introduced Apps Script in 2009, and in the following years, developers created a number of scripts. So while marketers will need to appreciate JavaScript, making changes to a script to link to specific functions in Google properties isn’t as extensive as in app or website development. Many of these scripts link to Google Sheets. but there are others. For example, there is a script for the Google Analytics Management API and the Reporting API. With these APIs, you can run reports on a subset of metrics which are then stored in a Google Sheet.

Introduction to the Google Apps Script Editor

To create a Google Apps script, you need to access the Google App Script Editor, an integrated development environment (IDE). IDEs act as a sandbox, a dedicated environment to easily make corrections and explore functions. Online programming editors like CodePen have popularized this arrangement.

When you create your script you are working with JavaScript functions. Developers typically write code, for example by creating variables, but in this case you are given a template where you modify the variables based on the features you want to automate.

Start by logging into your Google account. This will allow you to make sure the script editor recognizes the account. Open your browser in the script editor (at script.google.com) and then click “View Dashboard”. At the top left of the screen, click the “New Project” button. If you do, it will take you to the editor. You can rename the project and save it here in the editor screen.

The Google Apps Script Editor provides controls to assist with script development. There are three UI menus, along with the main editor itself. A menu on the left side of the screen is a columnar menu for accessing IDE features. You can access an overview of the saved project script, triggers for setting alerts and extensions, which are connections to other services.

Related article: Balance between automation and intelligence in your Martech stack

Start with app scripts and script file types

The main editor will take up most of the screen. This is where you will create the script. The editor provides a predefined generic function script, but you can delete this code and paste it into the code template you want to use.

Above the editor is a menu with buttons to test your model. You can run and debug it. There is a button to distribute your script, either starting from scratch or by pairing it with a previously distributed script. You can also test specific functions and identify errors through an execution log that appears at the bottom of the screen.

The editor can also create standalone scripting scripts not used exclusively with a Google platform. Marketers can distribute these scripts as a web app, which will help if your script will be connected to another platform.

When you want to include data from other applications, you use services. Services are API connections to other Google platforms. This is where you can select the analytics API, but there are others like Big Query, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google AdSense. The API for these services must be enabled prior to use within a Google app script. Metrics within Google Analytics are treated as a variable. For example, you can use the Google Analytics visitor metric within a variable using the GA: visits setting.

There are also libraries. Libraries are very similar extensions to packages used in R programming. Libraries collect existing Google Apps scripts in one place for reuse in developing new scripts. Marketers can search libraries and locate specific resources based on the script ID.

Finally, the left column menu includes a file menu meant for saving different types of scripts. There are three formats to choose from. The main one is a standard JavaScript file format. You can also save your template as a library or services. This means that you can create custom templates for specific applications.

How to best work with Google Apps scripts

Google Apps scripts are able to connect with over 30 integrated services to interact with user data, other Google systems and external systems. To be innovative with your automation goals, it’s a good idea to review the documentation associated with an API so you can understand what parameters are being extracted. You should also check out the Apps Script developer guides to get some ideas of what you might want to report within your Google script.

A good time to add Google Apps scripts is when you do a code review on the automation that supports your campaigns. Decide whether or not the code is sufficient for your purposes. Are the APIs in use secure? Is the data provided by the APIs validated? Asking questions like these ensures that the data ingested does not circumvent any data compliance issues or create unnecessary technical debts.

Overall, Google Apps scripts offer marketers a good entry point to manage automation without requiring heavy developer skills. It’s a nice way for marketers to familiarize themselves with JavaScript through the lens of a Google Apps script.

Pierre DeBois is the founder of Zimana, a digital analytics consultancy for small businesses. Examine data from web analytics solutions and social media dashboards, then provide web development advice and actions that improve your marketing strategy and business profitability.

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