REASONSAN ANALYTICSyour business needs

AGENCY OF RECORD7

Most companies are familiar with the idea of partnering with a strong ad agency, or finding a digital agency that can provide specialized services.

But as data-driven strategies become the norm, savvy companies are finding value in partnering with an Analytics Agency of Record.

AN INDEPENDENT ADVOCATE

AN INDEPENDENT ADVOCATE

Most companies have multiple vendors at any given time. It’s not uncommon to have an SEO Agency, a PPC Agency, an email provider, even an Affiliate Agency. And this is how it should be, depending on the size of your brand.

However, letting each of these vendors measure themselves is a terrible idea. Let’s start with the fact that most marketing agencies aren’t very good at analytics (we’re being honest here!). This alone is a solid reason to use a third-party vendor.

You need an independent advocate among your vendors.

AN INDEPENDENT ADVOCATE

Even more troubling is this: Your vendors are going to give you the data that makes them look best, not the data that’s most accurate or objective. This is most commonly manifested in marketing attribution reports. They want to keep your business, but what’s best for you?

Without an independent and reliable corporate attribution strategy, each vendor will take credit for as much success as possible, regardless of how much overlap exists across channels.

AN INDEPENDENT ADVOCATE

Here’s an example: In the month of August, your website produced 20,000 total transactions. How do your agency reports stack up?

SEM VENDOR 12,000 transactions

SEO AGENCY 5,000 transactions

AFFILIATE VENDOR 6,000 transactions

DIGITAL AGENCY 7,500 transactions

Add up all of these separate channel-specific reports, and you’ll see over 50% more sales than what actually came in. Why is that? Because each channel is claiming the maximum possible credit, and there is plenty of overlap between channels.

This scenario is far too common. The only way to prevent it is by having a standard, corporate analytics strategy. This is where an Analytics Agency of Record can help.

30,500 transactions

THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE DATA

THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE DATA

Most organizations do not have the internal resources to keep up with the fast-paced world of digital analytics. We know this because we look at hundreds of analytics accounts each year and can count on one hand the number of accounts that are up to date and taking advantage of the latest features and best practices.

An Analytics Agency of Record ensures that your organization is always utilizing thelatest features and best practices in analytics. You need someone whose sole function is to be an analytics data expert and specializes in your analytics tools.

You need accurate data to stay ahead.

THE BAD DATA TRAP

KNOWLEDGEThe greatest enemy of

IS NOT IGNORANCE.It is the

OF KNOWLEDGE.ILLUSION

“

”-Stephen Hawking

THE BAD DATA TRAP

Author and information expert Larry English writes that bad data can cost a company anywhere from 10% to 25% of their total revenue.

With the explosion in volume of digital data, data quality has become a huge issue. But without a trained eye, sometimes bad data can go undetected.

One of the responsibilities of an Analytics Agency of Record is to ensure that decision makers have confidence in the data they are analyzing.

Relying on bad data is worse than using no data at all.

Are you 100% confident that the data in your account is accurate?

THE MOST EXPERIENCED

THE MOST EXPERIENCED

Already have an in-house analyst? That’s great, and even encouraged! But, there’s a caveat. An outside analytics agency is essential to supplement the work your own, dedicated analyst is doing. More importantly, this agency will bring the everyday learnings and experience they have with their client portfolio directly to you.

Agency analysts see new problems and solutions all the time, answer a variety of business questions, and are exposed to a plethora of business strategies... and these analysts share their knowledge with each other and their clients. This combined experience will be put to work for your business and help you accomplish your goals.

Agency analysts are often more experienced than internal resources.

A SPECIAL KIND OF NERD

A SPECIAL KIND OF NERD

Yep, we said it. Agency data nerds are really unique. The kind of nerd that has both people skills, since they have to be customer-centric, and sophisticated analytics capabilities, as agencies have to stay at the forefront of their field to be competitive in their industry.

Anyone with experience hiring digital analytics talent knows that the ideal mix of qualities of the best analysts is not easy to find, but agencies have a lot of experience in discovering people with these qualities. When you hire an Analytics Agency of Record, you are sure to get a knowledgable, dedicated analyst assigned to you.

Agencies attract a special kind of data nerd.

REMARKABLE ROI

REMARKABLE ROI

According to Nucleus Research, companies receive $10.66 for every one dollarinvested in analytics. That’s more than SEO, more than paid search, more than many of the activities that most businesses commonly employ.

Furthermore, a strong analytics strategy will actually improve the ROI of all other marketing channels as well.

The ROI on analytics is remarkable.

RENTING VS. BUYING

RENTING VS. BUYING

This is one of those rare occasions it may make better sense for you to rent, rather than buy. Your business may not need a full time in-house analyst, and the investment and commitment required for a permanent hire may be unnecessary.

An analyst “rented” through an agency can actually be more cost effective, especially if you are a smaller business that only needs part time hours, or if you are only looking for someone to supplement your existing in-house team.

When you take into consideration the cost of a full time salary and benefits, agency rates may be more appealing than you initially think.

Considering an outside agency versus an in-house analytics resource.

Interested in learning more? Looking for an Analytics Agency of Record?

Contact Ushello@verticalnerve.com | 800.330.9450

www.verticalnerve.com