Natural Language Generation (NLG) is
the part of artificial intelligence that analyzes data sets and converts
information from data into text that appears to have been written by a person.
We’re all familiar with NLG on some level, even if we don't realize it. One of
the most common examples are the text and audible weather reports on The
Weather Channel and automatic language translation software that analyzes text
for both meaning and grammar before generating a translation.
CITO
Research described the different levels of NLG:
“The simplest level of NLG takes a few data points and turns them
into sentences. A simple weather report example is a sentence like this: “the
high today will be 72 degrees.” The next level of NLG takes a template
paragraph and generates language based on the changing data. Sports scores
often can be handled this way. For certain types of template reports, this
works. The analytics performed by such systems isn’t very sophisticated (it’s
generally driven by business rules framed as if/then statements). Advanced NLG
transforms data into a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. This
narrative, or story, is based on an in-depth analysis of the data. (Glascott, 2015)”
The wealth of website data available
through Google Analytics (GA) can take hours or days to review and interpret,
depending on the complexity of the website. Advanced NLG applied to GA data eliminates
many hours spent reviewing and interpreting raw data. NLG can find patterns and
trends in the data that may require specified knowledge for data analysts to
discern. Several companies offer advanced
NLG platforms that analyze GA data and produce a text report to explain the
results of the reporting available in GA. Narrative Science and Automated Insights are two Google
Analytics Technology Partners offering NLG add-on solutions.
Narrative Science
Quill
Engage video
Narrative Science offers Quill Engage. Quill is
the result of a research project by two computer science students at
Northwestern University who designed software to automatically generate
summaries of baseball games based on the statistical data from the games. That
software project grew into today’s Quill Engage (Narrative Science, n.d.). This
NLG platform can be integrated with a GA account and can be used for free for
up to 10 different websites. Quill
Engage provides a document with detailed analysis of traffic and KPIs, analyzes
data and provides suggested actions and changes based on the GA data. With
optional monthly subscription updates, Quill Engage users can incorporate
company branding and customized reports in their GA analysis.
Quill Engage Sample Report
Link to
sample report: https://s3.amazonaws.com/qe-static-resources/sample+reports/Quill+Engage+Sample+Report.pdf
Image source: https://www.quillengage.com/
Automated Insights
Since 2007, Automated Insights,
Inc., has offered the Wordsmith platform. Wordsmith is software designed to use NLG to write stories based on a
data set. One of Automated Insights largest customers is the Associated Press
(AP).
The AP began using the Wordsmith platform
to assist reporters with some of their more mundane tasks, specifically
summarizing quarterly earnings reports for public companies. Each quarter, reporters
read through the earnings reports, compiled figures and wrote articles. This
method was time consuming and only allowed for review of a small number of
earnings reports. AP used Wordsmith to analyze the earnings reports and automatically
create stories. The reporters could then edit the stories, adding more
information about the companies where they thought it was needed. Using
Wordsmith to create the earnings report stories increased production from
around 300 stories per quarter when written by reporters to nearly 3,700
earnings stories per quarter written by Wordsmith. In addition to the increase
in the number of stories, AP estimates Wordsmith essentially gave reporters 20%
more time to work on other stories (Automated Insights, n.d.).
Sample AP story using Wordsmith
Wordsmith Explained video
In 2013, Automated Insights became a
GA Technology Partner with the release of Wordsmith for Marketing.
While available for any type of business, Wordsmith for Marketing is targeted
toward marketing agencies who analyze GA accounts for multiple clients.
Wordsmith for Marketing creates white-label reports analyzing SEO, advertising,
social media and content marketing, translating GA data into easily understood texts
and charts (Google Analytics, n.d.). The agency can edit any part of the report
and can incorporate data from sources other than GA. (Quill cannot incorporate
other data sources at this time.)
Insert
Wordsmith for Marketing video
Like
Quill, Wordsmith users can log into the platform by logging into their GA
account. Wordsmith does have a free trial period, but the monthly subscription
is higher than Quill’s monthly rates. The more robust reporting features may
justify the increased price. The integration with Google AdWords adds even more
insight into search and display campaigns, ad groups and keywords
performance. When announcing the
addition of AdWords compatibility, Advanced Insight’s CEO Robbie Allen stated:
“By connecting a client’s Google Analytics account to Wordsmith for
Marketing, agencies automatically get in-depth, plain English reports on SEO,
social media, and content marketing. Now, marketers can offload their AdWords
reporting burden as well. (PRWeb, 2015).”
Impact on Marketing
These advanced NLG add-ons to Google
Analytics can have a tremendous impact on marketers and marketing. You no
longer have to be a data analyst or marketing strategist to glean insights from
your web metrics. Wordsmith or Quill take the place of a data analyst or
marketing strategist by translating GA data into text descriptions of overall
performance, engagement trends, and even suggestions for improvement of your
online marketing campaigns. This information can be a game-changer, especially
for small businesses without a consultant or someone on staff to interpret the
raw data and reporting functions of GA.
Analyzing data and writing client
reports can be time-consuming. Wordsmith for Marketing can save hours of time
spent analyzing raw data and can assist in developing customized strategy for
individual clients. Agencies can customize and brand Wordsmith’s white-label
reports so they are compatible with other agency collateral. For smaller
agencies and consultants, NLA Google Analytics add-ons can take their business intelligence
reporting to a new level of service without the investment in additional staff
or third-party vendors.
The volume of metrics available
through GA can be overwhelming. I think the power of NLG add-ons like Wordsmith
and Quill are that the software platforms can analyze web metrics and translate
that data in to easy-to-understand documents for people who are intimidated by
the data. Digital marketing analyst and Wordsmith client Ben Hopper summed up
the benefits of NLG Google Analytics add-ons:
“Wordsmith for Marketing is a clean, easy-to-use tool that provides
deep insights on my client’s backend site metrics and paid search campaigns.
These insights would take hours to pull together were I doing them myself
(PRWeb, 2015).”
Businesses
of any size could benefit by trying one of these NLG analytics platforms. Quill
would be a good choice for small business since much of it’s reporting
capability is available for free. I think many businesses of all sizes should
consider incorporating the power of Quill or Wordsmith for Marketing to analyze
and interpret Google Analytics data.
Sources:
Automated
Insights. (2016, Jan. 18). Wordsmith explainer video. [Video file]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziizj6u1f6M
Automated
Insights. (2015, May 4). Introducing Wordsmith for Marketing. [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx1SMxgxKnc
Automated
Insights. (n.d.). The Associated Press leaps forward. Case Study. Retrieved
from https://automatedinsights.com/associated-press-leaps-forward/
De
Leon, K. (2014, March 16). Quill Engage by Narrative Science. [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYydQRXmhTA
Faloon,
C. (2015, Nov. 4). Wordsmith for Marketing: Using the Reporting API to automate
agency client reports. Google Analytics Solutions Blog. Retrieved from https://analytics.googleblog.com/2015/11/wordsmith-for-marketing-using-reporting.html
Glascott,
M.G. (2015, Aug. 19). What is Natural Language Generation? In The Loop Blog.
Narrative Science. Retrieved from http://resources.narrativescience.com/h/i/124944227-what-is-natural-language-generation
Google
Analytics. (n.d.). Wordsmith for Marketing. Google Analytics Partners.
Retrieved from https://www.google.com/analytics/partners/company/5089120976109568/gadp/5629499534213120/app/5707702298738688/listing/5639274879778816
Narrative
Science. (n.d.) About Us. Company website. Retrieved from https://www.narrativescience.com/about-us
PRWeb.
(2015, April 30). Marketing agencies automate PPC reporting. PRWeb. Retrieved
from http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/05/prweb12689273.htm
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