9 Essential Skills Your Data Analyst Must Have

Data analysts are information translators that possess skill sets which greatly influence your business operations, sales goals, and various other projects. Through data analysis and understanding your business’s trends, patterns, and insights give you have the ability to simplify your sales funnel, reduce waste, and improve productivity. There are a few essential skills sets to look for when looking to hire a data analyst based in Washington, D.C.

In this article we touch on the most essential skills every data analysts needs in order to provide your business with insights and information that is relevant and conclusive. For information and detailed tips on how to use data analysts for your business read our short guide here. 

Organized and Detailed Work Ethic

When analyzing data even a small mistake can make a huge difference further along the line. If compiling, gathering, and segmenting information is performed in a haphazard way by your data analyst you could end up with misleading results and inconclusive solutions. Inaccurate information can point you in a false direction, waste time, and impact your ability to reach your goals.  

Given the importance of receiving and interpreting reliable data it is essential that your data analyst organize, structure, and present data in various forms. Prior to hiring your data analysts in Washington D.C. request to view spreadsheets, reports, and presentations. Check these items for details, structure, and relevant visuals.

Interpret A Database Query Language

It is often necessary to extract data in order to perform analysis operations. To do this well your data analyst should be experienced in a database query language such as SQL. This skill set ensures that the information is easily pulled upon request as well as analyzed properly. There are various forms of database query languages used today. 

Speak with you prospective data analysts about the languages they are well versed in. Some of the most popular softwares today include Apache Hive and Pig, and SparkSQL.  

Other statistical languages and packages that can be used by your analysts include SAS and SPSS. Being well versed in tools and languages ensures that your analyst is able to work effectively with minimal training and oversight. Additionally, having a command in various software languages and programming is a relevant skill for a data analyst who will be required to work with vast amounts of data frequently. Often these analyst hold certifications in select softwares and programming languages.

Proficient in Arithmetic

The saying goes, “Arithmetic is to mathematics as spelling is to writing.” Arithmetic is something we all learn from an early age, however, many of us stop at algebra or geometry. Your data analysts should be proficient in handling numbers and equations. Arithmetic is one’s ability to manipulate number sequences and often deals with calculations. Truly experienced data analyst are confident in calculations, sequencing, and numerical statements.  

As you seek a business and data analyst for your next project discuss the various forms of arithmetic they have engaged in from past 3 years. Choose the candidate with a strong background in arithmetic and experience in working with numbers on a regular basis. This skill set also simplifies how your reports are most likely to be presented and structured for easy understanding.  

Create User Friendly Spreadsheets

The ability to build and structure a spreadsheet is a basic requirement that is often overlooked.  It is vitally important for your data analyst to be able to take the information discovered and present it in a way that your entire team can understand and interpret. Spreadsheets with various headings, pivots, and charts are difficult to navigate for many users. The use of formulas, tables, and sorting should always be utilized to ensure your team is on one page. 

Your data analysts must be able to carrying out advanced tasks on a spreadsheet in order to manipulate the figures in numerous ways. It is not enough for a data analyst to just be able to put data into rows. Your project is likely to require a analysts that can complete tasks such as making reports and creating dashboards. 

Firm Grasp of Statistics

A data analyst must have a well-rounded knowledge of statistics. This allows them to determine when to use different techniques to achieve the required results. Identify a candidate with a sound knowledge in areas such as statistical tests, maximum likelihood estimators, and hypothesis testing. The ability to implement and utilize statistics for any project gives you sound results that are supported based on various factors such as annual data or industry trends. 

Ask your prospective data analyst how they plan to go about gathering statistics and using the information when preparing reports and summaries. Also consider asking them to research basic information and data about your industry and niche. Present this information to your team for review prior to beginning your project. 

Perform Data Wrangling or Munging

Data wrangling and mungling involves taking raw data and translating it into a form that is more conveniently consumed by semi-automated tools and programs. It is essential that your analyst possess this particular skill if you business has yet to implement a completely digital operating and sales process. Wrangling or munging involves finding a way of converting or mapping data that is presented in inconsistent formats. This makes raw data easier to work with and can save a lot of problems later on in the process.

Present your most challenging data scenario to your prospective analysts. Pay close attention to their ability to interpret, structure, and deliver the information in a more convenient form. 

Data Visualization Techniques

This essential skill simply answers the question: how will your data analyst present their findings to you? You need your business analyst to possess the skill set to present solutions in an easy to navigate and understand presentation. Visualization tools such as d3.js and ggplot are examples of the kind of visuals that you will want them to be familiar and well versed in. 

Flexible Communication Skills

At some point you will need to make big decisions based on the work carried out by your data analyst in Washington D.C. This means that you need an analyst who is excellent at communicating their findings with colleagues from different backgrounds, departments, and focuses. A good data analyst should be comfortable presenting presentations to both technical and non-technical members of your team. 

It is easier to evaluate communication skills in person. During your interview pay close attention to your data analyst’s ability to make eye contact, confidence, and speech patterns. Do they speak fast? Are they using language that is easy to understand?

Efficient Time Management

Hand holding for business owners is a nightmare. It is even more so when engaging the help of a data analyst. Selecting an analyst that has a proven track record of completing projects prior to due dates or within required time frames ensures that your data will always be present, up to date, and relevant as you require it. 

Efficiently managing time involves not simply just compiling and analyzing data but also presenting the data for your team to use when needed effectively. Ask your prospective analyst to provide examples of when they completed a project quickly with positive outcomes or samples of the presentation.  

Aside from a firm grasp on how to navigate business intelligence systems and analyzing information, your data analyst should also be proficient in these various other skills. An inexperienced data analyst may cause you to make mistakes in your everyday operations, delay launching a product, or reduce productivity. 

To find a data analyst that meets your needs and possesses these essential skills consult with dc Analyst to get started.

How to Use Data Analysts for Your Business

Information investigators, commonly known as data analysts, play key roles in a range of tasks that involve gathering, arranging, and interpreting measurable data. The nature of a data analyst in Washington, D.C. varies from business to business and project to project. For example, a hospital data analyst concentrates on performing financial analysis of the hospital’s operations, physician, and ancillary rates. While an audit analyst works to ensure compliance and maintain litigation files that track progress and results. 

Value of Data and Information

Data analysis or information examination is vital to businesses because it involves developing methods of assigning numerical values to various business operations. Many analysts are uniquely qualified to recognize efficiencies, identify waste, and recommend conceivable upgrades to policies and operations. Indeed, no business survives without breaking down accessible information, and compiling data that gives them legs to remain competitive in their industry and market. 

The application and analysis of data is broad. An organization may need to introduce new variations of its current line of natural juice. A data analyst in Washington D.C. could be charged with compiling relevant factors, and provide avenues on the best way to launch the new products as well as identify key markets. Likewise, a sales executive of a manufacturing company realizes that there is a major inefficiency in a division’s supply chain. A data analyst is capable of identify where the inefficiency begins and recommend the most profitable and cost effective ways to improve efficiency and reduce waste.   

Whether you need to make key decisions on your next marketing campaign, launch a new project, or improve your everyday business operations, data analysis is an effective way to solve many key issues and challenges your business is facing. Through data you may be able to answer some of your most perplexing operational questions such as the percentage of clients that are most likely to give you repeat business. Or develop a target persona for your next big product launch. 

Role of Data Analysts Today

Simply analyzing information is not adequate from the perspective of settling any decision or forward business strategy. How you translate and implement analyzed information is also vital. In most cases, data analysis provides a basic decision making framework, however, an experienced data analyst in Washington, D.C., also develops a supporting and simplified implementation and overview summary. This report often organizes discoveries, breaks a large scale profile into more easily digested material, and identifies important insights from the dataset to equip your team with the most essential information needed. 

Data analysts simplify and interpret numbers into plain English. Every business gathers information, from statistical surveying to transaction figures to transportation logistics to suppliers. Data analysts gathers this information and uses it to help organizations improve operations, reduce waste, and better serve clients and customers. 

It is also important to differentiate the role of data analyst and business analyst. The terms data analyst and business analyst are frequently utilized interchangeably. At larger organizations a data analysts plays a key role in setting the future strategies of the company. If employed by a smaller scaled business a data analyst or business analyst in Washington, D.C. often provide similar services. However, business analysts employed by larger organizations focus more on the everyday operations and procedures of a business and how to improve efficiency and cost. 

How Data Analysis Works  

Most data and information is stored in a digital database or framework and accessed via a device or computer. Data analysts gather information in a variety of ways including visiting the site of the project, independent research, and an in depth look at client files, transactions, and customer accounts. Information is often compiled on location or from a remote office. Most analyst work traditional office hours, however, depending on the project and time frames an analyst may be required or requested to work a weekend or on call. 

Data Collection. A standout amongst the most essential things any data analyst does is gathering, sorting, and studying distinctive arrangements of information. Their core focus is nailing down a settled overview of the information. This overview is often surveyed and observed over time and during planning and development stages. 

A supermarket may request that a data analyst gather the hours that specific representatives work alongside net revenues for certain days, weeks, or even hours to determine the team’s profitability. An ecommerce store might need to identify hard numbers on where visitors are originating from, the amount they are spending on buys, and whether bargains like free shipping have any bearing on overall earnings for the business.

These are a few distinct ways a data analysts is employed by businesses looking for insights and answers into questions that affect sales and expansion. The information is often controlled, standardized, and adjusted for implementation. Data analysts ordinarily utilize PC frameworks and complex count applications to get their numbers nailed down, yet there is still a ton of scholarly know-how that goes into making these frameworks work. 

Extrapolation and Interpretation. Experienced data analysts often develop summaries of what the data implies and shares relevant insights with responsible parties within the business or organization. Obtaining hard numbers on deals figures for a given Christmas season, for instance, is to some degree helpful all by itself; however, it is typically most profitable when these figures are stacked against numbers from earlier years or different seasons as a state of correlation. 

Business analyst in Washington, D.C. are often approached to assists entrepreneurs and businesses with contrasts in numbers from year to year or from location to location. Data analysts more often than not have the aptitude to identify measurable qualities of things, as well as clarify what they mean. 

Projections and Advisory. Data and business analysts are usually charged with advising leaders and management on how certain information can be used to change or enhance operations. These improvements and recommendations are necessary when considering rolling out improvements and other changes. An example is a hospital that is looking to improve patient release time. A data analyst may observe operational patterns, insurance billings, and types of procedures to determine possible cause of delays and how to address them.  

Is A Data Analyst Right for Your Business? 

The majority of businesses and organizations can benefit greatly from the insights and expertise of a data analyst in Washington, D.C. Information investigation plays a vital role is identifying areas of improvement in operations, marketing, and efficiency. Analysts in the fields of advertising, sales, and logistics utilize data to discover market white space, optimize supply chains, and improve customer retention. 

Through the proper application of information your business can understand customer patterns, eliminate downtime, and maximize time. Whether launching a product, determining the best methods for shipping, or identifying the best location for your next store; a data analyst can provide the information you need to make the most informed decisions based on various factors. These factors can include demographics, community statistics, and relevant competitor analysis. 

Determining the role of data analyst in your company is sometimes a challenge.  It is always recommended that you meet with a data or business analyst to gain practical insights into how your business may utilize data and information to remain competitive in your marketspace.

How Small Businesses are Winning w/Data Analytics

Without a doubt, big data has taken over. Not only has it been a significant game changer for large businesses but it boasts considerable economic and competitive advantages for small businesses. 

Chances are you’ve already begun incorporating big data analysis to evaluate exactly where your business is propelling in the face of cut-throat market rivalry. And that means you might have already started integrating a couple important big data analysis tools to harvest important insights and gauge market trends.

According to research posted by Nielson, it was conclusively identified that overall, more than half of the 2,000 businesses surveyed in the US incorporated big data tools to discover new trends and business opportunities. If you’ve yet to incorporate data analytics and add it to your business toolkit, forget staying ahead, you’re already behind.  

Skipping the Technical Jargon

Why is big data analytics so important? If you look past the various technicalities of big data analysis, you find that there is one underlying concept and goal – market opportunities and advantages. Big data analysis efficiently and effectively enables you to learn from your business’ data, turning raw data into information that drives strategic decision-making in the future. While it isn’t much of surprise that large businesses across the globe have already been indulging in big data - what many don't know is its potential for boosting the efficiency and marketability aspects of smaller businesses.

So what does this mean? If you own a small business, your capability to succeed against larger businesses is becoming more and more of a reality. In the past success has more or less been driven by your intuition to provide topnotch customer service. However, big data is consistently altering the business battlefield and the playing field is being leveled.

The Real Benefits of Big Data for Small Businesses

Here are some of the reasons why small businesses have poised themselves for victory against harsh competition using big data:

Transparency of Information

Big data analysis and evaluations expedite information processes, making it conveniently accessible to small businesses, and that too in real time. With a plethora of business tools developed specifically to harness user data, small businesses can now in the blink of an eye, gather all information pertaining to customer behavior. With valuable customer and market insights, a small business can articulate and implement efficient and effective market strategies to enhance both short and long term prospects.

Monitor the Outcome of all your Business Decisions

Decision making is of the utmost importance in any business. And we’ve heard time and time again that “risk drives business.” Knowing the outcome of decisions made leads to more effective decision-making in the future. This is specifically where big data will help you the most. It will allow your establishment to track and monitor the results of your marketing strategies, get a bird’s eye view of the factors that have worked in your favor, and it eliminates the possibilities of risks posed by other decisions. 

Big Data Will Help you Develop High Yielding Products and Services

By using big data analytics, there are 3 fundamental elements that you will be able to efficiently comprehend:

• All current needs of your prospective clients/customers
• How well your products or services meet the demands of your target market
• Changes that need to be made to propel your operational efficiency and improve your services

Big data analytics can help you test the design of your products to evaluate potential flaws, potentially affecting your bottom line. Not only does big data analytics help you sell, but it poses a huge potential for a boost in after-sales services, which primarily include customer support and maintenance. 

Data analytics has a lot to offer small businesses.  To sum it up in a single sentence, all businesses can enjoy the advantages that limitless amounts of big data analytics bring to the business battlefield.

The Wolf Pack

"A wolf pack: the first 3 are the old or sick, they give the pace to the entire pack. If it was the other way round, they would be left behind, losing contact with the pack. In case of an ambush they would be sacrificed. Then come 5 strong ones, the front line. In the center are the rest of the pack members, then the 5 strongest following. Last is alone, the alpha. He controls everything from the rear. In that position he can see everything, decide the direction. He sees all of the pack. The pack moves according to the elders pace and help each other, watch each other." - Uknown

Collaborative Intelligence: Thinking with People Who Think Differently

What I'm Reading

"We have no choice but to think together, ponder together, in groups and communities. The question is how to do this, how to come together and think and hear each other in order to touch, and be touched by, the intelligence we need."  - Jacob Needleman

I've recently picked up the book Collaborative Intelligence: Thinking with People Who Think Differently by Dawna Markova, PH.d. and Angie McArthur in the hopes of gaining a better understanding of what I call "Diversity of Thought".

I've become interested in this subject due to my experience being a part of a team that included very smart people with diverse creative/technical skills, backgrounds and educational experiences who have succeeded at solving a very complex problem. The great thing about this team was the leader's ability to recognize the "Diversity of Thought" in the room! 

She understood that each professional brought with them their experiences from past complex problem solving projects to work together to create something great...and we did!

The question I have is...If your team thinks like you, looks like you and never challenges you to think differently...how innovative can you be?!?

People are most comfortable working with people who are just like them, which smothers "Diversity of Thought"...How do we make ourselves uncomfortable in order to do the great things that are required of us?

Choosing Your Inner Circle

The type of friends you have in your inner circle significantly define your success or failure. They largely influence the progress you make towards achieving your dreams. 

"Show me your friend and I will show you your character." - Unknown

The 8 People You Need On Your Team:

CREATORS

Your inner circle is weak without creators. Creators are builders. Builders motivate. They help you maintain hope for the future. They help you build an unshakable faith in yourself and your dream. They help you become conscious of your strengths, skills and talents, and they advise you on how best to nurture and use them.

CHAMPIONS

Fighting to reach your dreams is like running a marathon for a medal. It’s only champions who get the medal. Championship is contagious so you need to have champions in your inner circle. Champions stand up for you and your beliefs and they praise you to everyone else they know.

COLLABORATORS

Collaboration is a success secret. You therefore need to have in your inner circle persons who share similar interest with you. With these friends you can create a common destiny. Collaborators are the kind of friends you are most likely to spend most of your time. 

CONNECTORS

Your ability to meet other people that will help advance your goals and dreams is tied to the presence of connectors in your inner circle. It’s important you recruit connectors into your inner circle.

Connectors get to know you and then instantly work to connect you with others who share similar interests and/or goals with you.

CHARGERS

You need another kind of friends called chargers. Chargers energize and cheer you up when you’re down and always available to boost your spirits. They can be likened to a car battery or a mobile phone charger.

CONSCIOUSNESS – AWAKENER

Consciousness-awakener stretches your viewpoint. They introduce you to new and better ideas and opportunities. They help you to dream big.

COUNSELORS

Counselors are the kind of friend you recruit because of their ability to guide you when you need one. They help you to think through issues and evaluate options.

COMPANIONS

Your inner circle is weak without companions. We all need companions. They are the first people you call, with good news or bad news. They are always there for you. They are the people whose shoulder you can always lean on.

It’s time you surround yourself with people who have great and ambitious plans, meaningful and life transforming purposes, and big winning targets and dreams. Who is your starting 8?

6 Tips to Improving Measurement for Non-Profits

Your mission. Be able to articulate how PR and marketing efforts support the organization’s mission. How do your daily activities help accomplish the mission, be it raising money or finding volunteers?

Stakeholders. Nonprofits have many stakeholders, including volunteers, donors, sponsors, employees, and the people they service. It’s essential to concentrate measure results involving each category of stakeholder.

Metrics. Select at least three specific metrics for analyzing various categories of communications including email, marketing, public relations and social media. Select metrics that are quantifiable, with a number such as an amount of money or percentage and that can be compared to another number such as past performance or competitors. It’s also vital to include date by when the goal will be achieved.

Leadership. Obtaining support for measurement from the organization’s leadership will make life easier both immediately and over the long term.

Current data. Surveying departments can reveal data and tools you already have. Nonprofits often have more data than they think they do.

So what? Asking “So what?” can provide context to data. So social media activity spiked one month and donations spiked the following month. So what? Determining why it spiked and learning how to repeat the performance makes measurement valuable.

5 Metrics Every Small Business Should Track and 5 They Should Not

There is a wealth of data that small businesses can and should be tracking in order to ensure that they are properly armed to make better business decisions.

But which metrics should you track?

All of them?

No!

If data isn’t actionable or useful, don’t waste your time. A KPI is a key performance indicator – the metrics by which you measure your success. It’s a good idea to decide on the metrics that you care most about and put them together in a dashboard to make tracking easier/quicker.

DON’T: OVERALL TRAFFIC

Overall traffic levels are easy to track, but for a local business they are not helpful. More important is local traffic. Sure, national traffic might also matter, but tracking your traffic levels across the board is a waste of time.

Instead, monitor traffic segmented by location, so that you can see local traffic, national traffic and maybe even international traffic separately.

DO: TRAFFIC SOURCES

Where are your users/how are they finding you? If you’re getting traffic from India, it’s probably not converting. Filter out irrelevant traffic, figure out who are your most relevant visitors (probably the ones in your local area)…

And then consider where that traffic is coming from. Search engines? Local listings? Referral from other websites? Once you know where your best visitors are coming from, you can hone your marketing efforts accordingly.

DO: PHONE CALLS

Tracking phone calls is tricky, but possible, and for many businesses it’s the most relevant conversion metric. This is especially true for businesses that take bookings over the phone.

There are loads of services which allow you to track phone calls through your website analytics.

DON’T: COMPLAINTS

Should you listen to customer feedback? Absolutely.

But tracking complaints isn’t a useful KPI. Complaints are not representative of your entire customer base because they only come from the customers who are not happy.

Use customer feedback to improve your service, and absolutely respond to complaints and fix problems. But using complaints as a KPI will just get you down!

DO: CUSTOMER LIFETIME VALUE

Track your ROI on marketing campaigns makes sense. But unless you are tracking your customer’s lifetime value you can’t be sure that your ROI is accurate.

Tracking metrics related to repeat custom in order to estimate how much a new customer is truly worth to you. It’s not easy to track, but if you can do it, you can make better-informed marketing decisions.

DON’T: DEVICES

Local businesses have more mobile traffic, right?

Probably, but does that mean that tracking device usage is helpful?

If your website is not mobile friendly you may not get as much mobile traffic as you should. So you don’t get many mobile viewers, it might mean that your customers don’t use mobile devices, or it might mean that your site isn’t attracting mobile users – it’s hard to be sure.

Instead, track metrics that show you whether mobile users are being well served by your website.

DO: MOBILE/LOCAL RANKINGS

Tracking your SERP rankings is a popular strategy and it probably makes sense to do so. But are you tracking rankings for mobile/local users?

Google results are personalized based on location and the device you are using. And for a local business that is important. There are various ways you can track your rankings within a local area, and those are likely to be your most important ones.

DON’T: FACEBOOK LIKES

Getting Facebook likes (Retweets etc…) is nice and something to shoot for. But it would be far more helpful to track click through rates and how much traffic those platforms are sending you.

Looking at which posts historically get the most likes can be a useful way to hone your strategy, but tracking Facebook likes as a KPI might not be as helpful.

DO: TOP PAGES

Which pages on your site are most popular? This gives you a clue as to what your customers are looking for.

For example: If customers go straight to the contact page, it may mean they just want a phone number. You can use these clues to improve your navigation and make your most important information easier to find.

CONCLUSION

I’m not trying to tell you what to track, but to think about each metric that you do track. Which KPIs matter to your business might not matter to another. There’s no one size fits all answer.

Think carefully about which metrics truly impact your bottom line/are actionable. Put all of those metrics in the same place so that you can monitor them quickly and easily.

Small Business and Advanced Analytics

According to McKinsey research, by 2018 the United States will experience a shortage of 190,000 skilled data scientist and analyst. While most small business are not able to employ a full analytics team to manage the large amounts of data being collected during the day-to-day operation of their business, many have the ability to hire a consultant to complete specific tasks as needed. What tasks can a Data Analyst/Scientist assist you with?

1. Building a Customers Database
2. Analyzing Current and Potential Customer Information
3. Creating and Automating a Daily/Weekly/Monthly Dashboard
4. Providing Quarterly/Annual Business Reports
5. Providing Data Driven Consultation When Making Strategic Decision Concerning:
   1. Expansion
   2. New Products
   3. New Markets
   4. New Customer Base
   5. Cost Reduction

We use the same skills that we provide for fortune 500 companies everyday to assist small businesses with making sound data driven advise using the data already being collected. 

72% of Senior Marketers Consider Data to Be A Strategic Asset...

GLOBAL — 72% of senior marketers consider data to be a strategic asset, according to new research from the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). 

Despite this, more than half are ‘only just starting’ the process of giving it a central role in their marketing. 

The study is based on responses from 32 companies with a global annual marketing spend of $35bn. It found that 31% of companies described themselves as advanced or highly advanced in the adoption of data-driven marketing (DDM). 

However, 56% of respondents recognised that they were still early in the journey, describing themselves as in the initial planning stage and yet to deploy a DDM strategy. 

There was also a range in confidence in analytics observed: half were ‘somewhat confident’ and 27% ‘not very confident’ in their ability to identify ROI via data analysis. 

Despite this, 89% of respondents expected to increase budget for analytics and insight, with the goal to evolve the analytics function from historical reporting of what happened to more predictive and prescriptive approaches. 

“It’s no secret that data has become important for marketing purposes, though it’s interesting to note that even some of the world’s biggest companies are only at the early stages of delivering data driven marketing strategies,” said Matt Green, senior global marketing manager at the WFA. “Data consumption is set to increase rapidly and with that sophistication - clarifying how data will be used and how consumer privacy will be protected, should be a fundamental component of a brand’s strategy as it advances into DDM.”

By Bronwan Morgan

The original article can be located at: www.research-live.com