Data analytics is often viewed as the most eye-watering dull job in the world. Yet, data analytics is the secret superhero of marketing.
Once there was a pretty cringey news journalist called Clark Kent. No one really paid much attention to him because he was dull and boring, but when he became Superman everyone wanted to know him. Superman was exciting and amazing, and he literally saved the world. In the world of marketing, data analytics is Clark Kent.
Data analytics is often viewed as the most eye-watering dull job in the world. Think facts, figures tables, comparisons – yawn. Yet, data analytics is the secret superhero of marketing.
A data analyst studies the facts, uncovers game-changing information, and uses what they find to elevate marketing activities and grow the revenue of a business.
By embracing data analytics, you can be a marketing superhero too.
What are data analytics?
Data analytics is the process of extracting information and gaining actionable insights from it.
In marketing, that can include identifying key marketing metrics, collecting data around them, and tracking the metrics over the course of the campaign and at its end.
Data analytics helps us understand how our marketing efforts are performing. What’s working? What’s missing the mark? What assumptions we started with have been confirmed, and what is a surprise?
The information gleaned from the data is then used to inform future marketing campaigns.
Why is data analytics important for marketing?
Data analytics is a crucial part of marketing, ensuring we learn from past campaigns and don’t repeat missteps, but it also helps in other ways.
Analytics actually tell us a lot about our actual products, and importantly how customers interact with them. Data analytics inform pricing, particular features, and also customer preferences.
Customer trends are revealed by data analytics. Is there a particular time your product is being purchased? What issue is it addressing? This can inform marketing messaging, as well as timing and effective marketing platforms.
Data analytics can improve your business’ customer service by identifying issues or areas where customers need assistance.
From a purely marketing perspective, data analytics can help refine messaging and messaging platforms. This can help in the development of future marketing campaigns.
Analysing data is an essential component of every marketing campaign, but it’s a tool that can also be used to rival your competitors. When you uncover the weaknesses and strengths of your competition, you can identify gaps and particular areas where gains can be made.
Importantly, using predictive analytics, you can model the results of future campaigns. You can foresee how particular marketing campaigns might perform. For example, if you know that a particular marketing campaign yields greater results in a younger demographic, you can use it when appealing to that target market.
What are the benefits of data analytics in marketing?
Data analytics improves marketing outcomes, which can have real and tangible bottom line results for businesses.
Data-led decisions will strengthen marketing campaigns and lead to better results. Instead of guessing what will work, you’ll know what works. Instead of guessing which messages customers best respond to, you’ll know what they are. Instead of following a hunch about which social media platform will get results, you’ll know what will.
All this leads to greater lead generation and greater sales. Yet, there are also cost savings associated with data analytics. When you know where to invest your marketing budget, there’s less wastage on strategies that don’t yield strong results. In the same way, that saves valuable staff time.
Data analytics isn’t just about sales, either. It can tell us about how we are perceived and assist with brand-building and recognition.
Data analytics has benefits beyond marketing. It helps us understand our customers and what they want from our product or service, which can inform product development, for example.
How to incorporate data analytics into your marketing
There are some key ways in which businesses can use data analytics in their marketing, including:
Personalising the customer experience
Personalisation increases sales, we know that. And personalisation can only happen with data – specifically, using that data in a targeted way.
Information about how a customer behaves – for example, items in abandoned carts or browsing history – can inform how we personalise communications.
Integrating SEO into your strategy
Your SEO strategy should be based entirely on data analytics that tell you, for example, which keywords are the most effective at appearing higher in search, and which of these lead to the most website click-throughs.
Creating quality content
Use data analytics as the foundation of the content you create.
Say, for example, you’re a bookstore. Knowing which genres, authors and topics are the most popular among your customer base can help you create content that will lead more customers to your store.
Deep diving into social media statistics
Keeping track of your social media reach and engagement can help you create more targeted posts and select which platforms to best use.
Speak to the marketing experts
Data analytics is the backbone of strategic marketing and requires a deep understanding of how to read the data, interpret the results, and use the learnings in marketing – that’s why you need to call in the experts.
Assemblo is a full-service marketing agency based in Melbourne, and we’re all data nerds (aka: marketing superheroes).
To find out how we can help your business, give us a call on (03) 9079 2555 or send us a note via the contact form below.