What are your top 5 analytics tools and why do you use them?

• Adobe Analytics – Use just because I am required to.

• Google Analytics – I wish I was required to use this.lol This is my preferred tool for it’s clean UI, constant improvements and easiness to implement using Google tag manager. And pricing – this plays a major role. Because it’s free for small business – this is the tool I recommend for anyone getting started.

• Google Search Console – Helps you stay on top of your websites SEO status and offers deeper insights eg keywords.

• Tableau – Let’s me visualize multiple sources of data and provides lots of calculations & automations.

• CrazyEgg – (or any heatmapping tool. This is the one I have used) helps me find out in detail how the users interact with elements on my webpages, scrolling patterns, etc.

How did you enter the data analytics field? Let us know your journey!

I was part of a global student exchange programme (AIESEC) in my University and guess what the best channel of communication for such an organization across countries – Digital! By doing lots of Digital marketing in this role – I learnt I love it. And chose Digital Marketing for about 5 years when I was offered an opportunity to specialize in Analytics. It was my dream combination because it connected my passion and experience for Digital Marketing with my academic background – Statistics & Math.

What is the biggest data analytics challenge you see companies face?

Interpretation. Companies nowadays have immense amount of data. Go to any digital analytics tool – and you can find thousands of metrics and dimensions. Only a few companies know how to make sense or how to interpret what the data actually means.

How do you determine which KPIs or metrics are most useful to your digital marketing?

Depends on the marketing project and the objectives. I ask my marketing team – “What do you want to achieve?” and I analyze past performance to see what KPIs or metrics make the most sense… What are five key metrics you recommend marketing professionals measure for their digital marketing campaigns?

Return on Marketing investment – Many agencies report on impressions and clicks. Guess what matters? Sales. (Metallica voice) Nothing else matters. Measure your 1. Sales (conversions), 2.average profit margin, 3.calculate how much you spent and the 4. return on your investment. Based on that – go in to details like 5.conversion rates, clicks, impressions and see where you can improve.

What are some trends you see in the digital analytics space in the next decade?

• Segmentation – There are many user segmentation options available. Segmenting and breaking your data into smaller chunks help see personalization opportunities. There will be more and more segmentation in analytics in the future.

• Machine learning – Tools increasingly offer auto insight identification. This helps analysts save time and identify opportunities in massive data files.

• Data Source integration – It is no longer about standalone web analytics. Some targeting tools now offer cross device targeting and even call and point of sale or in-store tracking. Integrating multiple sources of data helps understand what really happens from a customer experience point of view.