You are doing all analytics yourself. You are drowning. Lead generation is full-time job. Analytics is part-time job. Both are not working. Time to hire.
Building team is hard but necessary
Building team is hard. Start with one person. Hire for right skills. Train them. Then grow.
Skills you need
Data literacy matters most
Data literacy. Can they read a spreadsheet. Can they understand metrics. Can they ask good questions.
Curiosity drives improvement
Curiosity. Do they wonder why. Do they dig into problems. Do they propose improvements.
Communication is critical
Communication. Can they explain findings to non-technical people. Can they present to leadership. Can they influence decisions.
Technical skills are secondary
Technical skills are less important. Data literacy beats technical expertise. You can teach SQL. Can not teach curiosity.
Hire for learning mindset
Change is constant in analytics
Hire people who like learning. Analytics changes. Tools change. Regulations change. If person is not willing to learn, they will be obsolete in two years.
Ask in interviews
Ask in interviews. Tell me about something you learned recently. If answer is vague, they do not learn. If answer is specific, they do.
Hiring sequence
First hire: analyst
First hire. Analyst. Interprets data. Answers questions. Finds insights. Analyst comes first.
Second hire: engineer
Second hire. Developer or engineer. Builds infrastructure. Maintains data pipeline. Tracks events. Engineer comes second.
Third hire: builder
Third hire. Dashboard builder or visualization person. Creates reports. Makes data accessible. Builder comes third.
Why analyst first
Most businesses hire wrong order. Hire engineer first. Build infrastructure. No analyst to interpret data. Backward.
Hire analyst first. They will complain about bad data. They will push for tracking. Engineer fixes the infrastructure.
Team structure
Who owns what
Analyst owns lead generation analytics. Knows metrics. Owns dashboard. Reports to leadership.
Engineer owns tracking. Implements tracking code. Maintains data pipeline. Reports to analyst.
Dashboard builder makes analytics accessible. Creates dashboards. Updates reports. Supports analyst.
By company size
Small companies. One person does all three. That is fine. They will be stretched but it works.
Medium companies. Analyst and engineer. Dashboard is part of analyst's job.
Large companies. Three separate roles. Analyst, engineer, builder.
Training and development
Invest in learning
Invest in team learning. Online courses. Certifications. Conferences. People learn and feel invested. Retention improves.
Google Analytics certification
Google Analytics certification is free. Encourage team to get it. Validates knowledge.
Create learning culture
Monthly training sessions. Team presents learnings. Shares insights. Continuous learning culture.
Manager and culture
Lead analytics needs manager
Lead analytics needs manager. Usually reports to CMO or CFO. Manager should understand analytics but does not need to be expert.
Manager's job
Manager's job is to create environment. Set clear goals. Remove blockers. Celebrate wins. Build culture.
Avoid direct CEO reporting
If analyst reports directly to CEO, they will be pulled in too many directions. Manager buffer helps.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I pay a lead analyst?
Fifty thousand to eighty thousand dollars depending on experience and location. Junior analyst fifty to sixty thousand. Mid-level sixty to seventy five thousand. Senior seventy five to one hundred thousand. With WEMASY's website builder, you can set this up directly on your website.
Should analyst report to marketing or to finance?
Marketing if focus is lead generation. Finance if focus is ROI and cost control. Marketing relationship gets analyst closer to business. Finance relationship gets analyst more resources. Ideal: analyst reports to CMO with dotted line to CFO.
When should I hire first employee?
When you have fifty hours per month of analytics work. When reporting takes more time than analysis. When you can afford thirty five thousand to fifty thousand total cost per year.
What if I cannot afford full-time analyst yet?
Hire part-time. Twenty hours per week. One thousand to fifteen hundred dollars per month. Get help while building case for full-time hire.
How do I know if my analyst is good?
They find insights you did not know. They improve metrics. They ask good questions. They communicate clearly. They propose improvements. Good analyst makes you smarter. Bad analyst just reports numbers.
Should I hire generalist analyst or specialist in lead analytics?
Hire generalist first. They learn lead analytics on job. Specialist comes later as you scale. Generalist is more flexible. Works across channels. More valuable early on.