You undoubtedly recognize the importance of data and insights, but how do you actually go about applying them to your campaigns? It can be daunting to begin to integrate data into your marketing process at first, especially for creatives and others who are often removed from the task of gathering and analyzing data. That’s why this post is focused on specific tips for using data and insights to inform your next design project, from brainstorming through to testing.
Do you ever go into a brainstorming meeting only to find that your group’s ideas are unfocused and all over the place–or worse, nobody has any ideas at all? Data provides structure to brainstorming sessions. Begin by reviewing any research or data points related to your project. That can get your brainstorming group’s wheels turning. Then, come up with one overarching goal for your project and split it into smaller, measurable goals on which you can track your progress. Once you have these in place, figure out what metrics you’ll need to keey an eye on, decide how to track them and determine what tools you’ll need. Finally, start thinking about daily and weekly operations you’ll need to supplement and support these overarching goals. By keeping data and tracking at the forefront of the brainstorming process, you can streamline and focus your discussions–and set your project up for success.
Applying data and insights to a project you’ve already started can be difficult, but it’s better late than never. You may need to go back to the brainstorming stage and figure out what metrics apply to your work, and whether you have enough data on hand to make informed decisions. Once you have sufficient data, pay attention to the real-time insights it gives you and be prepared to change your approach in response. Did you fall short on one of your goals? Try something new–maybe take some of the budget from a part of your campaign that’s doing well and use it to drive focused results in the area that is lagging behind. In this stage of the project, it’s all about following insights and tweaking your operations accordingly.
The end of a campaign is a natural time for heavy reflective data analysis. Data is imperative to proving the return on a campaign investment, and many marketers are already familiar with metrics reports and post-campaign wrap-ups. However, you can use data to create more than just a summary of your results. If you have carefully thought about the metrics used throughout the campaign, you will have plenty of rich data to determine which elements of your project were successful, which were not, and even how you can improve what you did. That data will be wildly helpful when building your next campaign, as you’ll be able to use it to strengthen your efforts and predict the success of your campaigns.
Let us know: how are you planning on applying data and insights to your next creative project?
Photo Credit: Jes via Flickr Creative Commons
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