Q&A with an Analytics Team Member
By Chelsea Richardson
Internet whiz? Detective? What IS Analytics?
Measuring, collecting, reports — if you’re anything like me, you might be wondering exactly what is analytics? As someone new to #agencylife my knowledge of analytics is that it’s important but beyond that, I leave it to the pros.
Luckily, I was able to ask our Analytics Team Lead, Erin Y. some hard-hitting questions about what exactly is analytics, what she looks for when hiring, and everything in between.
How would you describe what you do in analytics for those (ahem, me) who know nothing about it? (apparently, she gets asked this a lot)
I’ve had to describe that many times! At a VERY high level…you know when you go to a website and click on things? I help prepare the tracking that’s needed to see how many people do those things.
In a slightly more detailed way, what I do in analytics is help define what tracking will go on websites so we can gather information about the audience, what did they do while on the website and if they make any purchases or do anything significant while they visited. I will work with our analytics development team to have all of the necessary tracking implemented.
Then, I put a strategy behind it so we can tell how people visiting a website, in a variety of different ways, interact with the site. For example, we can see how someone who used a Google search to get to the site vs. someone who clicked on an ad from Facebook may act differently and we can determine how to then encourage people from various locations to become more engaged with the website.
What drew you to analytics?
When analytics was first introduced to me I was fascinated by the fact that you can see users going to a website and what they’re doing. I enjoy how it is ever-changing. When I first started, tracking page views and being able to see the data within 24 hours was very exciting. It’s completely migrated into tracking very detailed activities and learning more about the audience and their behavior and seeing the data almost instantly.
Was working at an agency something you always wanted to do?
Initially, I wasn’t thinking about working in an agency. I had a few work terms during university where I worked in the IT department for one client. I found that what you’re able to learn while at work is limited to the needs and resources of the company.
I think working at an agency is a way to grow your skills exponentially in a short amount of time. Each client set-up is customized and can pose new challenges and it keeps you on your toes. It makes for an exciting workday when tasks and requests are always changing.
What is the most difficult part of working in analytics?
It’s the Internet — it’s not perfect and sometimes things don’t always work as expected. Traffic can spike due to robots, and outside traffic doesn’t always get captured as expected. It’s finding creative ways to locate accurate traffic to make sure that is what gets communicated back to the client. It can be challenging but is also great to be able to provide accurate information.
What is the most rewarding?
The most rewarding thing is moving clients who have a very basic set up to more advanced analytics set up. This involves sharing with them the impact of having a customized set up can have and the knowledge we can gain from monitoring customized buttons forms and checkout funnels.
How do you like working in the travel space?
I love it. It’s such an interesting group of clients. Learning about the different beautiful locations and destinations around the world while working is a bonus.
What do you do outside of work?
My young boys keep me busy most days. In the summer our free time is filled with being out on the water. In the winter we will play in the snow, ski, and skate.
What do you look for when hiring new people to your team?
I look for people who are eager to learn and show excitement about analytics. Ongoing learning is key with new tools and changes to the industry all of the time, so keeping up to date and being open to change is essential.
The environment is fast-paced — being able to multitask and switch your mindset many times over is another great quality.
What recommendations do you have for anyone looking to work in analytics?
Hands-on knowledge is the best. Doing and learning will help you grow in your career. I would suggest taking any opportunity to try new things and see the outcomes. If it doesn’t work as expected, you’ve learned and then try again!
Chelsea is a Social Media Coordinator at VERB Interactive — a leader in digital marketing, specializing in solutions for the travel and hospitality industry. Find out more at www.verbinteractive.com.
