How can marketers use data effectively without getting completely lost in the numbers?
In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis sits down with Eli Goodman, CEO and founder of Datos, a company specializing in clickstream data. They discuss how anonymous, large-scale data can help marketers better understand consumer behavior, how marketing attribution is evolving, and why nonlinear customer journeys are often misunderstood.
Eli also shares his founder journey, from launching Datos during the pandemic to its acquisition by Semrush in 2023. Datos is also the provider of data to SparkToro, run by Rand Fishkin who came on the podcast during 2024.
What you'll learn:
- What clickstream data is and why it matters for marketers
- The biggest misconceptions about marketing attribution
- How brands can measure the real impact of their content
- Why nonlinear consumer journeys challenge traditional analytics
- How data-driven marketers should think about AI
- The key lessons Eli learned from growing and selling a startup
Eli also shares insights on the future of data privacy, why marketers should think beyond last-click attribution, and how AI is reshaping both creativity and analytics in marketing.
00:06 – Introduction
00:40 – What is Datos and how does it use clickstream data?
03:08 – Understanding consumer behavior through anonymized data
06:17 – The challenge of marketing attribution and nonlinear journeys
10:36 – Why correlation matters as much as causation
14:01 – The biggest surprises marketers discover in their data
19:21 – Data vs. creative decision-making in marketing
24:04 – AI’s impact on both data analysis and creative work
35:54 – Eli’s founder journey and the early days of Datos
41:23 – From startup to acquisition: Lessons in scaling a business
45:41 – Advice for marketers: Using data effectively without over-relying on it
49:55 – Where to find Eli online
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