Digital marketing is a very new industry. It is recognised for being dynamic, incredibly face-paced and, some could argue, stays at the forefront of technology and its application to our everyday lives. This causes problems for many of those that consider themselves online (or digital) marketing professionals though.
Put us in a room without a laptop or takeaway our Internet connection and many in-depth conversations that we can have are limited. To a certain degree we’ve become dependent on technology, for our profession, for our livelihoods.
‘Always on’ Data
Now, while this dependency has its critics this isn’t something that we should take to heart too much, nor will I embellish upon in this post. However accessibility (or lack thereof) is one thing that is common ground for us all. Cloud computing promised to rectify this, and while many of us (myself included) now operate almost solely in the cloud some services are still catching up.
Put bluntly, if you can’t login, you can’t access your data, you can’t create or report on those actionable insights that your manager/client is expecting from you.
But don’t fret, instead of sitting around waiting for 4G connection to actually become 4G (at least in the UK) and broadband penetration to increase in other markets we may find ourselves working remotely in, let’s take to mobile, and access our data when suits us. Whether your requirements are:
- Keeping an eye on your personal blog traffic levels
- Monitoring your latest transactions on your eCommerce site
- Or last-minute checking your KPIs before rushing into your client/board meeting
The Importance of Data & Its Application
Data is arguably the key differentiating factor that separates digital marketers from traditional. Digital technologies provide a level of detailed insight undreamt of by many of our marketing peers and increasingly reaches levels of Star Trek/Minority Report-esque sci-fi accuracy, that continues to evolve at an astonishing rate.
Ensuring that you have set up (and tested!) whatever analytics package your company/client opts for from the get go, is something that many acclaimed digital marketers fall foul of, so beware and when in doubt, test! While truly understanding this data, its application, and then being able to create actionable objectives from what it is telling you is perhaps the one skill that every digital marketer worth his/her salt should possess.
To my emphasise earlier point, actually ensuring that you can access this data is a step that needs to be overcome even before we get to this…
Mobile Google Analytics: Where Art Thou?
A very valid point that was made by Justin Parks on Twitter recently that Google Analytics on mobile (specifically on iPhones) leaves a lot to be desired.
Please @google – can you sort an app on #iphone for #googleanalytics ? Browsing it currently sucks on smart phone.
— Justin Parks (@justinparks) May 2, 2013
I mean, with all the talk on responsive design, yes they’ve made Google Analytics on iOS responsive but seriously, my thumb is much bigger than this!
Considering everything above, and that Google is now one of the biggest companies in the world; let alone one of the most forward looking, innovative and downright mobile-crazy.
- Then why has this not been on their list of priorites?
- And moreover, why does there seem no hurry to develop this functionality?
4 Free Google Analytics iPhone Apps
So, whether you agree or disagree with Justin’s point, there are alternatives available, however some are pretty costly and without the recommendation I’m not prepared to pay for several apps. A review of the features of each of these alternatives warrants another post entirely, so for now I’ve listed 4 Top FREE iPhone Analytics apps below that are available now that may help you view your Google Analytics data on iOS (at least until Google decides to make one themselves!). Check them out:
iDashboard iOS App
Analytics Tiles Light App
Fast Analytics App
Fishead Analytics App
Should Google Create a Google Analytics App?
It would be great to get feedback from the community on this by submitting your answer to this quick poll:
Have you come across a mobile analytics app for the iPhone that you couldn’t live without? We’d love to hear your recommendations, please add them to the comments below…