Harnessing Big Data To Gain Financial Advisor Insights

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A few months ago, “big data” was named “the Most Confusing Tech Buzzword of the Decade” (so far) by The Global Language Monitor. It’s deemed even more confusing than “the cloud,” which came in second.

So, what is big data? I like this generic explanation, which I'm paraphrasing from a few comments I've seen on Quora. According to Vikalp Jain, founder of mozvo.com, four Vs characterize big data:

  • Volume—so large that its size becomes a problem
  • Velocity—how quickly data is coming or changing
  • Value—data should have intrinsic value to justify the processing
  • Variety—which refers to the breadth of sources and the lack of common (or any) structure
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Analyzing Mutual Fund, ETF Webinar Performance

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What self-respecting asset management firm hasn’t hosted at least one Webinar in the last year or so? Mutual fund and exchange-traded fund (ETF) marketers have seized upon Webinars as a way to present their thought leadership and, when trade publications and others’ lists are involved, broaden their reach (aka generate leads). Although daunting for some early on, the mechanics of Webinar production are straightforward and processes have been worked out.

So, how are you doing? Or, should I ask how your analysis of how you're doing is doing?
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25 Content Highlights Of 2011

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There are some people who are theatre people. There are some people who are music people. And—getting closer to the point of this post—there are the book-lovers. Me, I’m an online content junkie.

With this post, 12 months in the making, I delight in that special piece of content found swimming out there in a sea of perfectly average content. This is my list of what I found to be the best marketing, digital marketing and/or investment-related content—with a few wildcards—of 2011. It's an updated edition of a similar list published last year at this time.
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Are You Delighting Or Disappointing Mobile Users?

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How’s that mobile strategy coming along? Considering the growing mound of data reporting financial advisor and investor reliance on smartphones, there isn’t a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) firm today that isn’t giving some thought to mobile.

Assuming that’s the case, you and your team really need to spend at least 40 minutes watching this 76-minute video by Avinash Kaushik. Kaushik is the digital marketing evangelist for Google and Web analytics guru that I’ve mentioned a few times previously.

Kaushik's presentation packs a one-two punch. In the first-half, he offers some insights on the "profound" ways mobile can change marketing. The second half, while extremely valuable, is focused on measurement and likely to appeal to a subset of your team.
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