Source: Google ImagesI decided to commit the entire month of October to essentially study Avinash Kaushik's latest book called Web Analytics 2.0. It is a follow-up to his previous book Web Analytics: An Hour a Day; however, if you have not read his previous book don't worry because he covers the essentials in his new book.
Overall, I think this book is simply a must have for any digital marketer, regardless of their position within an organization. In this book Avinash covers quite literally everything to do with Web Analytics and essentially teaches you how to become an analytics ninja! (A word he particularly enjoys using and I particularly enjoyed reading). One of the greatest things about this book is the fact that Avinash has chosen to donate all the proceeds of this book to two charities (The Smile Train and Ekal Vidyalaya). Once I read about his choice I realized that this book was going to be truly meaningful simply because Avinash did not write it for the money. Instead he wrote the book because he has a passion for analytics that he wants to share and that truly shows in his writing. The book is full of little tips and tricks that he has acquired over many years of experience and contains many examples that highlight concepts in order to better educate the reader.
Here are three reasons why I think this book applies to any level of digital marketer:
1. The entry level marketer - Great overview into true analytics and highly actionable takeaways that you can start doing today.
2. The middle manager - Instructions of how to pick an analytics vendor and how to hire the right analytics employee.
3. The senior digital marketer - Insight into what kind of analytics reporting you would want to see.
Finally, here are my three takeaways for digital marketers out there:
1. Think simple - Avinash's blog is titled "Occams Razor" which is a principle that essentially means the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. It is quite easy to fall victim to data overload, this book can Source: Google Imagesshow you how to actually extract value from various metrics and help you understand how to avoid drowning in data. Lots of data is great but sometimes, less data with more value... is greater.
2. Set goals, even if they are not about money - Without goals, a presence on the web is pointless. Simple as that. The goals do not have to be monetary in nature, they just have to be measurable.
3. "Evolution, not revolution" - A brilliant quote by Avinash. I find this applies directly to any project on the web. Small iterative changes as opposed to a gigantic transformation, can generally be more effective. I think companies that constantly make small changes to stay relevant to their consumers are truly ones to be admired (Starbucks is a good example).
Final thoughts: I think it is inspiring to read anything written by someone who is so passionate about what they do. This is a truly great book and I highly recommend it. Thanks for being an inspiration Avinash.
