Big Data: Good or Bad for Small Business Marketers?
Big data—or the collating and analysis of structured data, e.g. in spreadsheets and databases, combined with unstructured data, such as tweets, images or blogs—is hugely beneficial to many enterprise companies. It’s trickier for small business marketers. From assembling the data to how to use it, the questions and problems that arise can seem like they’re more trouble than they’re worth. Here are some strategies for successfully leveraging big data for small businesses.
How to Get Big Data
Big data can be a challenge for small businesses to assemble. Ben Allen, freelance content creator and digital marketer, explains that:
The first challenge of utilizing big data is where to get the freaking stuff. Data isn’t cheap, nor is it easy to come by. It’s why companies guard their data aggressively and don’t share with the public. But you have a small budget and limited resources to work with, so what now? Just give up on the big data dream?
Here are some places to get big data without a huge investment:
- Website Analytics
- Google Trends
- Businesses that specialize in big data
Making Sense of the Data
If you just have raw data and no budget to pay for processing it, you’re only halfway there. Small businesses can use case studies, questionnaires, anecdotes, and other content to round out their big data and measure their marketing more clearly.
For a complete list of strategies to leverage big data at your business, check out Ben Allen’s entire article below.
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