MARKETING AFRICA MAL 18/17 mal 18:17 online | Page 32

DIGITAL MARKETING USE DATA TO CREATE VALUE FOR YOUR CONSUMERS By Catherine Kiiru T he Harvard Business Review once called data analytics the sexiest career of the 21st century. If you’re in business serving a niche or large client base, you understand the truth in that statement. The thing with data, especially in a highly connected age where everything a consumer does online is captured and archived in servers all around the world, is that it is the only meaningful frontier for understanding our customers better. Data can provide valuable insights as to how, what, when and where a consumer spends their cash. And you’d like a piece of that pie, right? Problem is, it’s no longer about targeting consumers with your wares or services. It’s about listening to what is unsaid and looking beyond the obvious to provide value and remain profitable. But are marketers equipped to tap into Data to fine tune their strategies? Marketers around the globe have admitted to feeling “overwhelmed” rather than empowered by data. Research that was undertaken by Call Credit Information Group, which spoke to 151 UK senior marketers ‘‘ The thing with data, especially in a highly connected age where everything a consumer does online is captured and archived in servers all around the world, is that it is the only meaningful frontier for understanding our customers better. Data can provide valuable insights as to how, what, when and where a consumer spends their cash. And you’d like a piece of that pie, right?’’ 30 MAL 18/17 ISSUE revealed that while 80 percent of marketers are increasing their time spent working with data, 71 percent feel overloaded by the amount of data, with seven in ten (70 percent) noting that it was a valuable asset that isn’t being fully exploited in their organizations. One explanation for this could be the fact that only 29 percent of marketers believe they have the necessary skills to analyze data, with 44 percent planning on investing in further training over the next two years to boost confidence within their organizations around the handling of information. Back in Kenya, a quick look at most digital advertising agency strategies presented to clients and you’ll notice a lack of data driven campaigns backed by real time information analyzed from a client’s CRM or marketing automation resources. Marketers need to implement operations and tools that can enable them to interpret complex data and provide clarity before investing their marketing budgets anywhere. Marketers can spearhead data