Why Web Analytics Tools are Just Not Enough

We're all using them, some of us even drill down to their deepest functionality but for many critical goals in web marketing and especially in B2B marketing and sales Web analytics are just not enough.

Why is that?
Well, while Web Analytics tools are obviously important, they lack in some areas that are critical for effective sales and marketing over the web. They are very good at showing the big picture but lack the ability to pinpoint relevant, high potential visitors and more importantly then that, they lack the ability to do something about the data they supply.

I always used to end-up with a good feeling about all the new visitors and referrals to my company web site but could not really monetize on the traffic or the data I saw. Think about it this way, Web Analytics tools let you "see" your visitors but don't let you "touch" or "interact" with them and since your visitors are usually anonymous - thats where the story ends - nice statistics but few results.

Here's what I mean:
I guess were all using some kind of web analytics tool, whether its Google Analytics, PIWIK , Omniture, webtrends or any other web analytics tool, they are generally similar in their approach and the values that they offer. They are also quite similar in what they do not offer. So you can get a lot of info, trends, graphs, pie charts etc. You can get good information on your stronger traffic sources, content and visitor locations and track your online campaigns. But if you want to use your web site to get new leads and turn them into customers all of the above mentioned data can be quite frustrating since it gives you a "sense" of whats going on in general, but not much information about specific visitors or any direct means to convert them into leads.

To summarize, Web Analytics tools are a great first step to turn your web site to an effective marketing machine as they give you a sense of what comes in, which campaigns worked better etc. BUT, if you really want your web site to convert visitors into customers you have to think Reactive.

Amazing the Optimist

a. Customer behavior is valuable - every one agrees.
b. Customers interact over the web - every one agrees.
c. Detecting and reacting to online customer behavior is important - again, agreement.
a+b+c= There must already be something that does this - Amazingly...There isnt.
This post is not about a company or a product, it is about one of those things that everyone agrees is needed, some even rationalize it to already exist yet oddly enough it does not. and I was amazed to find just how badly it is needed and how few, if any, solutions deliver it, especially now that recession hits and companies look to better utilize the online channel
It being real-time reactions to online behavior.

I am usually quite the optimist, in life as well as at work. Working as a business development manager for several years made me even more optimistic - you have to be to try and create new business, BUT all of this optimism wasn't enough to stop me from being AMAZED once I the actual situation with enterprizes and ISV's.
It seems that this basic understanding of the value of customer behavior, the fact that customers are behaving more and more over the web and the low conversion rates in current web sites did not boil strongly enough to produce relevant solutions or maybe its steam was used in other directions.

Ill try to give some examples in my next post...

Mike
mike.telem@activeinsight.net