In Actionable Web Analytics the statement is made that, ‘Not knowing what is possible, companies haven’t known what their goals should be.’
What an insightful statement about the nature of the intersection between the needs of the modern corporation and the web analyst. In many cases it falls on the web analyst to explain what is possible.
The members of these corporations often have very disparate levels of knowledge about web strategy, internet marketing, and web analytics. Some people are barely aware of the revolution in customer thinking which we’ve witnessed over the course of the last decade, while others are astute enough to realize that there is now plenty of reason to demand a specific report on the return expected and the revenue generated from marketing efforts.
I like to start some sessions by encouraging a brainstorm about what can possibly be gleaned from web analytics.
- What are the questions that could be answered?
- What are the insights that we are already aware need to be addressed.
- What is the messaging of the marketing campaigns and how will we know that the audience in receptive to this messaging?
- Who will eventually need to be informed of these findings and what is the most palatable way for them to receive the information?
- What becomes possible if we were to change our processes just a little bit?
- What is testable?
- What decisions have been made in the past without testing?
- How do each of these touch revenue and return on investment?
- What impact might this have on our ideas about web design, product design, ad copy, and messaging in general?
I find that once these items are fleshed out it is then effective to begin considering what web analytics platforms can address these questions. What customization would be necessary to get consistent answers to these questions? How valuable would it be to have easily digestible reports available about these metrics as well as a reminder of what the changes suggest?
With an almost infinite capacity for custom application development, these brainstorming sessions can really uncover some interesting and creative perspectives on what can be achieved. It is worthwhile to emphasize that while ‘success does not come from having the most data, but the best analysis’ it is nonetheless crucial to determine whether the right data is going to be available when the time comes for analysis.
