Tableau

When working with any analytic tool, especially Google Analytics, it provides a great amount of information and metrics for the user. The issue for some marketers is how to process and look at this information. In order to process this information even more then what is default in Google Analytics, Google has partnered with the application Tableau.

            Tableau is the premier software on the market for data visualization. “Data visualization is, quite simply, the process of describing information through visual rendering” (Interworks, 2016). This software allows users to take the information that is collected in Google Analytics and transfer it into Tableau so it can be arranged and presented in the best way possible for the company.

            Tableau has a number of great features that companies could use, including mapping (see appendix below for screen shots of Tableau features). This allows companies to create geographic maps that show specific locations of customers, sales, visitors, or any other information available. These maps can also be made into heat maps so the team can see areas, cities, or counties that have high population rates or high rate of their target market. Below is an example of the map and one example of how it can be used.

            Tableau offers great but simple features such as line graphs, bar graphs, and pie charts. These graphs allow for quick and easy access to the necessary information for the team. The advantage to using Tableau for these graphs is the ability to have complete control over appearance and the data that is filtered out. Filtering the data that is being shown is powerful because outliers can be removed from the data results. This allows companies to remove any large unusual data sources that could be throwing off their results. For example, if a company was looking at home values in New Jersey, they would be able to remove the sale prices in the shore area after Hurricane Sandy. This would allow them to remove the damaged area in which homes no longer existed and people were just selling the remaining land.

            Many large companies can contain data in a number of different systems and sometimes on different servers. Tableau allows their users to combine this information so they can cross-reference and analyze this data together. Being able to compare the best combination of data allows for most effective decision-making process. Larger companies have so much information at their fingertips that using a software like Tableau allows the necessary team members to easily organize and access all of the information it needs.

            After creating tables and graphs, Tableau allows users to create a dashboard. This feature allows the user to have multiple depictions on one single screen. The dashboard even allows the user to customize the dashboard with their branding and information. This means companies can make easy handouts and reports to be passed out at decision making meetings and for marketers it can be used in the sales pitch to a potential client.

            Tableau allows users to automatically connect their Google Analytic account to their Tableau software. This allows the information to continuously flow into Tableau and the user can easily refresh the data to get the up to date results. This is ideal for marketers to use if the data they are looking for is constantly changing. Being able to refresh the information without having to edit or add information to an Excel Spreadsheet.  Tableau is ideal for any company that is looking to save time in the data mining, forming, and analyzing process.

            An advantage that Tableau has over other applications is its ability to be customized. Tableau can be customized to look and appear in any matter that the user wishes. Users can add branding, change appearance for different mobile devices, and additions of color scheme and symbols. Tableau allows its users to create the dashboard then monitor to make sure that it will appear as desired on all devices. This is great for companies that will be sharing information between their marketing and management team. In today’s world, we are all always on the run and do not get the chance to check our desktop or laptop computer every minute. This allows the user to make sure if a team member is retrieving the data through the Tableau app, they are able to see the dashboard the way that the creator hoped for.

            While on the dashboard, users can add their company’s logo, slogan, tagline, or even a picture of their company office. Being able to add custom branding allows users to keep information for multiple clients, making it easier to identify which reports they are looking at. Also, branding is a great feature for using these reports as handouts at meetings, conventions, and other events. Being able to remove the Tableau branding and adding your own, makes companies feel like they are in complete control of their data and makes their handouts and appearance more professional.

            Graphs and charts can have any coloring system that the user wishes. This is great to keep with the branding theme as the user can make the graphs and charts appear in the colors of the company to help with its appearance and recognition. A great feature of Tableau is the ability to add custom shapes. This allows marketers who are evaluating an area or a market to assign a specific shape to certain results. For example, if a marketing team was trying to identify how many sports fields and pizza locations were in a certain city, they would be able to make the sports fields appear as a soccer ball and the pizza places appear as a pizza slice. This makes the ability of the viewer to absorb the data a lot easier.

            Overall, Tableau appears to be an unbelievably powerful tool that can help marketers in their process. Having this app attached to a web page, Google Analytics page can create quick, easy, and powerful reports for the entire marketing team. Using the actionable data available in Google Analytics along with the easy to view reports makes the decision making process of the team that much easier and more effective.

References

Why Tableau? Because it's the best Data Visualisation software out there. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2016, from https://interworks.co.uk/business-intelligence/why-tableau/