Marketing Analysis: Unlocking The Power Of Descriptive Statistics For SEM & Beyond

Columnist David Fothergill provides a handy primer on statistical principles that can help make your sense of and glean insights from your marketing data.

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Let me be upfront: this post will contain statistics. Not the fun, pithy kind like “60 percent of statistics are made up on the spot,” but actual cold, hard statistical practices.

Joking aside, I’m going to run through some fairly top-level statistical analysis practices that can be employed every day to help make sense of your marketing data, allowing better strategic decisions. And it won’t be painful at all, I promise.

“But I do this already. I’m always analysing my data!” I hear you say incredulously.

This is probably very true — most users of web analytics (Google Analytics, Omniture, et al.) instinctively apply what would formally be known as “descriptive statistics.” For example, you readily identify a spike or a drop in your daily traffic by “eyeballing” a chart; you use averages to quickly assess performance; and you do all sorts of comparisons that help you understand what is happening (and importantly, what you need to do next).

Although a loose adherence to the general principles is fine and workable, I strongly believe that an element of rigour can help take your analysis to the next level. Below, I’ll run through a couple of concepts tied to real-world examples which will hopefully convince you that this is an approach you should be considering.

Read all the details in the rest of my column at Marketing Land.


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About the author

David Fothergill
Contributor
David Fothergill is a search marketer with a wealth of experience in Paid Search, Conversion Optimization & Web Analytics. As Head of Product Development & Insight at performance-driven SEM agency QueryClick, his main focus is working with the account team to ensure that client search marketing campaigns are of a strategic nature and deliver the optimal return-on-investment. Additionally, David is responsible for managing delivery of cutting-edge reporting & analysis tools and supporting development of Web Analytics and Programmatic Advertising services. He has handled search marketing accounts for clients in over 30 countries and a similar number of languages, in verticals including retail, finance, travel & the entertainment industry. Being a graduate in Mathematics, David is an advocate of the power of numbers within marketing, but believe that any analysis only adds value when it is tied to business objectives and is insightful enough to lead to actions which improve the marketing strategy.

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