It's a Question of Questions

We go through life looking for answers to all the big questions ranging from “Why am I here?” to “Where did I leave my keys?”

But the secret to life, the universe, and everything (points for reference recognition) is not the answers to the big questions; it’s the big questions themselves.

Therefore, I offer up a list – the start of a list, you’re sure to have suggestions – that gives a quick look at the sorts of tools and systems that can help you ask the big questions:

A/B Split Testing
How do I show my boss he’s an idiot without seeming to have a horse in this race?

Accounting
How much do we owe and how much is owed to us by whom?

Behavioral Targeting
How do we get the right message in front of the right person at the right time?

Big Data
What should we do next? How is our business changing?

Bizographics
Can we segment our target audience by the size of the companies to which we sell?

Customer Relationship Management
Which customers are most likely to buy again?

Competitive Analysis
What the heck are the other guys up to?

Customer Lifetime Value
Who are our most profitable customers and how do we find more of them?

Customer Satisfaction
What do people think is important enough to tell us?

Empanelled Audience
What does a cross-platform, multi-channel, partially tamed shopper look like in the wild?

Eyeballs
Do the 1990’s know you’re still here? Eye tracking – what are they actually looking at?

Hits (Yes, Hits)
How well are our servers and our connectivity holding up under the demand?

Keyword Analysis
What language do people use to describe their need?

Loyalty Programs
How much privacy will people give up in exchange for a coupon worth $0.50?

Media Mix Modeling
What’s the most effective combination and sequence of promotions?

Multivariate Testing
Which landing page gets the best results?

On-Site Search
Just how bad is our navigation?

Personas
Do our customers fall into specific different types and how do they act differently?

Predictive Analytics
If that’s the case, then what might happen tomorrow?

Sales Force Automation
How much future revenue is in the pipeline by territory?

Session Replay
Where did they move the mouse? When did they bail out of the form?

Social Media
What do people say about us to each other?

Usability Testing
But what happens if we put this in front of real, live humans?

Web Analytics
What can we learn about people from their behavior on our site?

Website Optimization
How do we improve the online experience?

P.S.
Click-throughs, page views, and visits. Why on earth are we still reporting these?

Data Cloud, Competitor Analysis, Web Traffic Thermometer, and Text Insert images from Shutterstock.