I don't know about you, but I've been using Excel for a long time. A very long time. OK, I guess what I'm saying is that it's pretty much all I use in my day-to-day work. You see, Excel is a staple in many marketers' daily activities despite the fact that it wasn't designed for this. It's a great tool that has been around since the 80s, and statistically speaking you've probably used it before.
And if you haven't, you will.
But the fact remains: Excel is only meant to deal with numbers and text. So why do we choose it as our go-to solution for marketing analytics?
Well, because it's easy to use and widely available. Let's face it: not everyone has the budget for dedicated marketing analytics software (and even if you do, Excel is still an excellent alternative).
However, there are several downsides to using such an unspecific tool in your modern day-to-day job:
- It's not integrated with your website analytics (Google Analytics, Adobe Scout,).
- It makes you spend more time on manual entry of data.
- You can end up getting numbers that are full of errors.
So chances are that using Excel for marketing analytics is slowing you down in several areas, there are better tools out there.
2) It makes you spend more time on manual entry of data.
3) You can end up getting numbers that are full of errors.
4) You have to deal with a huge amount of data.
5) It doesn't offer any analysis or visualization functions.
6) Data is lost if you don't back it up regularly.
7) Your marketing analytics will be inconsistent and you won't know where to focus your efforts.
8) You may not be able to complete your tasks on time.
9) You'll always have to download, export and upload files manually.
10) It's difficult to collaborate with your team.
11) It can't be used to see your data in real-time.
12) Your spreadsheets will become unmanageable very quickly.
13) If you need reports, you'll have to create them manually.
14) You won't get new insights into your clients' behavior.
15) And finally, it's not very cost-effective.
Please note that I'm NOT saying "Excel is bad" - it's the opposite of that really! It's just not optimized for marketing analytics.
1) Adobe Analytics - for more than just marketing analytics (costs per month).
2) Google Analytics - free and easy to use (but no advanced features).
3) Adobe Scout - the simplest tool to learn and use.
4) Mixpanel - a great tool for marketing analytics, but not very cheap.
5) Segment - a customer data hub that also integrates with a lot of other tools.
6) Heap - this is a good alternative if you want to scrape data from websites and apps.
7) Parsehub - another great tool for on-page analysis and web scraping.
8) Autopilot - customer communication automation that also integrates with tools like Mixpanel, Kissmetrics and Google Analytics.
9) Olark - a live chat tool that also integrates with Mixpanel, Google Analytics and Kissmetrics.
10) LiveChat - another live chat tool that offers reporting and integration with other tools (like Adobe Scout).
11) Sentry - a crash reporting tool for websites and mobile apps.
12) New Relic - an in-depth monitoring and performance solution for websites and apps.
13) Segment - if you want to integrate with a lot of different tools, this is the best option out there (and it's free).
14) React Native - if you're developing mobile apps in Javascript, then this would be your tool of choice when it comes to tracking.
15) Fabric - if you're developing mobile apps in Android, then this is your tool of choice when it comes to tracking.
There are many other tools available - just check out the ones that have good reviews on websites like G2Crowd or Trust Radius.
And what about Excel? Well, you can still use it to display your data - but please try out one of the tools mentioned above.
That way you'll be able to track important marketing metrics, analyze and visualize your data in real-time and complete your tasks more efficiently.
So chances are that using Excel for marketing analytics is slowing you down in several areas, there are better tools out there.
Here are 15 reasons why you should stop using Excel for your marketing analytics today:
1) Its not integrated with your website analytics (Google Analytics, Adobe Scout …).2) It makes you spend more time on manual entry of data.
3) You can end up getting numbers that are full of errors.
4) You have to deal with a huge amount of data.
5) It doesn't offer any analysis or visualization functions.
6) Data is lost if you don't back it up regularly.
7) Your marketing analytics will be inconsistent and you won't know where to focus your efforts.
8) You may not be able to complete your tasks on time.
9) You'll always have to download, export and upload files manually.
10) It's difficult to collaborate with your team.
11) It can't be used to see your data in real-time.
12) Your spreadsheets will become unmanageable very quickly.
13) If you need reports, you'll have to create them manually.
14) You won't get new insights into your clients' behavior.
15) And finally, it's not very cost-effective.
Please note that I'm NOT saying "Excel is bad" - it's the opposite of that really! It's just not optimized for marketing analytics.
So what should you do? You could simply keep using your Excel spreadsheets - or you could try one of the following tools:
1) Adobe Analytics - for more than just marketing analytics (costs per month).
2) Google Analytics - free and easy to use (but no advanced features).
3) Adobe Scout - the simplest tool to learn and use.
4) Mixpanel - a great tool for marketing analytics, but not very cheap.
5) Segment - a customer data hub that also integrates with a lot of other tools.
6) Heap - this is a good alternative if you want to scrape data from websites and apps.
7) Parsehub - another great tool for on-page analysis and web scraping.
8) Autopilot - customer communication automation that also integrates with tools like Mixpanel, Kissmetrics and Google Analytics.
9) Olark - a live chat tool that also integrates with Mixpanel, Google Analytics and Kissmetrics.
10) LiveChat - another live chat tool that offers reporting and integration with other tools (like Adobe Scout).
11) Sentry - a crash reporting tool for websites and mobile apps.
12) New Relic - an in-depth monitoring and performance solution for websites and apps.
13) Segment - if you want to integrate with a lot of different tools, this is the best option out there (and it's free).
14) React Native - if you're developing mobile apps in Javascript, then this would be your tool of choice when it comes to tracking.
15) Fabric - if you're developing mobile apps in Android, then this is your tool of choice when it comes to tracking.
There are many other tools available - just check out the ones that have good reviews on websites like G2Crowd or Trust Radius.
And what about Excel? Well, you can still use it to display your data - but please try out one of the tools mentioned above.
That way you'll be able to track important marketing metrics, analyze and visualize your data in real-time and complete your tasks more efficiently.
Conclusion:
Stop using Excel for marketing analytics. There are better tools out there that will help you do your job faster and more efficiently!
We give you the best daily information on news, technology, lifestyle, career, health tips, agriculture, business and entertainment. If you can write very well and want to make a living writing online, click HERE!