The Harvard Business Review article, Data Is Useless Without the Skills to Analyze It, is spot on. While the demands for being able to decipher and use data across a business will continue to increase as digital buying habits become the mainstream approach for customers, analysis will become paramount. Experimentation and testing is a crucial skill set.
We are all more accountable in today’s world. We love it. No gimmicks, just results and pushing towards what works. One of the aspects of our work with clients is analyzing the data from inbound marketing often coupled with outbound marketing. The data comes back to us across platforms and technology and we work hard to iterate on what is working and shed what is not. Each market reacts differently to offers, brand, design and positioning. The process for the buyer has to be continually refined and customized for a personal experience.
Buying a piece of software is not going to cut it. You still have to have the skills and talent to know what to build and how to analyze it. This is what makes the difference between a marketing system that works and one that lingers without results. Talent makes all the difference. Someone has to know what content to create. Someone has to understand what design will attract and others that will repel.
Furthermore, piecing together each of the steps to make it all work has to be tested against reality. There is often segmentation criteria and buyers that behave according to specific incentives and interests. Uncovering these behaviors has to be part of the approach in the art and the science.
The divide between success and failure is growing as well when unqualified team members are at the helm. This can often be seen by rotating out the talent without replacing the tools.
It’s a brave new world. Do you have the right skills to make your marketing work?
