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    Casual Articles - Analytics: You Can't Afford Not To Track

    Creating the New Internet Video Television and Entertainment Industry
    Internet Video is leading the way to Internet Television. The status quo is changing in the entertainment industry. No longer will the ole boy network control such a huge potential for profits. Now, thanks to broadband Internet Access and video technology, an entirely new industry is being created. That industry is Internet Television.Innovative entrepreneurs have found ways to create and produce television for the Internet without having to overcome the obstacle usually created with traditional broadcast television. Social networking sites like the forum at www.tvnetresource.com give tvpreneurs the chance to find other creative souls to help them build the teams necessary to create a tv show and sites like www.filmsmash.com offer the platform for delivery of those shows.To simplify the process of creating and producing t
    , websites, IP filters, and accounts. The report data is not up-to-the-minute and can sometimes take up to a couple of hours to update, which for most users, is accurate enough.

    Google Analytics can be set-up and running within a couple of minutes. Google generates a block of JavaScript that you have to copy and paste onto all the pages of your website. Conversion tracking requires users to specify each step in their conversion process by entering in a corresponding URL. E-commerce tracking gets more advanced, but there is sufficient documentation to walk you through it.

    StatCounter

    StatCounter was one of the original online analytics packages, maybe that’s why the home page has a PageRank of 10. Altho

    Are You Outsourcing Software Development for Cost Savings? Watch Out!
    Many companies choose outsourcing and offshoring of their software development to cut their costs. Although there is nothing wrong with the idea, it is rarely executed correctly to realize the expected results.After listening to well-delivered sales spiels, some managers tend to look at the offshore costs and come to some interesting conclusions. “Hmmm! I could have four software developers for the cost of one”“ or even ““Cheaper, better and faster!”“All true, however, this gain is not fully realizable as there are several costly and time-consuming obstacles that need to be overcome. For a small flavor, here are a few examples -1. Ramp-up time or knowledge transfer time – it often takes projects weeks or even months to be able to teach a newcomer the details of a system.2. Management and t
    Budget, especially for smaller organizations, is often a major factor when researching which Analytics package to implement on a given website. There are business owners who continually push off the purchase of analytics until their company is financially ready to make the leap and online commitment; or until over inflated marketing projections prove to be just that, and mistakes need to be quantified. Something that the majority of business doesn’t seem to realize is the immense insight and knowledge they are missing out on by waiting.

    It’s the same old argument: spend a dollar today or two dollars tomorrow. Put that simply, the answer seems obvious; yet everyday, another person throws his hat into the e-commerce ring, purely on the speculation of Google-like fortunes, some great M&A buy-out, or that mythical IPO of triple digit shares, without considering the concept of “checks and balances”….Having analytics on your site is something that doesn’t take long to pay itself off. In fact, I'm pretty confident in saying that by delaying implementation, you're probably losing more money through your site in lost revenue opportunities than you're "saving" by putting it off. So smarten up, and start paying attention.

    All site owners should be aware that there are options available to them, free ones! Google Analytics, StatCounter, and now ClickTracks all provide an analytics solution that users can employ without any outside cost and minimal internal IT resources, especially if the analytics are implemented right from the design stage of the site and built right into the site templates. After a reasonably simple setup, users can view real data and start using numbers to make educated marketing decisions instead of flying blindly into the wind.

    In the rest of this article I will be talking about analytics solutions that are available for free, their features/limitations, and how you can begin collecting the right data.

    Google Analytics

    Google Analytics became available late last year and quickly became the hottest thing on the internet. Because of its immense popularity, users have to sign-up and wait in a queue until they receive an invitation to download. On average it takes anywhere from several weeks to months to get an invitation. Everybody wants to be popular, and Google’s inability to meet demand is the biggest con for its analytics software.

    I was granted access about a month ago and was very impressed by the depth of the reporting available. Some standard reports are Campaign/Conversion Tracking, Visitor/Geo Segmentation and executive dashboards. Google loves to integrate all their products, and as a result users have the ability to see metrics for their Adwords accounts inside their analytics suite. Other cool features include an administration area, which is built on top of a very intuitive user interface that allows for the management of users, websites, IP filters, and accounts. The report data is not up-to-the-minute and can sometimes take up to a couple of hours to update, which for most users, is accurate enough.

    Google Analytics can be set-up and running within a couple of minutes. Google generates a block of JavaScript that you have to copy and paste onto all the pages of your website. Conversion tracking requires users to specify each step in their conversion process by entering in a corresponding URL. E-commerce tracking gets more advanced, but there is sufficient documentation to walk you through it.

    StatCounter

    StatCounter was one of the original online analytics packages, maybe that’s why the home page has a PageRank of 10. Altho

    Boost Your Direct Mail Marketing Response Rates with Unilateral Offers, Says Direct Response Agency
    Direct mail marketing rules are made to be broken, or so I’m told. So break this one and see what happens.Direct mail pundits, me included, recommend that all your direct mail pieces have an offer. The offer, as you know, is the incentive that you give prospects to encourage them to respond. Offers are usually bilateral. You promise to do something if the prospect does something. “Buy two blouses and we’ll pay the shipping,” for example. Or “book your appointment before 16 November and we’ll send you a free Sample Seed Kit.” If the prospect does nothing, you do nothing. Both of you must act if the offer is to work. Offers are bilateral.Break this rule by making unilateral offers once in a while. Instead of asking the prospect to do something, you do something instead.
    purely on the speculation of Google-like fortunes, some great M&A buy-out, or that mythical IPO of triple digit shares, without considering the concept of “checks and balances”….Having analytics on your site is something that doesn’t take long to pay itself off. In fact, I'm pretty confident in saying that by delaying implementation, you're probably losing more money through your site in lost revenue opportunities than you're "saving" by putting it off. So smarten up, and start paying attention.

    All site owners should be aware that there are options available to them, free ones! Google Analytics, StatCounter, and now ClickTracks all provide an analytics solution that users can employ without any outside cost and minimal internal IT resources, especially if the analytics are implemented right from the design stage of the site and built right into the site templates. After a reasonably simple setup, users can view real data and start using numbers to make educated marketing decisions instead of flying blindly into the wind.

    In the rest of this article I will be talking about analytics solutions that are available for free, their features/limitations, and how you can begin collecting the right data.

    Google Analytics

    Google Analytics became available late last year and quickly became the hottest thing on the internet. Because of its immense popularity, users have to sign-up and wait in a queue until they receive an invitation to download. On average it takes anywhere from several weeks to months to get an invitation. Everybody wants to be popular, and Google’s inability to meet demand is the biggest con for its analytics software.

    I was granted access about a month ago and was very impressed by the depth of the reporting available. Some standard reports are Campaign/Conversion Tracking, Visitor/Geo Segmentation and executive dashboards. Google loves to integrate all their products, and as a result users have the ability to see metrics for their Adwords accounts inside their analytics suite. Other cool features include an administration area, which is built on top of a very intuitive user interface that allows for the management of users, websites, IP filters, and accounts. The report data is not up-to-the-minute and can sometimes take up to a couple of hours to update, which for most users, is accurate enough.

    Google Analytics can be set-up and running within a couple of minutes. Google generates a block of JavaScript that you have to copy and paste onto all the pages of your website. Conversion tracking requires users to specify each step in their conversion process by entering in a corresponding URL. E-commerce tracking gets more advanced, but there is sufficient documentation to walk you through it.

    StatCounter

    StatCounter was one of the original online analytics packages, maybe that’s why the home page has a PageRank of 10. Altho

    Eliminate Painful Meetings
    I remember being interviewed by a writer for an article about effective meetings that was to appear in a national magazine. The writer began the interview by saying, “I don’t want any of the old standard tips; I want new tips.”I replied, “Well, people wouldn’t need new tips if they used the old tips.” This isn’t what the writer wanted to hear, nor is this what many of us want to hear, but this is the truth. If we used what we already know, we could avoid a lot of problems -- including unproductive meetings.Have you ever sat through a meeting only to realize that the real issues were being discussed outside the meeting? Have you ever attended a meeting and asked yourself what the point was?Many organizations experience what I like to call the “soap opera effect” -- you go to one meeting, then miss a few meetings, and th
    internal IT resources, especially if the analytics are implemented right from the design stage of the site and built right into the site templates. After a reasonably simple setup, users can view real data and start using numbers to make educated marketing decisions instead of flying blindly into the wind.

    In the rest of this article I will be talking about analytics solutions that are available for free, their features/limitations, and how you can begin collecting the right data.

    Google Analytics

    Google Analytics became available late last year and quickly became the hottest thing on the internet. Because of its immense popularity, users have to sign-up and wait in a queue until they receive an invitation to download. On average it takes anywhere from several weeks to months to get an invitation. Everybody wants to be popular, and Google’s inability to meet demand is the biggest con for its analytics software.

    I was granted access about a month ago and was very impressed by the depth of the reporting available. Some standard reports are Campaign/Conversion Tracking, Visitor/Geo Segmentation and executive dashboards. Google loves to integrate all their products, and as a result users have the ability to see metrics for their Adwords accounts inside their analytics suite. Other cool features include an administration area, which is built on top of a very intuitive user interface that allows for the management of users, websites, IP filters, and accounts. The report data is not up-to-the-minute and can sometimes take up to a couple of hours to update, which for most users, is accurate enough.

    Google Analytics can be set-up and running within a couple of minutes. Google generates a block of JavaScript that you have to copy and paste onto all the pages of your website. Conversion tracking requires users to specify each step in their conversion process by entering in a corresponding URL. E-commerce tracking gets more advanced, but there is sufficient documentation to walk you through it.

    StatCounter

    StatCounter was one of the original online analytics packages, maybe that’s why the home page has a PageRank of 10. Altho

    Show Me the Money!
    Are you ready to raise money for your startup?Leslie Mitts, Managing Practice Leader at the Wharton SBDC and Lead Advisor for the Wharton Venture Initiation Program, tells us that most entrepreneurs coming through her programs are focused on raising capital, even though there are higher priorities in many of their businesses. Since fresh dollars help drive the business engine, this is a natural entrepreneurial concern.But are you ready to raise money?Going to investors before you are really ready can damage your reputation and may actually hinder future funding efforts.Team and a Dream uses a unique Fundability Diagnostic to help companies assess their strengths in four key areas:Team - This is the most frequently cited attribute examined by investors. Many investors will invest in an A-level team and a B-
    ation to download. On average it takes anywhere from several weeks to months to get an invitation. Everybody wants to be popular, and Google’s inability to meet demand is the biggest con for its analytics software.

    I was granted access about a month ago and was very impressed by the depth of the reporting available. Some standard reports are Campaign/Conversion Tracking, Visitor/Geo Segmentation and executive dashboards. Google loves to integrate all their products, and as a result users have the ability to see metrics for their Adwords accounts inside their analytics suite. Other cool features include an administration area, which is built on top of a very intuitive user interface that allows for the management of users, websites, IP filters, and accounts. The report data is not up-to-the-minute and can sometimes take up to a couple of hours to update, which for most users, is accurate enough.

    Google Analytics can be set-up and running within a couple of minutes. Google generates a block of JavaScript that you have to copy and paste onto all the pages of your website. Conversion tracking requires users to specify each step in their conversion process by entering in a corresponding URL. E-commerce tracking gets more advanced, but there is sufficient documentation to walk you through it.

    StatCounter

    StatCounter was one of the original online analytics packages, maybe that’s why the home page has a PageRank of 10. Altho

    Can You Really Get Rich Quick Through Internet Marketing Schemes?
    You have seen the ads just about everywhere. If you sign up for such and such a program you can make thousands of dollars each week, or month. Perhaps you already have signed up for one of these programs, or, at least get their emails on a regular basis. Here are some things you need to know about the offers that you see plastered all over the Internet.Focus On Work At Home JobsJust about all of these ads focus on getting away from your day job and firing your boss - something that most working people would like to do. So, there is the hook. It promises something that appeals to most. Then, it offers the opportunity to work from home, even in your pajamas if you want, and make tons of money.Is This Reality?If it were true, then why are there so many opportunities? And why do the same Internet marketers always nee
    , websites, IP filters, and accounts. The report data is not up-to-the-minute and can sometimes take up to a couple of hours to update, which for most users, is accurate enough.

    Google Analytics can be set-up and running within a couple of minutes. Google generates a block of JavaScript that you have to copy and paste onto all the pages of your website. Conversion tracking requires users to specify each step in their conversion process by entering in a corresponding URL. E-commerce tracking gets more advanced, but there is sufficient documentation to walk you through it.

    StatCounter

    StatCounter was one of the original online analytics packages, maybe that’s why the home page has a PageRank of 10. Although it has fewer bells and whistles than Google Analytics, it still provides a simple interface with useful reports. The biggest drawback of StatCounter’s free version is that it has a log size of 100; this means that detailed statistics such as path analysis and referrals (as well as other metrics) are limited to a small number of a user’s latest pageloads. This means that if you website is already getting a large volume of visitors, StatCounter’s free download may not be the right product for you, but if you are already getting those kind of numbers, you should be able to pony up for the full StatCounter package.

    StatCounter’s report suite includes the usual page views report, repeat and first-time visitor tracking, but really kicks it up a notch with its detailed analysis of Visitor’s Path and Visitor Activity. The reports lack a visual punch, but for a user who is looking strictly for the data, it does the trick.

    Similar to Google, StatCounter generates a block of JavaScript for users to paste onto the pages of their entire website. However, in the free version, there is no way to set up additional tracking for conversions, campaigns, or e-commerce. In other words, StatCounter’s free version is an ample beginner analytics package, but as your online activity escalates and you start to make some real money, you are probably going to want to upgrade in order to keep your competitive advantage.

    ClickTracks

    ClickTracks’ free version was recently released, but has definitely created some buzz in the industry. The analytics software is targeted towards helping users understand their visitors in order to increase ROI.

    This Version, known as ClickTracks Appetizer, comes with a standard interface, but also includes behavioral segmentation, campaign tracking (including PPC), and conversion tracking in order to help users make the best decisions for their search marketing campaigns. A cool perk they’ve started is the announcement of “Web Analytics Day” where they turn on advanced features such as funnel reporting and advanced visitor segmentation. I think this is a great way to entice users to upgrade to advanced versions of ClickTracks, and its showing in their increasing market share.

    So there you have it, three good options to help you make educated decisions for your website. So don’t let your website sit untracked as time passes by, do yourself and your business a favor and sign-up for an Analytics package right away, even if you’re blindly holding out for a more “robust” package and freer budgets in the future.

    Analyzing something as simple as “Top Exit Pages” can help you pinpoint why users are dropping off your website. By tweaking these pages and keeping visitors on your site, you can help increase things like revenue and conversion rate (I think this is the primary goal for every businessperson). Keeping track of the right metrics through

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