timthumb.phpI just read a report that says that analytics is the next big thing in digital marketing. I’ve been listening to James Standen of nModal say this same thing for several years and I’m beginning to see that this might be true, to a point.

Overall I don’t think many people are really into analytics. I was talking to several people at a client’s yesterday about some potential analytics for their business and got a lukewarm response.

I went home reminded that while I am REALLY into analytics, not everyone else is. (Yes, I know, there are some of you who are making snide comments because I am an analytics nerd.)

It made me think back to all of the fascinating (well they were to me) analytics based reports I have done in the past. To me they were incredibly mind blowing, strategy altering, and revealing pieces of data with great import. To many who read them though they were a big whoop, not that the information wasn’t new but they just didn’t seem to care.

I have even gone so far on two occasions to start businesses based on new data or on different ways of looking at data and got very spotty market response.

So why is it that people just are not into analytics for the most part. And if they don’t like analysis, how do they get the right information to make decisions?

(And by the way, for those of you who thought you knew where the word analytics comes from you are probably wrong. It is from the Greek “analuein” which is the concatenation of “ana” meaning up and “lysis ” meaning a loosening, ergo: loosening up.)