The Disconnect Between Marketing and Analytics
Why are many companies still facing issues when it comes to the utilization of their data for marketing purposes? The MarTech landscape offers a broad range of tools - from Analytics-Solutions focused on website data to Customer Data Platforms providing a more customer-centric view. There is so much potential for data-centric marketing strategies but still, we often see a disconnect between Marketing departments and the data available. In this blog post I would like to have a look at the reasons why Marketing and Analytics are often not working hand in hand and what role Analytics Enablement plays when it comes to bridging the gap between the two topics.
The Root Causes of the Disconnect
Before talking about solutions, I want to have a closer look at the causes of missing usage of Digital Analytics as a tool in some companies. In my opinion, there are three main issues: first is the lack of Data Literacy within some teams. Data Literacy can be defined as “the ability to read, write, and communicate data in context, with an understanding of data sources and constructs, analytical methods, and AI techniques.” [Source]. Data Literacy - especially within Marketing Teams - is a key prerequisite for closing the gap between Marketing and Analytics. In order to derive actionable insights and optimizations from the numbers they get, marketers have to be mature when it comes to assessing the data they see.
The second reason is the missing link between Analysts and Marketers when it comes to collaboration. They are organized in separate teams or departments, having different goals and topics to work on. In my experience, Analytics and also BI Teams are often seen as internal service providers for marketing teams, only to be consulted with specific questions or requests. On the other hand, Analytics Teams in some companies tend to have authority over the data, not allowing marketing teams to build maturity in working with it.
And the third reason are the challenges in accessing and interpreting the data. This is a result of the two above-mentioned reasons. A lack in data literacy and also missing collaboration of the teams lead to obstacles when it comes to data accessibility for Marketing Teams. Here it is important for analysts to also understand the marketers’ point of view that in order to work with data, it needs to be provided in a way that non-analysts are able to work with it. And let me be clear: though Data Literacy is an important skill in Marketing teams, working with data is not their primary focus. This is why, in my opinion, it is understandable that a lack of proper access to data leads to marketers not really working with it.
I would like to emphasize at this point, that not only Marketing teams are part of the problem and therefore the solution. As already mentioned in the sections above, analysts sometimes need to focus more on the usability of their data rather than the technicalities behind it. Also when it comes to collaboration, both teams should be more responsive to the other’s needs. And this is the point where I want to talk about how we can solve this dilemma. And the key phrase here is in my opinion Analytics Enablement.
What is Analytics Enablement?
When I say Analytics Enablement, I’m not only talking about providing training for your marketing teams. Don’t get me wrong, training is an essential part when it comes to enabling people on Digital Analytics. But the definition I refer to in this text is broader: Analytics Enablement includes the areas of Data Accessibility, Data Literacy and Collaboration.
In order to enable marketing teams to work with Digital Analytics, having access to data is a key prerequisite. And with access I am not only talking about physical access to tools. Making data accessible for Marketing Teams also means to provide them in a way that Non-Analysts can deal with. This could include user-friendly interfaces instead of providing raw data in Excel files. Implementing a unified single source of truth for your data, like a Customer Data Platform (CDP), can also be helpful. If your data is readily available and interpretable for Marketing Teams, the hurdles of working with data become lower.
Now let’s assume we can put a check behind Data Accessibility for your company. We have several pre-created dashboards available that contain visualizations and a unified view of your customers. In order to read those dashboards correctly, there is a second prerequisite we need to fulfill: Data Literacy in our Marketing Teams. I already explained the concept of Data Literacy and its importance in this text. But to repeat this (I feel like you can not emphasize the importance of Data Literacy enough): you need to make sure your Marketers are able to read and interpret data in the right way. Now, there are a lot of courses and training available, helping you and your teams to build Data Literacy. Before investing in training, I can also recommend you to find out how Data Literate you yourself are with the Online Assessment provided by the Data Literacy Project.
When you have data literate Marketing Teams with access to all necessary data, there is one last important thing for successful Analytics Enablement: collaboration. Missing collaboration can cost your company time and money and lead to less effective usage of your data. From my experience, I can tell you that most ideas when it comes to interpreting and utilizing data come from direct exchanges between Marketers and Data Analysts. Both sides benefit from their expertise. Also, it is important to align on common business goals and KPIs. From a Data Analyst perspective, knowing the use cases your data is needed for helps a lot in deciding on how to provide and present them. I have seen several projects and can say that having cross-functional teams where marketeers and analysts work together directly, has been most successful when it comes to implementing a data-driven working mode.
How to Implement an Effective Analytics Enablement Strategy
Enabling your Marketing Teams for Digital Analytics requires a strategy. From my perspective, the most important things to consider in your Analytics Enablement Strategy are:
- Define Clear Goals and KPIs: Make sure to have a common understanding of which your most important KPIs are and how they are defined.
- Create a Centralized Data Hub: If not already available, provide a central tool to access your most important data. It must not necessarily be a CDP (this makes only sense if you also have plans to activate your data in a centralized way). You can also think about building up a Data Lake and providing access via tools like PowerBI or Tableau.
- Provide Training to build Data Literacy in your teams: As already mentioned above, there are a lot of great courses available to enable your Marketing Teams when it comes to Data Literacy. This could for example be part of every team member’s personal growth journey.
- Enable your team to work with your Analytics Tools: Depending on which tools you use, it can make sense to also provide training for your Marketing Teams to work with the respective tools in the right way.
- Implement methods of collaboration: Think about ways of strengthening the collaboration between your Marketing and Analytics Teams that fit your organization.
Before implementing your Analytics Enablement Strategy, I would also recommend thinking about different KPIs for the success of your new ways of working. This can be crucial in order to make sure your strategy has the expected impact or if you need to adjust at some point. From my experience, it is not always easy to find the right KPIs to track the success of such projects. Here are some examples that might work for your company:
- Reduction in Time-to-Insight
- Increase in Data-Driven Decisions
- Improved Campaign Performance
Why Analytics Enablement is a Game-Changer for Marketing Teams
If your company wants to follow a data-driven marketing strategy, Analytics Enablement is a crucial part of getting there. To get the most out of your data, your Analytics Teams should not be the only ones able to work with it. Make your data accessible and implement data literacy and maturity as part of your marketers’ personal growth journeys. Also, strengthen the collaboration between your Marketing and Analytics teams so they can benefit from each other. Though I am very sure the topics covered in this post aren’t new to most people, I feel like a lot of decision-makers are missing a clear plan on how to put the concepts presented here into practice. I hope this post can help to make Analytics Enablement more tangible and to find a starting point for you to bridge the gap between Marketing and Analytics in your company.
