In the age of Facebook, Google, and Instagram, it can be daunting to hear people talk about "analytics" and how they are essential - for any business - to be successful. It's not just about being "tech savvy," and it's not just about "keeping up with millenials." In advertising, public relations, or simply trying to increase your Instagram followers, there's an immense amount of information available to us. Here are some ways using analytics could put you ahead of the curve.
1. It's honest! Surveys and tests are by no means obsolete. However, people don't always answer questions entirely truthfully when they know someone is listening. In "Everybody Lies" by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, a prominent researcher of big data, Seth points out that if you were to ask everyone in a room to raise their hands if they watch porn, only a small percentage would be willing to expose their online activities. If you were to check the browser histories of the same said group of people, the number would probably be quite different. In business this is an important distinction, because we can see how people are actually behaving instead of how they say they are behaving.
2. It's fast. In a research study, it takes a long time to disburse, get responses, and assess the data we've been given. With online analytics, we can actually see what users are doing in real time, and the data is easily quantifiable and easy to read.
3. It's vast. Nowhere in the history of studies have we been able to access so many subjects at the same time. Even in huge studies such as census data, we still don't get the same number of participants. Lots of data means less guessing about if the sample actually represents the population. The sample is the population.
Do some research and get on board. It's a boat you don't want to miss.
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