
6 Ways Small Businesses Can Grow With Data Analytics But It’s not Competitive Intelligence
If you’re a business owner — especially a small business owner — you know that data is one of your best marketing weapons. It’s also one of your best inventory management, customer retention, and product development weapons. In short, data is a versatile resource that helps you optimize operations and cater to customers. This is only true if you know how to translate it effectively, though — and data analytics is the best tool for doing so.
Data Analytics and Competitive Intelligence
However, Data Analytics should never be confused with the field of Competitive Intelligence, and it is unlikely that Competitive Intelligence or insight will be replaced by anything anytime soon.
Like Competitive Intelligence software, Data Analytics tools are just that. Tools. It’s like thinking you can go to Oxford University to study mathematics just because you own a calculator. Here are six ways you can grow your business by using data analytics.
Better Business Practices
1. Improve inventory tracking. According to research, inventory problems cost the retail industry over $46 billion each year. If your business has shouldered a portion of this expense, you know how important it is to minimize opportunities for losses. Data analytics can reveal weak spots that allow you to improve inventory processing.
2. Develop powerful products. In addition to improving your inventory processes, you need to ensure that your product development strategy is at its best. You can’t do this if you aren’t working with relevant, actionable data — or if you aren’t interpreting that data correctly. A data analytics framework empowers you to understand your customers’ needs and thus craft better products to meet those needs.
3. Streamline customer communications. Your customers want to be able to interact with your brand and reach out when they need to. Data analytics can tell you what channels are the most effective for client communication and how to leverage them effectively. When you improve communication, you invest in your audience’s engagement.
Better Marketing Materials
4. Know what appeals to customers. One of the most powerful applications of data analytics is in the realm of marketing. Within certain frameworks, you can use this approach to predict customers’ behaviour, which will help you understand what appeals to them the most — and, in turn, develop marketing campaigns that speak directly to their desires.
5. Optimise every avenue of marketing. Data analytics will also likely reveal what medium of marketing is the most effective with your audience. Some consumers respond most strongly to social media or video ads — for almost every consumer, though, they are visually driven. This means you need to craft a visual brand that you can use throughout your marketing materials.
Use Data Analytics to Execute Data With Confidence
6. Make marketing more efficient. Data analytics allows you to build a more effective marketing strategy and save time when you’re working on marketing materials. You can do this by seeking out tools that streamline the process. For example, if you’re working with a graphic designer, you don’t have to struggle to send multiple JPGs via email. Convert a jpg to PDF instead with this online tool.
6 Ways Small Businesses Can Grow With Data Analytics But It’s not Competitive Intelligence
Data analytics offers businesses the framework they need to extrapolate meaning from customer information. With this meaning, you can also build better business practices and launch more effective marketing strategies. This is especially important when you’re working on a new product launch or looking for new ways to connect with your clients. You can simplify these tasks by seeking out tools — like a JPG-to-PDF converter — that streamline your process and allow you to focus on customers. This tool eliminates the need for multiple emails or condensing files, allowing you to use a single PDF with images.
It is also interesting that we are on this list Reputation Management Agencies.