Analyzing analytics 2.0

Imagine sitting at your desk with your company Web site up on the screen. What would you like to know at that moment? How about a scrolling list of companies visiting your site at that second, with the ability to find out which office location was browsing and maybe even get some information for a few leads to follow up on? ¶ If that kind of Web traffic tracking piques your interest, analytics vendor DemandBase Inc. has a new application that brings these kinds of slick tricks to life. And DemandBase is not alone.

Web analytics platforms are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Not only can they process more data and integrate Web stats into other corporate systems, they can incorporate such data feeds as social media and influence information. Just as important, the latest systems can present these metrics via intuitive interfaces that allow marketers to plot subsequent actions—often down to targeting an individual lead prospect.

Couple those new capabilities with increasing economic pressures to do more with less, and the Web analytics industry finds itself at the heart of how b-to-b companies are doing business in the downturn.

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