San Diego Businesses: A Few Tips for Mining Your Data to Drive Marketshare

Every San Diego and California business gathers data. “Data” does not have to be anything mysterious or processed by room-sized computers. Data can be as simple as your rolodex full of names, numbers, and addresses. Moreover, in this day and age of the website and social media, your business data is contained in simple online communications, comments, feedback, “likes,” “thumbs” and other interactions. Sometimes the quantity of data is small; but there is a treasure trove of marketing information even in a small data load. Here are a few tips for mining your business data.

San Diego Businesses: Do Not Ignore Small Data Samplings

As suggested, the first tip is to not ignore small data sources. Let’s say you post a blog article on your website or maybe some photos on your Facebook page. Maybe you only generate a couple dozen responses. That seems small and insignificant. Advice: even a single comment can help guide how you can modify your business process to better serve your customers and drive sales.

As one anecdotal example, a certain store in La Mesa had configured its shelves in such a way that customers were sort of herded down one aisle and up the next and down again. A social media comment came in suggesting that the store should break up the shelving with gaps so customers could move freely around the store. It was a simple idea, easy to implement and the owners liked the idea. Customers seemed to like it, too. The idea come from a small sampling of data.

San Diego Businesses: Data is Not Just Comments or Survey Questions

Remember, data is not just comments or survey questions. Like that rolodex, data is who the customers are, where they came from, and what they bought. With respect to e-commerce and online sales, another key type of data is return traffic, forwarded traffic, “liked” traffic, and linked traffic. Each of these provides your business with information. Obviously, return traffic helps you know and learn about your customer loyalty. Same with the other categories, but forwarded, liked, and linked traffic provides you with information on where to direct additional marketing efforts. As an example, if a website is linked by a customer, maybe consider advertising on that website?

San Diego Businesses: Content is King, but Does Not Have to be BIG

When dealing with online sales and e-commerce, content is king. But, at the same time, the content does not have to be BIG content. A couple of photos on social media as you put up holiday decor, a 100-word post about an upcoming sale, etc.

San Diego Businesses: Content Should be Continuous

Even though content need not be BIG, it should be regular and continuous.

San Diego Businesses: Follow the Followers

As described above, following the followers is very informative. Ask these types of questions:

• Who connected with our blogger after we published her blog?
• Is there a pattern of connecting? Is it our blogger or her topics?
• Who tweeted about us?
• Who retweeted something we tweeted?
• Same for liked, linked, thumbed, etc.
• Who left comments and do they have an online presence/blog? — thank them, acknowledge them
• Did another blogger link to our content? — thank them, acknowledge them

San Diego Businesses: Do Not Ignore the Face-to-Face Data

Do not ignore the possible sources of face-to-face data. As an example, many stores will politely ask for zip code information. If that can be keyed in at the cash register, such can show where your customers live and might provide some information correlating purchasing behavior with zip codes.

San Diego Businesses: Contact San Diego Corporate Law

Every San Diego business needs a talented, experienced, and skilled business attorney. Maybe not for marketing strategies or data mining, but for nearly everything else. If, for example, you hire a marketing firm to help with marketing and/or data mining, you need to have the contracts reviewed so you understand what you are bargaining for and what your legal obligations are. For more information, contact attorney Michael Leonard, Esq., of San Diego Corporate Law. Mr. Leonard provides a full panoply of legal services for businesses here in San Diego and surrounding communities including reviewing and drafting business contracts and all services related to business formations. Mr. Leonard can be reached at (858) 483-9200 or via email.

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