You’ll be reading a lot of stories about the “hottest trends for 2015.” Let us join the chorus.
Our take? Big data is going to top the trends ticker.
Big data — the term the information technology world uses to describe all the delicious details that can be gleaned from the web — is going to loom large.
The benefits of big data, accrued via what is alternately known as web scraping or web extraction, is the best marketing tool any business could employ.
Why? Because access to competitors’ numbers and success can change the way your company creates and markets. Because knowing how other companies take advantage of advertising trends and what the outcomes were is valuable insight. Because — in a word — there’s a veritable gold mine of actionable information ensconced in big data.
Consider, for instance, relevancy. It’s something companies like Mozenda, a data extraction and analysis firm, has taken seriously since the beginning of the technology. Its mission has been to develop web scraping and data extraction technologies that allow marketers to do what they do best.
“It’s all about knowing your targets,” explains Brett Haskins, CEO of Mozenda. “Big data has become a buzzword, but what it means is more understanding, more knowledge. It’s like Zen, which is derived from a Sanskrit word that means ‘absorption.’ If we can help absorb more data — meaningful information — we can help marketers be the masters of their art.”
In a way, big data is about aggregating all the small details that combine to create “the big picture.” Knowing what works — and what doesn’t — is worth its weight in … well … a whole lotta trends lists.
