Today's blog comes from Paul Nangle, a Senior Solutions Professional for IBM Digital Analytics. He's been kind enough to let us post his blog on his behalf as we think it's a very important part of your digital analytics platform - the utilizing digital analytics expertise from the vendor you buy your service from or a supplemental industry consultant. Well that's enough from me, read the blog below and please let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
Buying a Digital Analytics tool is only part of the solution. As we all know the tool just gives you the data. For analysis, recommendations and optimization you need people. So you need to hire good people. But even when you have good analysts and staff who learn the tool, for just a little extra investment you can drive a far deeper and broader use of that tool. By just adding another 10% to your analytics budget for an expert consultant from your tool provider you can take your use of the tool to the next level.
In Forrester Research’s latest white paper, they advise companies to "augment internal analytics resources with external help" (pg. 7 "Four Levels of Effective Analytics Planning").
Consultants from your tool provider are in a unique position. They are connected to product management, support, technical resources and industry experts in a way that a direct hire can’t be. Their team meetings are with top industry and product exerts where they can discuss your needs and prepare recommendations in a way an individual you hire can’t. As a matter of fact if you hire an analyst away from your digital analytics tool provider you have removed them from those amazing connections to that tool and the industry. And every hour of time you get from a person in this position is worth many times what an hour of a direct hire can provide. Of course they are more expensive than a direct hire, so by adding just 10% to your current budget these industry consultants can supplement your present internal staff for an optimal balance of expense and expertise.
The data available in digital analytics is truly voluminous. Even companies that are very sophisticated in their use of digital analytics acknowledge that they feel they are only scratching the surface of the torrent of data they have access to. By giving your teams and analysts access to a Digital Analytics solution insider you can help them open up the flood gates to the use of all that rich, actionable data you are collecting.
A supplemental Industry consultant can:
- Support your strategic use of all Digital Analytics data and reports you have available for analysis, reporting and business recommendations.
- Make tagging recommendations if/as data gaps are identified based on the most up to date data collection options available.
- Provide training and keep users up to date with changes or improvements in the industry and to the tool as they happen.
- Bridge the gap - when key people leave or move - with someone with immense industry experience and an understanding of your company’s use of the tool.
- Free up your analysts and teams from moving off of their day to day use of the tool to help another person or department with questions or setting up reporting.
- Share insights on all of your tools available capabilities as you assess other changes or additions to your web properties.
- Apply their best practices expertise and experience to help evolve your digital analytics organizational maturity.
Take the leap, add just 10% to you Digital Analytics budget to take your use of your powerful tool to the next level.
Written by Paul Nangle
To see the actual linked in posting, you can click this link: