Stuart Wilson, VP EMEA of high growth data blending and analytics company, Alteryx advises how marketers need to build a culture of data in order to use the masses amounts of information available to their greatest business advantage.
There was a time when ‘Big Data’ was the sole preserve of specialist teams of backroom boffins, statisticians and data scientists. Unfortunately, many marketers are still stranded in this era. While they may have powerful technologies for gathering and analysing data, very few employees are allowed to harness these tools. The result is that the marketing department is missing out on valuable insight that would enable them to build killer campaigns.
It doesn’t have to be this way. If they are given the right tools and training, line-of-business analysts can derive valuable insight from big data sets, whether it’s to measure success, analyse demographics, or to tailor campaigns. But to realize these benefits, marketing departments must foster a ‘data culture’ within the organisation, where analytics are not just available to all, but become central to everything that you do.
Get into the data mindset
Data is more than just information: it is a state of mind. Every member of the marketing department needs to understand that data can give them the insight to plan, execute and measure much more powerful campaigns.
For many marketers, this will require a cultural shift in working practices and a new way of thinking about how they do their jobs. In such a competitive, fast-changing environment it is no longer enough to rely on instinct and historic ‘best practice’. People must learn to factor data into every decision they make; at the same time, marketing directors need to encourage a culture where employees are not afraid to challenge the old orthodoxies when they have the data to support their suggestions.
Data open to all
The value of information is multiplied by the number of people who have access to it. This doesn’t just apply to so-called ‘marketing data’; information that can inform decisions can come from anywhere in the business, or outside it. The more data you can access, the better employees will be able to build scenarios, understand context, and come to the correct conclusions about their campaigns.
Give workers the tools
Of course, all the data in the world is worthless unless you have the technology to analyse it effectively – and quickly. This means putting the right tools into the hands of people who actually need the insight in the first place, and who have an intimate understanding of their market and their campaign goals.
To do this, organisations need to overcome the outdated perception that analytics software is terribly complicated, and requires specialist knowledge to use. In fact, these technologies are increasingly being designed with non-specialists in mind, and require only a minimum (or no) of training before people can start using them effectively.
The IT department may be great at doing many things, but it can only ever be a blunt instrument when it comes to making decisions about marketing. The people who can put analytics tools to best use are marketers themselves, who know exactly what questions to ask of which data sets. This is not an argument for denying analytics to the IT department; but at the same time, it makes no sense to deny the technology to the workers at the marketing coalface.
Building a data culture
By following the steps above, marketers will lay the foundations they need to use information to their greatest advantage; yet this is only the starting point, not the destination. To become a business that fully harnesses the power of data, you need to build a culture of data within the organisation.
Every business will have its own best ways of fostering this culture, but the most successful will be those that celebrate successful data-led campaigns, and share findings, processes and best practices throughout the whole department. When using data to inform decisions becomes an instinct rather than an afterthought, marketers will soon start to see the benefits on the bottom line.
By Stuart Wilson
VP of EMEA
Alteryx, Inc.