Data Demons (in a good way!)

16 Digital Marketing Data Resources to Illuminate Your Marketing

Without information, you’re operating in the dark, which is scary especially where digital marketing’s concerned. Here’s a list of data demons to shed some light in the form of digital research and analysis. There’s no need to be afraid because for the folks behind these references, numbers are like pillowcases full of Halloween candy.

10 Digital Marketing Data Demons to Follow

These blogs and/or newsletters present and analyze the data related to digital activity. They’re useful for building effective marketing strategies. Sign up for their RSS feeds, tweets and/or emailings to keep up with latest trends.

  1. eMarketer. Amazing source of information that just keeps coming. In addition to the premium service, there’s a daily email newsletter and blog. For reporters, their PR department is awesome.
  2. Marketing Charts. Another strong source of data from a variety of sources. Well worth the time investment.
  3. Research Brief. Part of MediaPost’s empire that provides an in-depth review of a piece of research each business day. The selection can be delightfully unusual..
  4. Experian Hitwise. Looks at Internet traffic differently from its near competitor, The Nielsen Company, comScore and Compete. Hitwise’s blog is a good read. Senior research guru and Click author, Bill Tancer, knows his stuff. PR contact Matt Tatham is always helpful.
  5. The Nielsen Company is one of the top tracking companies. It consistently puts out high quality findings on the digital landscape. Of particular interest are the cross platform studies. Its blog provides useful insights.
  6. comScore. Like competitor, Nielsen, comScore provides useful media data. Their blog is a source of practical insights. Chief researcher Josh Chasin is very helpful as is video expert Tania Yuki.
  7. Compete. As a second tier media data provider, Compete’s blog is a good source of insights and well worth the read.
  8. Forrester. A research firm, that’s been home to some of the top social media analysts. While their premium research can be pricey and the PR department’s unresponsive to columnists, their blog contains nuggets of marketing data and insights that are worth following.
  9. Pew Research is a think tank. It regularly distributes its research findings. Its information is useful for understanding overall digital trends.
  10. Visible Measures. Focused on online video consumption and trends, this start up has gained lots of notice including a weekly chart in Ad Age. They offer regular information via their blog. If you’re in the online video market, this is a must read. CMO Matt Cutler is a great addition to any panel on video analytics.

6 Old-Fashioned Digital Marketing Analysis Books

These old media format tomes are great additions to your bookshelves (if you still have them). Here are seven metrics whizzes (since Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg are the brothers who started Future Now).

  1. Tim Ash Landing Page Optimization
  2. Bryan Eisenberg and Jeffrey Eisenberg Waiting for Your Cat to Bark and Call to Action Bryan is a regular presenter at the SES shows and not to be missed!
  3. Avinash Kaushik Web Analytics: An Hour a Day. His blog, Occam’s Razor, is a treasure trove of analytics insights.
  4. Jim Novo Drilling Down
  5. Eric Peterson Web Analytics Demystified
  6. Jim Sterne Web Metrics and Social Media Metrics. He’s the ring leader for the eMetrics conferences.

Also of interest to metrics mavens are the Web Analytics Association with its very active and helpful list serve and eMetrics, the international trade show focused on web analytics.

If you’ve additional recommendations to add to this list, please include your suggestions in the comments section below.

Happy Halloween,
Heidi Cohen


Photo credit:  Ark via Flickr

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