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Hey, everyone, I hope your new year is off to a blast and that the January blues is finally over. Let's continue our talk with part two of Data-Driven Decision Making. Today I want to talk about. If you’ve missed part one, you can find it here.
Contents of this article:
Selecting The Right Analytics Tools
Selecting The Right Analytics Tools
So Imagine you're at a clicks store, in the beauty section, surrounded by endless options. Choosing the perfect analytics tool is a bit like finding the right foundation, it has to match your needs and enhance your beauty (or, in this case, marketing). Look for tools that align with your goals, whether it's understanding customer behavior, tracking campaign success, or deciphering market trends. Here is a list of some of the tools I found most useful.
Google Analytics (website)
If you’re going to be studying your website traffic, tools like Google Analytics are a great choice if you’re on a tight budget and can be used to track how effective your digital assets are performing if done right. Google Analytics is a completely free tool provided by Google that you can integrate into your website using a bit of tracking code. They also provide free training at the Google Analytics Academy. There is not much more that you will need other than this, and it is a great way to see whether or not your digital assets are structured correctly. For more on this consult with New Seedling Media via their contact page.
Hotjar (Website)
Hotjar is like having a magic lens that reveals the secrets of user behavior on your website. This all-in-one analytics and feedback tool empowers you to see beyond the numbers, providing a holistic view of how visitors navigate and engage with their digital spaces. Hotjar revolutionizes website optimization by offering visual insights with heatmaps, user journey analysis, targeted feedback with surveys, conversion optimization tools, and a user-centric approach. While it is not free, they do offer a free version, so it's worth trying out.
There are many other alternatives such as Crazy Egg, Adobe Analytics and even HubSpot can offer some great insight into your web traffic that can help you make better Data-Driven Decisions. Now, When it comes to checking out how you stack up against competitors, you are also spoilt for choice. Here are some of the recommendations I have.
Semrush (Website)
SEMrush is a digital marketing powerhouse, offering a suite of tools for comprehensive online visibility. Its main selling points are advanced SEO analytics, keyword research, and tracking to optimize your website performance. They give great insights into competitors' strategies, allowing you to refine your approach. With features like domain analytics, backlink monitoring, and social media management, it really is a one-stop solution for marketers. I love how user-friendly their interface is making it one of my essential tools for boosting online presence, outranking competitors, and maximizing marketing ROI.
SEOPowersuite AKA link Assistant (Website)
Our personal favorite at New Seedling Media. While they may not be as flashy as the other SEO tools, Link-Assistant offers a powerful service at some of the most competitive prices in the industry. You have to download and install their software, and it is free to use, with some limitations. It's a great tool for auditing your website, as well as comparing your ranking against other sites, or competitors. This tool by far is one of the New Seedling Media team's favorites, and worth checking out because of the insights it brings.
Ahrefs and MOZ are among the other known favorites when it comes to SEO, but as with these things, there is a learning curve and a bit of specialization when it comes to getting the most out of it. If you really want to take advantage of the power of these tools, I’d recommend outsourcing it to a pro, until you are ready to stand on your own feet in the business world.
Seamless Integration
Now, let’s talk about integration – making sure your analytics tools blend seamlessly with your existing marketing systems. It's like creating a harmonious makeup look where every product complements the other. Choose tools that work well with your current software and platforms, as well as give you the insight you need for your particular business. Think of it as finding the perfect
highlighter that enhances, not clashes!
Pulling it all together, you need reporting or visualization for all of your data. For reporting, even the titans still use Microsoft Excel, as long as you have a good reliable source to attain data, you can export the data into CSV and then use Excel to create a pivot table to manipulate it the way you want to. Knowing how to do this can take a bit of trial and error, but you got this. If you’re a little more tech-savvy, you can set up webhooks or use software such as Zapier to Zap the data into whatever tool you are using. If you haven't yet structured your digital customer experience into a trackable sales pipeline, now is a great time to start. Without this foundational setup, you will be missing out on the benefits that all of these tracking tools provide, and that is to see where your customers are falling off and where you can improve what you are doing.
Training Your Team
Now this one can be a pain, especially when you are strapped for time. Just like a makeup artist teaches you how to use that fancy eyeshadow palette, training your team on analytics tools is crucial. It's about turning data novices into beauty gurus, and once they can run the catwalk, your business will start to curve upwards in revenue and glow up. Training is not always possible, so here are some tips to keep your team up to scratch when it comes to being able to use the tools at their disposal.
Keep Good Records
In big business, we refer to these as SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). These are documents that describe in steps what needs to be done when undertaking an operation. Often you will find that you dont have the time to physically attend to everyone. Having a detailed SOP is a handy reference for your team when they find they need to refresh their memory.
Start Small and Build
Introduce your team to the basic functions of the tools, instead of overloading them with a full course on how to run every operation and report. Once they have this foundation, let them start working through the tool by drawing daily reports or extracting stats that you need to process through. Make some time with them weekly to go over more details as time moves on.
Train a champion
If you have a larger team, there is always one person who learns faster than everyone else. Make this person the champion and train them on how to use the tools, that way, in your absence, they can be the support for the rest of the team.
Create a culture of learning
Make sure you have a good communication system. When team members discover new features, make sure that they can document this, update the SOP, or mail the findings to the entire team, that way you all grow and learn together.
Remember, successful training is an ongoing process. Stay attuned to the evolving needs of your business and its team, and be adaptable in refining your training strategies accordingly.
I hope you found this information useful, if you have any feedback or suggestions, please feel free to mail them to suggestions@newseedling.co.za.
Waseema Bester is an accomplished article writer for New Seedling Media. Currently contributing her expertise to the esteemed Clicks Group, Waseema is a composed and seasoned marketing professional. Her insights reflect a meticulous blend of strategic acumen and refined creativity, offering a steady exploration of industry trends. Waseema's work stands as a testament to her commitment to professionalism and excellence.
