I recently read an excellent post by Kyle Lacy titled: We must simplify the idea of big data. I couldn’t agree more. It’s quite overwhelming and if you look ahead, we are really only just getting started. Data collection on a broad scale started as far back as 1450 BC, but the digital age has brought us to the point where we often don’t know what to do with it all. Many small businesses feel that they have already been left behind. I’m here to encourage you. Let’s approach it by taking big data baby steps ~ because we have to start somewhere.
According to the ABC’s Four Corners the human race now produces 28 billion gigabytes of data every day. And 90% of the data currently in existence was created in just the last two years.
Imagine how the data explosion is likely to grow over the next two years. Governments and large corporations are still only scratching the surface of what the data could be used for. So how can your business leverage big data and where do you start?
I mentioned baby steps earlier. Google Analytics is a powerful data collection and analytics tool. It’s a great place for you to get started. I follow them on Google+ and thought you might like this recent post:
Keep your analytics skills up to date with resources & education
Google Analytics will give you an opportunity to ease into data mining and utilize data about something that is very important to you. Your web presence. Here are three links that will help you learn how to use Google Analytics and take advantage of more data than you’ll know what to do with (for now):
Get Insights – Google+ Business
Google are already collecting and sharing data about your business. Now you can contribute to that and measure influence and ROI with Google+ Business.
Google Analytics Google+ Page
Now that your business is on Google+ this is the official Google Analytics Google+ page. They post all sorts of useful and helpful information and they will keep you up-to-date with the latest developments.
Google Analytics Community
If you ever have any questions about Google Analytics this is the place to ask them. It is a dedicated community moderated by leading experts and influencers. It is also a great place to learn tips, tricks and useful ways to advance you business by making the most of your data.
— Matt Crawford (@SocialStratMatt) September 10, 2013
You’re possibly thinking that this post is more about Google+ and Google Analytics than it is about big data. However I am just encouraging you to take big data baby steps because we have to start somewhere. Once you start to get your head around some of your Google data then you will be ready to tackle other sources. The time to start embracing your data and using it to your advantage is now. 
Conclusion
Just like social media, big data isn’t going anywhere. Actually it must be going somewhere ~ ‘The Cloud‘ I guess. But that’s not what I meant. As governments and Enterprise businesses continue to develop ways to store, secure and use the vast amounts of data we generate, you should take an interest as well. Google Analytics is a straight forward place to start. The more you know about your business and your customers the better chance you will have securing a competitive advantage in the market place.
I can help you learn more about your business and your customers through insights and data collected about your business. If you would like some help (or even just a nudge) getting started please CLICK HERE. If you have found this post fun, helpful, entertaining or all of the above please consider sharing it. If big data is something you are interested in please leave a comment below. Thanks for reading, sharing and commenting. I will look forward to seeing you back here next week.
This Infographic from Asigra shows some interesting statistics about the volume, velocity and variety of big data.
If you enjoyed this post you might also like:
How To Use Big Data For Small Business
There are more reasons to join Google Plus than to not
Why You Need to Use Google+ for Business
How to Measure Your Social Media Marketing ROI
Image credits [icon: Wikimedia Commons, Cartoon: Flickr, Infographic: Flickr, Video: YouTube]
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