Blog: web analytics

Showing blogs: 1–13 of 13

Keep the Lead: Key Web Trends for 2012

Nov 1 2011

As online activities continue to embed themselves deeper into the consumers' everyday lives, companies' efforts to capitalize on the latest online trends has literally become a high-speed chase. The online terrain often transforms quicker than a company can execute a strategy, but digital leaders still find a way to be nimble and alert enough to adapt (and profit from) the latest online climate.      

With the final quarter of 2011 setting in, lofty corporate ambitions for the next year are in motion. But planning for 2012 based on 2011 fads will likely mean toppling right into the biggest caveat of the web: surefire transformation. Decisions must be based on insights looking forward in addition to data looking backward (A great way to blend both approaches is through the use of predictive analytics). As you begin shaping next years' strategies and formulating projections, look out for the following trends in 2012:

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Marketers should get ahead of Do-Not-Track

Jan 30 2011

 

DM News reported recently that marketers opposed a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposal to implement an online "Do-Not-Track" option that would allow consumers to opt out of all third-party tracking and behaviorally-targeted advertising.  This would enable consumers to universally opt-out of being tracked online or through any digital channels (presumably).  

The marketers quoted in the article voiced opinions ranging from the thoughtful ("this will set back the online digital customer experience by five years") to the selfish ("..it would hurt our ability to get a complete picture").   THE FTC Chairman in proposing the move, predicted that it would be necessary if the industry did not do a better job of self-regulations.   The DMA, predictably, denied that self-regulation was not working without actually providing any proof that it was.   The DMA currently encourages its members to include opt out icons within their sites - much like unsubscribes on email, so that individual sites would stop tracking consumers.  

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IBM’s acquisition of Unica will have long-term benefits for clients

Aug 16 2010

IBM purchased Unica Corporation late last week at a very significant premium - more than double Unica's closing price the previous day.  IBM has been a partner and client of Unica and this purchase has long been rumored, so it was not entirely a surprise.  The premium was eye catching in this market, particularly in light of Unica's financial performance this past year, but it was a small deal for IBM and, if they can leverage this asset through their bigger reach, it will have been well worth it.

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Web Analytics is More Than Just a Reporting Tool

Mar 8 2010

Recently I was on a keynote panel at the National Center for Database Marketing (NCDM).  In response to a question from the audience, one of my co-panelists pooh-poohed the value of web analytics.  He referred to it as just a fancy reporting mechanism for web activity with little relevance for marketing.  I was a little surprised by the comment and was itching to make a rebuttal, but the moderator chose to take the conversation in a different direction.  "Web analytics" is one of those terms that tends to be thrown around casually by folks seeking to impress others and can mean different things to different people (and mean nothing to most people).

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Testing, Testing, Testing

Jan 4 2010

In this tough economic climate, all companies are trying to improve their overall bottom lines. How can online and digital marketing help with this? In a recent study from summer 2009, most companies stated that the No. 1 conversion relevant to them was sales, with sign-ups and registrations a close second. What are the key tactics to improve overall conversion on site?

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Web Analytics for Financial Services

Dec 3 2009

In a previous blog, I had discussed how financial services companies should use web analytics tools. In the past few weeks, I've had discussions with a couple of our financial services clients and found that while many are trying to use Web analytics to address business challenges, they are struggling with some challenging technical implementation issues.  This blog will focus more on the technical side of web analytics implementation and offer up some key best practices.

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Beware of Click Analytics

Nov 23 2009

I was reading the recent research from Center for Media Research and it was interesting to note that 8% of Internet Users account for 85% of all Clicks. The results indicate that the number of people who click on display ads in a month has fallen from 32% of Internet users in July 2007 to only 16% in March 2009, with an even smaller core of people (representing 8% of the Internet user base) accounting for 85% of all clicks.

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Why does Web Analytics give Marketers fits?

Nov 11 2009

I recently read a published survey on marketers' frustrations with Web analytics solutions. In this tough economic environment, marketers are being held accountable to show increased performance with a reduced budget. This has led many to shift their budgets from more traditional media to digital. I have addressed this phenomenon in my previous blogs - why we are seeing increased spend in digital media - and this trend is likely to continue.

By all accounts, marketers are realizing that moving to digital media has tremendous upside. With the right strategy and execution in place, digital media has proven to be lot more cost effective, and scales and caters to a larger volume with faster go-to market capabilities. However, the biggest challenge for marketers has been their limited ability to measure and accurately quantify the impact and use that information to make relevant business decisions. That's where Web analytics comes in; they provide a means to measure the performance of digital media marketing.

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How Financial Services should use web analytics

Sep 8 2009

Financial services firms are shifting to a more sales-centric mode. With this shift, companies should invest in tools to help them understand how Website visitors engage with and use content. Web analytics tools can be used to measure site effectiveness, determine site priorities, and develop the optimum sales purchase path. Unlike e-tailers, where conversion equates to a purchase, financial services firms traditionally struggle to co-relate web activity; true success events or "conversion" are often less clearly defined.

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Trigger Happy

Aug 12 2009

I was surfing the web the other day looking for some deals and entered into a sweepstakes, just for kicks. In the process, I inadvertently signed up for some educational deals and also provided them with my number (read the fine print, boy) . Within ten minutes (if that) of clicking the submit button, I received a call from a call center asking if I wanted any brochures or advice regarding higher education. I was amazed at the quick turnaround time from entering the information on the website, updating the database to triggering an event at the call center.

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Remember to define your Web analytic strategy

Mar 23 2009

Capturing and using web analytics is increasingly becoming a fundamental business tool for IT, Marketing, Sales and Finance.  However, without a clear web analytic strategy, you can easily get lost in the details and not realize the true value.

Below are five starter ideas to help build a plan for success.

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Buzz from Omniture Summit: Challenges in Online Marketing

Mar 11 2009

Two weeks ago I attended the annual Omniture conference in Salt Lake City. I was impressed by the number of attendees and had the opportunity to talk to many of them about the challenges that they are facing. I heard that they were struggling with how to leverage web analytics data for more actionable analytics and be able to measure the targeting and segmentation.

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You only need one thing to succeed online

Mar 11 2009

Online marketing trends come and go, but none take permanent root without a supporting data strategy.  That's right, a data strategy.  It really is that simple.  No behavioral targeting tool, ad serving platform, or marketing automation solution is worth much without it.  They are blunt instruments without an underlying analytics engine to chart the course.  And I don't mean the 12TB of data streaming directly out of your web analytics tool into some poor analyst's lap, but a true understanding of how to distill and parse that data into something meaningful and, wait for it ... actionable.

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