5 small steps to big data marketing success

The phrase ‘big data’ has not always been associated with the largely qualitative field of marketing, but that’s exactly what’s bringing success to so many organisations around the world today.

Ironically the switch from brand-driven to data-driven marketing is really a mind-shift, because the objectives of both are the same. Embracing the concepts of big data marketing doesn’t mean letting go of the emotional, sometimes intangible side of marketing; quite the opposite in fact.

With the right data from the rich array of data sources we have at our disposal, we can markedly improve the one-to-one relationships that have always been the key to marketing success because we can quantify what works, what doesn’t, what we do well and what we can do better.

Nor does embracing concepts like big data mean that our campaigns are reduced to scorecards and spreadsheets. Yes, scorecards are important tools for measuring an organisation’s return on marketing investment, but they’re also useful for measuring the contributions of each customer contact, to a sale, which can only lead to better, more effective marketing.

In a recent interview, Teradata Applications CMO Lisa Arthur recalls how — prior to joining the company — she pitched the idea of data-driven marketing to its entire C-suite (CEO, CFO, CIO). “The emotion of the campaign’s messages and graphics all sprang from the insights we gained from the data we collected,” Arthur recalls. “The campaign helped catapult our brand and valuation as a company – and at its core, it was creative data-driven marketing.”

In her book Big Data Marketing, Arthur chronicles her transformation from a brand-driven to data-driven marketer, proposing five steps organisations can follow to make the transition seamless and effective.

1. Get smart, get strategic

Marketing types often tout tactics when instead they should focus on strategy. Their marketing strategies don’t tie back to the company’s objectives or their ideas for the customer experience. A comprehensive strategy built around the customer experience should be the starting point of any campaign, on which all other strategies (data, analytics and technology) are based.

2. Break down the silos

Teradata research suggests that as many as two-thirds of marketers feel disconnected from their IT divisions. Working independently from C-suite executives can only harm the progressive CMO, especially at a time when CMOs, according to Gartner, are starting to spend more on IT than CIOs! It’s time to buddy up with the CIO if the organisation is to stand any chance of embracing a successful culture of data-driven marketing.

3. Untangle the data hairball

The same research found that only 18 percent of marketers have a holistic view of their customer because customer information is tangled in what Arthur calls “the data hairball”. This is only going to get bigger and more tangled with the advent of big data. With the help of IT and other departments it’s possible to programmatically create a single view of every customer that’s far more useful and meaningful – and not just to marketers.

4. Make metrics your mantra

Total transparency is the gold standard of data-driven marketing. By embracing specific metrics that help define the value of marketing to the business (return on marketing investment as opposed to return on investment, for example), organisations can move away from the quagmire of traditional marketing that still struggles to define its value and drive real ROI. Executives can then determine the metrics that best communicate how marketing’s results contribute to the business and align them with the overarching objectives of the business.

5. Process is the new black

Let’s face it, marketers don’t think of processes as sexy. But it can be when a process delivers competitive advantage or elevates the relevance of a brand to its audience. As marketers we need to be nimble and learn how to get our ideas to market quicker so we can drive revenue and excite our customers. This again is where a strong relationship with IT can help deliver positive results.

As we move further away from traditional marketing towards a more agile, data-driven marketing model, Arthur’s suggestions are small but important steps in the transition. How well we integrate them into our broader marketing activities will determine how quickly we can tap into the strategies that have proven so successful to so many.