Have you ever wondered if all the buzz about data and big data is necessary? You’re not alone. We’ve noticed that “big data” has appeared on more than one list of overused marketing buzzwords lately.
Our answer? Yes, increased access to data, big or not, offers endless opportunity to marketers, but it’s time to stop talking circles around it and start adopting strategies for optimization. In the end, it’s not the data that makes the impact It’s what your company does with it.
What it means to optimize information varies from company to company, but these three tips will help you leverage data at your own organization:
For many small companies, Google Analytics is the entryway to data utilization. There are more sophisticated, powerful tools available for large enterprises, but Google Analytics is a robust way to find quick, easy insights. Use it to track your customers’ behavior on your website, learning what kind of content or social media channels they clicked through to reach your site; where they spend time, be it your blog or case studies and white papers; and whether they regularly return to any specific part of your site.
With this information, you can get to know your customers’ behaviors and optimize accordingly. The Goals tool allows you to further investigate which activities generate and contribute to leads, which provides a tremendous boost for your marketing ROI. Google Analytics goals can be tailored to your needs and marketing objectives.
Each of your social channels offer a wealth of customer insights that can be leveraged for your company. Each of your prospects has a social footprint, and this data related to their preferences and behaviors can help you access an extra layer of customer insight. This can inform your social content and content marketing initiatives by showing what generates the most engagement, and, most importantly, which content leads people to your website.
As we’ve said, data offers endless opportunity, but that opportunity won’t necessarily be easy to manage. It takes time and a trained analyst to glean actionable insights from complex data sets. To solve this problem and save yourself the trouble, consider hiring a data specialist or an outside firm that is equipped and experienced in data analysis. At Movéo, our Data & Insights Group leverages the power of information for our clients. It is directed by our resident data specialist, Jiani Zhang, who is happy to answer any data-related questions you may have.
Photo credit: Morebyless via Flickr Creative Commons
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