A Web Analytics Intervention, Part 1
A cry for help: how do you get your company on the analytics track? Part one of a series.
A cry for help: how do you get your company on the analytics track? Part one of a series.
I received the following letter earlier this month. The names and company info have been changed to protect the innocent.
Here’s the good news. There have been a lot of recent changes at the company. When you line them all up, I think it’s the perfect storm to gain the support I’ve been missing.
To start with, we just hired a VP of marketing with a background in measured marketing and a creative director who is eager to break new ground. We also keep hearing from the executive staff, asking us to increase our focus on ROI [define] and make decisions based on that data.
I can tell there’s a bigger appetite for performance dashboards, too. (Most of our business is transacted online.) We recently made a significant investment in Analytics Software Vendor Y, but the implementation is incomplete for marketing purposes. We’re eager to tailor our online experience based on segmentation and behavior. When you add in a curiosity about multivariate testing and a new CMS [define] due to launch this quarter…well, you get the idea.
I know I’m not alone. I work with smart people who realize we should be making data-driven decisions. But [I’ve been] waving the flag and evangelizing actionable analytics for some time now; the application is falling short. I’m looking for a different angle to get the organizational support to bridge this gap. I see the potential and the impact all these things could make.
Shane, do you have any tips for me? How would you go about tackling the situation?
Much appreciated.
(name withheld)
In Part 2, I’ll respond to these issues.