Data-Driven Digital Marketing Tells You Where To Go
Before there was a GPS, there was Mapquest, and before Mapquest there were atlases, and before atlases, there were sketched maps, and before that…well, that’s going too far back for my knowledge. You get the picture, though: travel is significantly easier due to newer technology that can help us pinpoint exact locations. We’re not lost anymore…we have Siri to tell us exactly where to go.
Now, what if I were to tell you that there’s similar option in marketing? There is, but unlike a gps, most people aren’t taking advantage of technology that can give them a clear roadmap to their marketing strategy. There’s really no excuse to be ignoring data.
- Know Where To Go. GPS systems are great at telling you possible routes to get to the same destination. They use information like streets, traffic reports, and construction schedules to help identify the best possible routes. It’s then up to you to decide. Marketing with data is the same way; you are given the information, but ultimately, you have to choose which way to go. Data can give you pretty solid guidelines as to who to market to and how to go about doing that. Sadly, many people don’t take the time and effort to invest in this crucial piece! Demographic reports, geoanalysis reports, and other business intelligence reports can help inform exactly who you should target, why, when, and sometimes even the “how” of it as well!
- Track Your Progress. Have you ever decided to stop in a department store or restaurant on the way to your destination? Likely, your GPS will show rerouting, or tell you to return to the route. GPS systems are not simply giving you a map and letting you go on your merry way. No, they are watching over every mile you travel to make sure you are following the route. Today, there are countless ways to monitor email marketing, social media performance, website traffic, advertising campaign perforamnce, and so much more. Just like your GPS rerouting your path, as you are tracking these marketing efforts, you can make smart decisions on if you need to reroute, or remind yourself to get back on track.
- Learn The Route. If you’re like me, you may need to use a GPS or map a handful of times before you learn where you’re going. However, many people can do a route by heart after driving it just one time. That’s because we learn as we go. You may rely heavily on data to drive your initial marketing plan, and then the next time not as much. Why? Because you’ve learned from the original plan that was set out for you, and you learned your own intuitive knowledge as you went. The same is true in marketing. You’ll be heavily reliant on your demographic studies, your geoanalyses, your benchmarking reports the first time, and then after that, you may not rely on them 100%. It may be 50% on the data and 50% on intuition that you learned from your first go around.
- Stop guessing. I’m directionally challenged and so I would never even think about trying to drive through a new city without some sort of map! The thought is simply ludicrous to me. So, why would I ever consider trying out a new marketing technique without making a plan, sticking to the plan, monitoring my progress, and learning the route as I go. So many business owners want to “try” out certain things and frankly, they fail. They fail because they are guessing at what will work and not being strategic. They don’t listen to what the information and data reports are telling them . Stop trying the spaghetti approach: throw something at the wall to see if it sticks. When instead, you can KNOW that something will work. Data helps you know. Data helps you stop guessing.
We all have precious marketing dollars and we have to be careful with the resources we have in our care. If we really took that seriously, we would see that data plays a crucial piece in the way we approach marketing. Data is that roadmap that helps us know where to go. Of course, we still have to get in the car and drive ourselves there (though with self-driving cars this analogy may not be as applicable!) to get to our destination. Marketing and digital marketing especially is not always easy, but it does provide some of the best strategies for using data and then creating data of your own to inform your future marketing!
Want to leverage data to make your marketing plan more successful? Check out our demographic reports and how to incorporate social media in business intelligence!
