As digital marketers continue to accelerate the pace of their content development and customer experience initiatives and take advantage of more channels and Web-based promotion opportunities, the amount (and variety) of data can seem overwhelming at times. Layer on personalization and behavioral data, and the situation becomes far more complicated.
Fortunately, there are many data-related solutions available that make quick work of not only aggregating all the information, but also processing it to a point where actual insights can be gained and, of course, put into action. Let's take a look at a few of the more interesting options available for startups and small and mid-size enterprises today (although these can also be used on the large, enterprise level as well).
Canopy Labs
Customer analytics platform Canopy Labs uses customer behavior, sales trends and predictive behavioral models to extract information that can be used for future marketing campaigns and to discover product recommendation opportunities. The system's 360-degree Customer View feature shows data about each customer, revealing their standing (e.g., lifetime value, loyalty, engagement levels, purchase history and email behaviors) to reveal which customers are worth contacting. The information can be used to create personalized offers, track customer responses and develop outreach campaigns.
Kissmetrics
Today's enterprises are moving beyond traditional Web analytics solutions. Kissmetrics, for example, goes further than tracking basic metrics like page views, referrals and demographic information - monitoring visitors to gather insights that can be used for improved segmentation and more successful marketing campaigns. The platform also offers some unique engagement tools such as the ability to create triggers and design styles that optimize customer behaviors, which leads to more conversions, reduced churn and, ultimately, a higher return on investment.
ClearStory Data
This startup offers advanced data mining and analytics tools that present information in an easy-to-understand way. ClearStory Data works by combining a company's internal data with publicly available information in order for business users to make better decisions. The platform's StoryBoard feature enables users to create graphs and interactive visuals from the dashboard and even comes with collaboration offerings, which can encourage team discussions.
InsightSquared
The tools companies already use provide another rich source of data, but this doesn't mean professionals have to waste time mining their own data and arduously analyzing it using one spreadsheet after another. Instead, InsightSquared connects to popular business solutions many 'Net professionals already leverage (e.g., Salesforce, QuickBooks, Google Analytics, Zendesk and others) to automatically gather data and extract actionable information. Data from a customer relationship (CRM) software platform, for example, can reveal an abundance of small business sales intelligence and offer pipeline forecasting, lead generation and tracking, profitability analysis and activity monitoring.
Tranzlogic
There is an immense amount of data available within credit card transactions and Tranzlogic is making this information available to sellers. The solution works with merchants and payment systems to extract and analyze data from credit card purchases as well as measure sales performance, evaluate customers and customer segments, improve promotions and loyalty programs, launch more effective marketing campaigns, write better business plans and perform other tasks that lead to smarter business decisions. There is obviously no shortage of solutions available for startups and small enterprises looking to take better advantage of their data.
To learn more about leveraging data to run a more efficient and effective enterprise, as well as additional solutions to make it happen, visit Website Magazine's Analytics Insider channel at