One of the big problems with putting an effective analytics effort into place is that it can be very time-consuming. But help is out there, letting you shift the analytics question off your plate while you get down to actually acting on the information it provides.
Getting Worthwhile Help with Your Analytics
Provided you’re willing to do some reading and invest time in setting up analytics for your site, it’s not out of the question to handle all of your analytics in-house. But it can be a time-consuming process and if you’ve hit a point where your time is at a premium, there are a couple of options.
It’s unlikely that you would need a full-time employee to set up analytics reports and then go over incoming information unless you’re managing a very large number of websites and multiple campaigns. But there are analytics specialists and virtual assistants who will set up analytics tools and campaigns for you on an as-needed basis. If you’ve got the money to spend, outsourcing analytics can be a fast way to get some of your time back.
At a higher level, you can also find consultants who will go over your data and provide you with an in-depth analysis of what all the numbers actually mean. The goal, when working with such consultants, is to get a series of steps you can take to improve your numbers (and the visits to your website beyond those numbers).
Who to Hire
When you’re dealing with the mechanics of analytics, a lot will depend on which tools you want to use. Every analytics package has its own certification package these days. For Google Analytics, there are several options but the Certified Partners Program guarantees that any firm you work with will have expert-level knowledge — these are the folks who code their own tools to make full use of the Google Analytics API or are able to make drastic improvements in your conversion rates. They’re pricey, but worth the cost if you have a specific problem you want to work on.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are virtual assistants who specialize in working with specific analytics packages. This is the more budget-friendly end of things, typically. Such specialists usually work on specific projects or are brought in on retainer to monitor your analytics over the long-term, but you’re going to needs lay out more parameters than you would with a certified professional.
You can also find people who specialize in analytics beyond website conversions — from newsletters to social media, there are plenty of niches within analytics and specialists to go along with them.
Setting Your Budget
The hardest part of hiring analytics help comes down to budget. Your decisions may be made for you by virtue of how much you can afford to budget towards any analytics projects. But if you are focusing on something like improving sales, investing more in your analytics upfront can help you save money n your marketing budget in the long run.
Make sure you check out Part One and Part Two.
Image by Flickr user Clearly Too Much
