It seems that every “first” email blast for a new company goes out with some embarrassing glitch. My initial announcement for Market Motive was no exception.  But, this time the error wasn’t in the email.  It was in the press release.  You see, we launched Thursday before last - in 2007.  Not in 2006 as the press release said.  So after  seven days of wonderful press coverage, Brett Tabke kindly pointed out that it seemed we had launched seven days ago rather than seven days and one year.   The rest of you who did notice were probably… Continue reading

What is the ultimate behavior of visitors to your web site? Do you want them to call? To fill out a request form? Do you want them to click a particular link? Or, do you want them to purchase a product or a service on your site?

“I want visitors on my site to ____________________________."

Answer the above question and you have established a “goal” for your site. The next step in web site goal and conversion tracking is to tell your web analytics tool which events on your web site represent a goal (or conversion). The most common way to do… Continue reading

Randomness and causality

All my life I have been a late developer, and it's never really bothered me. I was close to being the shortest kid in my school year until I reached 16, and then suddenly grew to one of the tallest. I founded ClickTracks long after other web analytics products seemed to make the market space impenetrable, and yet ClickTracks established a firm position. While there is such a thing as first mover advantage, more often than people give credit you're actually better off examining the successes and failures of others and learning before you move.

I therefore hope a recent discovery of mine will be seen as late mover advantage, and not that I am hopelessly behind the times. I was browsing a bookshop and picked up, at random, a book named 'Fooled By Randomness' by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. I have been enraptured by the insight, eloquence and sheer intellect of this author. If you're reading this article then I assume you need to make rational, data driven choices, in which case you simply must read this book now. If you've already read it, forgive me.… Continue reading

There was some surprise and discussion, and borderline witty banter, when I left ClickTracks. Perhaps some people thought that I was gone forever, never to share a Heineken at a trade show again. Well, you're not getting out of it that easily. Now that I no longer work for a vendor, I am free to pontificate, opine and rant at will. I will be developing the curriculum within Market Motive, and helping subscribers squeeze the maximum optimization out of their marketing. That means you'll be hearing plenty from me. My first speaking opportunity is SES San Jose

Sting is a bass player. You know, for the Police? One of a myriad of things that bass players admire about Sting is his sparse playing. He leaves space between the notes, and when he does play, it’s brilliant.

So when branding Market Motive, I decided to be like Sting. It wasn’t my idea. It was Bryan’s idea. Bryan runs ZURB, a stellar creative agency. Bryan tolerated me while helping us brand our last company, ClickTracks. To celebrate my departure, I called him and asked… Continue reading

Starting a new venture is exciting and risky, and I find myself wondering exactly what it is that attracts me about the process of building a company from scratch. My experience at ClickTracks was simply wonderful, and I had the chance to work with incredibly bright people. Perhaps most of all I enjoyed talking to customers. Anyone buying a web analytics tool is exactly the sort of person I enjoy spending time with: inquisitive, driven, seeking ways to improve. It's delightful to share insight and explain a few of the things I've learned with such a group.  Market Motive is the… Continue reading