Peak Season Updates: How to create an Analytics Strategy with Manuel Montanari, Mapp Digital (episode 168)
by April Buencamino-dyManuel Montanari has over 23 years of experience managing digital analytics projects for publishers, broadcasters, and eCommerce brands, and has been Senior Digital Analytics Consultant at Mapp Digital for the last 3 years.
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Dive in:
[05:57] Analytics strategy vital for making informed decisions.
[09:15] Clear strategy simplifies workload and frees time.
[12:22] The right analytics tool enables actionable insights.
[20:03] Data analysis requires time, understanding, and action.
[24:40] Data-driven insights improve performance.
[32:07] How AI fits into all this
About Manuel
Manuel stumbled into the world of analytics by chance. He was working at a press clipping company in Italy when the internet emerged in the late 90s. Intrigued, he applied for a job involving audience measurements in the digital realm. Although digital analytics wasn’t a well-defined field back then, he started using log analyzers.
Since then, he has worked with various clients focusing on tracking website and app audiences. Manuel became passionate about data and analytics and is committed to working in this field due to his love for it.
Analytics Strategy and Goal Alignment
An analytics strategy starts with clearly defining your business goals and objectives. This will then guide you in the implementation of analytics tools and data collection.
It also follows that you should have an understanding of what data is needed to make informed decisions and drive the business forward. Lastly, it’s important to remember that you have to take action when you have the data. Otherwise, your analytics strategy becomes useless.
The Right Analytics Tool
There are a lot of analytics tools out there, and it’s all about finding the one that fits your needs. The key is to focus on whether the tool enables you to derive actionable insights. If it does, that’s the right tool for you. But if you find your current analytics platform limiting your ability to extract meaningful insights, it might be worth considering alternatives.
Your brand’s unique needs and preferences will guide your choice. This is where an analytics strategy comes into play – it helps you identify the features you require and lets you select the tools that match your goals. The best analytics tool empowers you to extract insights without limitations.
Actionable Insights
Manuel highlights the significance of actionable insights within an analytics strategy. He says there’s a difference between mere interesting statistics and insights that drive actionable steps.
Deriving insights is like a creative process that thrives with dedicated time and data exploration. He stresses that actionable insights should not only reveal what is happening but also address the “why”, enabling businesses to make informed decisions and optimise effectively.
The Role of People in Analytics
Manuel says having an internal team that’s familiar with the business’s goals and data is essential. External agencies can be good for assisting in strategy definition and implementation, but there’s value in having internal teams that really understand the business.
Manuel encourages brands to establish dedicated teams for data analysis. Automated alerts are not genuine insights, and hands-on analysis is crucial for separating valuable insights from noise.
Insider Tips
If we’ve inspired someone to take their first step with analytics strategy – what do they need to know to give themselves the best chance of success?
Invest in a team with experience and the necessary tools to analyze data effectively. This way, brands can make data-driven decisions for growth and success.
Once you’ve started of course you’ve got to ‘keep optimising’! So what’s your favourite way to improve analytics strategy performance?
Manuel says it’s important to spend time analyzing data so you can get the most out of it and use it for optimization. He adds that there’s value in using machine learning and AI to spot outliers, trends, and campaign performance. Lastly, he underscores the repeat process of activation, measurement, and improvement, suggesting that small, continuous enhancements collectively drive business growth.
If someone listening wants to learn more about analytics strategy is there one cheap/free resource you’d recommend?
Manuel recommends Improve Your Marketing, a website by Mapp Digital where you can check out different marketing strategies or contribute your own.
Crystal ball time – what’s coming up in the next 6-12 months that we should be getting ready for in analytics strategy?
Manuel thinks that AI will be a big deal in the next 6 to 12 months, especially in digital analytics. He believes AI will be more involved, giving helpful insights and answering questions directly that can help make analyzing data easier.
Learn more about building out an analytics strategy with these episodes:
Find them all in our Attribution section
Interview Links
Manuel on Social media:
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