Reading List

This is a quick list of worthwhile blogs to help in getting and keeping up-to-date in the world of web analytics.

Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik

Lies, Damned Lies... (Ian Thomas)

Multichannel Marketing Metrics with Akin

MS adCenter Analytics

Web Analytics Princess by Marianina

Eric T. Peterson

Matt Belkin

Official Google Analytics Blog

And not forgetting:

bob-o-rama analytics feed

Multichannel Marketing

So, Akin has written (and had published) a book on his favourite subject; Multichannel Marketing and how to effectively measure and optimise it.

As it write this it hasn't quite been released, but you can pre-order and eventually buy it from Amazon.co.uk:

Multichannel Marketing: Metrics and Methods for on and Offline Success

From Akins site:

Coming in April 2008, this book’s aim is to provide a missing key for unlocking the most anticipated marketing strategies of our days. Namely: Integrated Marketing Metrics and Methods for On and Offline Success.

Why? Because customer-centricity has become more challenging than ever!

The rise of “customer-centric marketing” (where the customer, not the product or marketing campaign, is the focus) places a premium on marketers having a deep understanding of their customers. Yet, just as companies were beginning to figure out how to turn “customer-centricity” into reality, the goal posts for achieving it have been moved further away.

For crying out loud! As if it had been easy earlier! What is to blame for the new hurdle?

It is the multichannel revolution, i.e. the constant birth of new avenues for interacting with companies and their marketing messages, especially online. While many marketers are still stunned with the plethora of new channels that have sprung up in recent years, customers have long since integrated them into their relationships. Therefore, customer-centricity now asks of marketers the ability to understand customer relationships that span online and offline channels.

Multichannel metrics are the missing key for overcoming the Online-Offline chasm

Without overcoming the chasm between multiple channels, marketers cannot understand true ROI of their marketing initiatives, will miss opportunities for improving their results, and will certainly fail to achieve customer-centricity. This book aims to provide the key for overcoming the chasm, namely practical methods for integrating marketing metrics and actions across online and offline channels.

Buy it from Amazon.co.uk:

Multichannel Marketing: Metrics and Methods for on and Offline Success

Littleham and Landcross

Okay - this is just a little post about Littleham and Landcross - Littleham where I grew up and Landcross which is nearby.

Here is a little picture of a lane - notice the high banks and overhanging trees that just-about reach the middle:

...and here is a slightly more scenic view across the valley to the other site (where there is another pointless Devon village:

Let's see if anyone reads this tiny little post about Littleham and Landcross.

Sunny Sunday

So, two weeks ago we had snow in Crawley. This weekend was lovely and sunny. Full-on lawnmower weather.

To mark the occasion I had taken some seasonal pictures (mostly as inspirational computer wallpaper). In monster 1920x1200px I think these turned-out the best:

Click to enlarge.

And here is the unscaled original.

WAW - March

This is not really a review of Web Analytics Wednesday (WAW) that was held in London on Monday 31st March 2008. The revised date was to allow our special guest speaker, Mr Eric T. Peterson.

Yes, this is stupidly late, but out of completeness I still feel compelled to post. Besides, these images have been sitting on my desktop for the past weeks and I need to do something with them

Mr Peterson spoke on the subject of the 'Future of Web Analytics'. His presentation was both entertaining and insightful.

Here is the 'official' March WAW round-up post. Unfortunately there was one picture missing:

Here is Mr Wayne Byrne on the left with his eyes almost shut. Dr Alan Hall (with his eyes shut) in the middle and myself, sporting open eyes and my stupid attempt at a beard.

The beard competition that I was sort-of competing in was started by the web team of a customer of ours - they will be playing this until the end of May, but I had to quit early.

The next London WAW will be on the 20th of May (a Tuesday - designed to interact with e-metrics).