Top 15 Influencers to Follow in Web & Social Analytics

It's time marketers stop collecting data for data's sake and start it for culling insights. That's where social analytics comes in. Social analytics is the evolving business discipline that studies social media metrics to help marketers use the findings to drive business intelligence. If you're new to this, have no fear. Look to the 15 influencers listed below for guidance on the topic. They can help you get started or finesse your approach. Here are the Top Social and Web Analytics Experts to follow (in alphabetical order):

 

[image error]Gary Angel, president of Semphonic.  Recipient of the Digital Analytics Association's Award for Excellence as the Most Influential Industry Contributor.

Don't miss: 3 Paths to Digital Optimization: Zen and the Art of Enterprise Analytics

Key Takeaway: To get the greatest value from analytics, you need an integrated approach.

 

[image error]Connie Bensen, Senior digital strategist at Dell

Don't miss: Best Practices for Social Media Monitoring ROI

Key Takeaway: Great tips on how to avoid spam and noise: add exclusion criteria to your searches.

 

[image error]Keith Burtis, co-founder of MeasureMob

Don't miss: Getting Started in Analytics From Tape Measure to #Measure

Key Takeaway: Three resources to get you started with analytics.

 

[image error]Alistair Croll, principal analyst for Bitcurrent, contributing author to Web Operations, Complete Web Monitoring and Managing Bandwidth.

Don't miss: Writings: December 2011/January 2012

Key Takeaway: A sampling of Alistair's thinking, including 2012 trends and how companies should think about big data.

 

[image error]Susan Etlinger, industry analyst at Altimeter Group

Don't miss: Research Report: A Framework for Social Analytics

Key Takeaway: Measure your company's performance against the Social Media Measurement Compass.

 

[image error]Nathan Gilliatt, principal at Social Target, co-founder at AnalyticsCamp, founder at SocialMediaAnalysis.com

Don't miss: Applying Intelligence and Analytics to Online Statements

Key Takeaway: Insightful matrix of Intelligence/Analytics plotted against Fact/ Opinion

 

[image error]Taulbee Jackson, CEO and president of Raidious

Don't miss: Social Media Analytics – AMA Michiana

Key Takeaway: At the end of the day, you are trying to determine 'how good is the content?'

 

[image error]Avinash Kaushik, digital marketing evangelist at Google and author of Web Analytics 2.0 and Web Analytics: An Hour A Day

Don't miss: Beginner's Guide to Web Data Analysis: Ten Steps to Love & Success

Key Takeaway: An excellent getting started guide to web analytics.

 

[image error]John Lovett, senior partner at Web Analytics Demystified Inc, author of Social Media Metrics Secrets

Don't miss: You're Using the Wrong Social Media Metrics

Key Takeaway: Understand corporate goals, align business objectives, tie metrics to measures of success and then define operational tactics.

 

[image error]Jonas Klit Nielsen, CEO and founder of Mindjumpers

Don't miss: Executive Series: Listening on Social Media is about Insight Management and Analyzing Data

Key Takeaway: Listen first to relevant conversations, then break down the data to relevant insights.

 

[image error]Katie D. Paine, CEO & founder of KD Paine & Partners; author of Measure What Matters

Don't miss: KDPaine's How-To-Get-Good-Data Checklist

Key Takeaways: Both humans and computers make mistakes, so check your data regularly.

 

[image error]Eric Peterson, CEO and founder of Web Analytics Demystified Inc., author of Web Analytics Demystified, Web Site Measurement Hacks and The Big Book of Key Performance Indicators

Don't miss: Finally! Standards Come to Web Analytics

Key Takeaway: Google Analytics has become the de facto standard for web analytics.

 

[image error]Sean Power, data scientist at Cheezburger; contributing author to Web Operations, and Complete Web Monitoring

Don't miss: Complete Web Monitoring, (O'Reilly, 2009)

Key Takeaway: Learn everything from why, what and how to implement measurement in your organization.

 

[image error]Jim Sterne, founder of eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit and the Digital Analytics Association and author of Social Media Metrics: How to Measure and Optimize Your Marketing Investment

Don't miss: eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summits

Takeaway: Learn from Jim in person at a summit near you.

 

[image error]Marshall Sponder, senior analyst and founder of WebmetricsGuru.com and author of Social Media Analytics: Effective Tools for Building, Interpreting, and Using Metrics

Don't miss: Lack of Processes (or the Wrong Processes) biggest problem in Social Media Reporting and ROI

Key Takeaway: You need a standard process for measurement.

 

To learn more about what social analytics and how you can approach it, consult with our new position paper Social Analytics for Marketing and Sales Effectiveness.

 

Let's hear it from you, marketers: Did we list all your top analytics gurus? Did we miss anyone who deserves to be included? Sound off on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on Pinterest.

 

Mike Lewis

@bostonmike

[image error]