Data — We hear this word so often, but do you actually understand the power that it holds? Learn 4 reasons why data is important for your digital marketing strategy!
1. Data is ‘Truth’ (Not from prediction or speculation)
In the old days, it was important to understand consumer behavior and insight. Marketers needed to conduct research through questionnaires, phone/in-person interviews, and more. Many companies even had staff picking up pamphlets, coupons, and printed promotions from stores to be able to visually compare products, sales, and pricing.
Focus group techniques were used to try to predict and gain insight on what would resonate with consumers. However, in some cases, it doesn’t reflect who consumers really are or what they actually need. (Focus groups are a market research method that brings together 6-10 people to provide feedback regarding a product or service.)
Nowadays, big data collection, the gathering of information from a wide variety of different origins, devices, etc., is used. Even IoT devices can provide immense amounts of data.
Traditional mechanisms and technologies like ETL (extract, transform, and load) can no longer be considered efficient enough to acquire large amounts of information. Big data requires new techniques, methods, and technologies to collect terabyte-sized data, and possibly terabytes that flow through cable and air, and soon to be transmitted from our hands to low-orbit satellites. Whatever the method, data collection must be processed, formatted for analytical or business purposes in milliseconds.
Big data often comes from technology and computer systems and it is verifiably real.
But where do real the statistics come from?
The bulk of information generated comes from three primary sources: social data, machine data, and transactional data. (See “TechTarget”)
Social media data is also generated by human interactions on social media networks like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc. This includes massive amounts of big data in the form of images, videos, quotes, text, and audio – useful for marketing, sales, and support functions. This information is usually in an unstructured or semi-structured format.
Therefore, it is a unique challenge for consumption and analysis. In this era, Facebook/Linkedin/Groups bring more statistics; not to mention they are available for anyone in comparison to any other social data gathering method.
The stream comes from the Internet of Things (IoT) and other connected devices. Those are flows of information from wearable devices, intelligent vehicles, medical and industrial equipment, drones, automatic door locking devices, GPS tracking devices, smart voice applications, car navigation systems, and so on. You can analyze this big data once it arrives; including deciding on which data or information to keep or not to keep and which data needs further analysis.
Public data comes from large open sources such as government or open data portals. Other big data may come from a central repository, cloud resources, suppliers, and customers.
The importance of ‘real’ data is that using exact and tangible information in market research will make our study result more reliable and responsive to business needs. Having the right information is essential to making effective marketing decisions.
2. Data Helps Save a Lot of Time
Using big data in categorization for data analysis saves time by preventing time wasted on sitting and analyzing the data. If you utilize management that is consistent with the principles of big data, it can help reduce the time wasted on data collection/processing.
You don’t need to waste more time to get the answer to what you and your business need to do to boost results…
Some data, if we want to study it ourselves, will take a lot of time. But if you know the source of the data or the type of data it contains, then you can analyze the parts you need. That is why KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are important. If you understand your data, it can be used to achieve results in terms of sales, engagement, leads, etc. This saves you from wasting time doing focus groups, or potentially ineffective campaigns.
BUT another key is “tools”. Analytics tools to be exact!
Data is meaningless until it turns into useful information and knowledge which can aid management in decision making. There are many data analytic tools in the market that help in storing, analyzing, reporting, and doing a lot more with data.
If you utilize the tool that suits your needs, you can save a lot of time and streamline your data processing to directly find that data that is relevant. There is a wide range of tracking tools and options available, and it’s important to find the right one for your business. Once you find the perfect match, it will work wonders.
Key points for each customer’s identity and profile can be discovered by using data. The information determines where to go in terms of platforms that will gain attention, when to post, what kind of multilingual content is relevant, and what SNS campaign you should consider. It also allows you to provide a more personalized experience to all current and potential customers. Personal, custom interactions are preferred and necessary in the current digital marketing environment.
Save more time and get better results!
3. Data Makes Measurement More Precise
Many businesses struggle with choosing the right indicators to measure and goals to set when thinking about analysis. If you know how to use it, you will be able to build an enormous database that you can then analyze to see where your business really is when it comes to benchmarks, as well as your business outlooks and goals for the future.
Measurement metrics are based on actual data that has been generated previously, so it’s a more reliable basis than taking numbers from static indicators. This type of information will make business measurements more accurate.
But why is measurement important?
Accurately measuring your digital marketing performance is critical to understand what drives new and repetitive customers. Applying strong measurement guidelines that provide you clear insights according to your strategy is the smart thing to do. Data can show you an overall image of what’s happening with your customers as well as your customer’s user journey. Data (and other intelligence models) at the appropriate consistency according to the coverage of old and new channels is extremely beneficial.
All this can easily help you navigate the big picture of your business, so you can start changing your digital marketing strategies. This will become the most powerful method to drive growth and increase the efficiency of your international digital marketing.
The more marketers that can analyze and measure the results from their data, the more it will allow for faster planning and accurate business decisions. This will also save an immense amount of time on marketing and advertising campaigns.
It’s all about survival.
To survive in today’s digital world, a marketing strategy customized for a changing corporate environment will mean all the difference. Since each corporation has very different consumer groups, target leads located in different areas, and distribution channels, marketing intelligence is indispensable.
If marketers are able to tap into the data they will be able to generate, the next strategic decisions will only become sharper, and moreover, the organization will have a more competitive advantage.
Being able to interpret marketing information statistics to create superior products and services will allow businesses to thrive.
4. Data Can Predict the Future
Data is not a fortune teller… In fact, it can actually predict the future more effectively than a fortune teller. The concept of this type of marketing, called predictive marketing, uses historical customer data as a predictor of current and future customer actions.
Every piece of information is data. Information is rapidly emerging and growing all the time from social media. If you analyze the information quickly and timely, your business will become the trendsetters of your industry.
It goes beyond leadership and trends; it can help businesses cope with future problems. Good analysis can assist businesses in adapting in a way that will increase their operational potential; whether it is about adjusting marketing policy, management methods, manage marketing strategy, to become an organization that is always ready to learn, and move forward.
The results can help to increase decision-making power in terms of cost-saving options, channels to increase productivity, and improvements for systems.
Here is an easy-to-understand example: the “2021 Sandal color trends from Crocs website” shows you, after processing all the data that includes what sandal color trends next year are, the popular colors for each area. From this, digital marketers can plan their marketing strategies properly.
AND that is the last of four reasons why you can’t afford to overlook statistics in today’s digital world.
As a digital marketer, you need to monitor the progress of every campaign and share insights into what works (and what doesn’t). Quarrels over data from multiple systems make it feel impossible to master; especially when privacy regulations, security guidelines, and walled gardens are imposing stricter requirements. Still, in a fast-paced, global market, you have to make decisions based on hard facts, not speculation.
Data-driven marketing delivers that.
We want to help you expand your products or services to the world. Mondo Marketing provides digital marketing strategies and management for international businesses, including SEO, SMS, and multilingual localization. Whether you want to enter Asia or expand outside of Asia. Our intelligent, data-driven marketing experiences help you get recognized, optimized, & in front of the right people!