Big Data for Small Business is really like Post Baby Sex

Big data is like teenage sex: everyone talks about it, nobody really knows how to do it, everyone thinks everyone else is doing it, so everyone claims they are doing it. ~ Dan Ariely

The above quote never fails to generate a smile but I don’t think it holds true. Not for big enterprises. Not anymore. Under the leadership of Chief Data officers, most big companies are bringing together technology, talent and data assets (new and existing) in a way never seen before and Big Data & Analytics is now an integral part of their enterprise strategy.

Small Businesses on the other hand are a different story. Having talked to both new parents and small businesses, here is my analogy:

Big Data for Small Business is like post baby sex- nobody really expects to you to do it, you have convinced yourself it is highly overrated, and while it would be a ‘nice to have’, after a long tiring day, it’s not your priority. ~ Gazal Kapoor

If you are a new parent, you will change your mind.

If on the other hand, you are a small business, I am here to change your mind about Big Data. Whether you own a start-up or a mature localised business, here are my top 5 reasons on why analytics and big data should be your priority.

1. Know your customer: Your customer is more than the wallet that keeps your business running. Your customer is a person that has hopes, dreams, challenges and struggles just like you. Big data analytics will help you know your customer and personalise your offerings.
2. Map your customer experience: Whatever your product offering is, you provide your customer an experience and you need to understand it. Your customer has an opinion of you and they use it to influence. Big data analytics will help you understand why people choose you over your competitors, help you map their experience at different touch points and understand the voice of your customer.
3. Changing customer and macro dynamics: As a small business owner you are most likely busy on the dance floor. The world around you is changing very fast and no matter how much fun dancing is, you need to step on the balcony from time to time. Big data analytics will help you be at the fore front of trends that are changing your industry and help you drive a return based strategy.
4. Know your Competitors: Big data analytics not only means generating information from your own data assets, it also means tapping into sources of information outside your hold to tell you more about who else is competing with you for your customer’s share of wallet. And if your competitors think they are not big enough for big data, big data analytics will help you get ahead of them.
5. Get Social: Big data analytics will help you integrate social media into your marketing to increase the return on your marketing spend.

If you think you are too small a business and don’t even have the data, the truth is, If you have run your business for a couple of years, have a functional website to interact with a customer and a Facebook page, you have a treasure trove of data already that you are doing nothing with. You can start to dip your toe into big data by looking at public domain – Customer Search Trends from Google, Tweets in Twitter and Facebook Public Posts or even Government and Public Data Sources.

Where is the time, you say.

I hear you on that. One of the biggest challenges a small business face is operations consume almost all their time. The other challenge is budget.

The good news is there are many analytics companies that can partner with you and do all of the above on a shoe string budget. A great analytics partner will not only tap into public and social domain, they will help you create a rich repository of data by making small tweaks in your data systems. They will work closely with you to use the right tools to capture and analyse relevant data and make the most of it. In fact, Small Businesses are in a better position than their bigger counterparts to generate returns from Big Data investments because of scale, agility and nimbleness.

Don’t wait. Treat Big Data Analytics as a ‘must have’ for your small business and see the difference it makes.

In my next post, I will talk about how to choose an analytics partner.

Author Profile: Gazal Kapoor is an analytics professional with experience across domains, geographies and industries. She describes a career in analytics as a passionate arranged marriage but that doesn’t prevent her from flirting with writing from time to time.

Gazal Kapoor works full time in Sydney and is a guest blogger for Convergytics.

 

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4 thoughts on “Big Data for Small Business is really like Post Baby Sex

  1. Sanjay Kudrimoti

    Gazal – loved your blog post. I am in the same boat as your described small business – as a professor at a small university where teaching takes priority over research – I have been putting away to retool myself with data analytics for my research. This was a good kick in my – you know where 🙂

    Reply
  2. Ashish Shanbhag

    Amazing Gazal! True to your name this is inspirational poetry for a data professional and the small business owner alike. Didnt realize you had moved to Sydney!

    Reply
  3. Pingback: The ACE in the Pack of Data / Analytics Service Providers - Convergytics

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