What do you do if you want to level up your storytelling skills in marketing analytics?

The fundamentals of storytelling can be translated from core frameworks used in novels, movies, plays, etc. However, it's a facade to think that is all you would need to be successful in Marketing Analytics. You need business context and a deep understanding of how the data point is collected (the definition of what the metric or dimension technically means). Without these later two, you will have a well structured data story without any substance. The best way to start understanding your data better is to map out the customer journey (of what you can track, on your website), and then add data points along that funnel. That alone will tell you a story...it's your first of many to come.

Feedback and Surveys: Collect feedback directly from your audience through surveys, interviews, or social media interactions. Understand their perceptions of your brand, their satisfaction levels, and areas for improvement. This qualitative data can provide valuable insights into their needs and preferences.

Two bits of advice from me: 1. No need to reinvent the wheel: Find examples that you think are awesome and add those parts that you like from those examples to your tool kit for future use 2. People are much more moved by Stories and Not Data: At the height of COVID about 10k people were dying per day. We as people can't grasp the enormity of the scale of that. However, if you tell a story about just 1 of those 10k people the viewer / reader will have a more emotional response. Sometimes it is a fundamental human flaw that we understand anecdotes more than data, but as a data storyteller we need not fight that, we need to blend them and use in our favour.

At an early stage of my career, a mentor advised me that if you stare, tease & agitate the data enough, then the numbers will start talking to you! Ignoring the imaginative element, this approach has always been helpful ever since. Never ever rush and ignore the power of questioning ‘the Why’ to your data.

"Understanding you data" is easier said than done. Too many marketers lack depth in how to actually look at data, infer patterns, generate insights and apply that understanding into actual marketing program adjustments or optimizations. My advice: learn how to do this or hire a fantastic team that already knows how. One of the things I do is: 1. Review the top line metrics 2. Find something that changed 3. WHY? 4. Follow the WHY'S Let's say your signups went up 15%. WHY? Homepage visits went up. WHY? Organic search traffic increased. WHY? A certain keyword started ranking. WHY? The content team launched new articles 4 mos ago. WHY? Etc....

Knowing your audience is crucial. While it's human nature to "overshare" ('Look at how much work I did') it's best to keep things brief and answer the question at hand first. The rest of the your sharing (let's assume it's slides) should be the research that lead to your answer. The audience will use that as needed, but just assuming you need to start by "data dumping" is a huge misconception and usually a waste of time.

Understanding your audience is crucial for effective storytelling in marketing analytics. Just as a novelist knows their readers, you must know your audience's needs and expertise level. Whether they are executives seeking a high-level overview or a technical team requiring detailed analysis, tailor your story accordingly. Speak their language, address their concerns, and anticipate their questions. By aligning your narrative with your audience's needs, you ensure that your message is not just heard but also understood and remembered.

Tailoring your story to your audience is critical. Whether it's executives, clients, or your marketing team, understanding their interests, concerns, and decision-making criteria can shape how you present your insights. I once presented the same set of findings in two different meetings: one focused on the strategic implications for executives and the other on tactical applications for the marketing team. This dual approach ensured the insights were actionable and resonated with each audience.

Just like everything else in marketing, start by understanding your target audience and their needs. It's something we've done a million times when planning marketing campaigns: goal, target audience, message, media, and channel.

Always bringing the results back to the campaign objective is key, especially when using these results to recommend shifts in strategy. That way you gain credibility and buy-in from business partners

A lot of the responses here are what you would expect, "Charts make it easier to understand the data". Yes, of course. What I haven't seen yet is you should also not assume your audience will know "what to do next" as a result of the chart. The only reason a data graphic/chart should exist is so that it's faster to see what the action needs to be. If you aren't acting with you data, there is little to no value in data visualizations because there isn't an action tied to the question that is being visualized. If someone has to explain the visual to you, the visual has failed.

Visualizing data is crucial as it provides insights and makes data more accessible to interpret and present. For example, charts or graphs make the data more readable and presentable when dealing with large sample sizes in the millions. For instance, we can quickly identify month-on-month changes by using a line graph or bar chart to visualize the Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of various products over time. Similarly, a pie chart can effectively illustrate the market share of our products compared to competitors, providing a clear picture of the current market scenario. Visualizations also help understand customer trends, such as order frequency, average order values, and changes in customer metrics over time.

Visualizing data is a powerful way to enhance storytelling in marketing analytics. Charts, graphs, and infographics can turn complex numbers into compelling narratives. However, it's essential to be selective and strategic in your visualization choices. Opt for formats that highlight key insights and use color and design to draw attention to critical information. By incorporating well-designed visuals, you can effectively convey your message and engage your audience more effectively than with words alone.

A well-crafted visualization can make your data more accessible and impactful. Experiment with different formats to find what best illustrates your key points. A turning point for me was when I replaced a complex chart with a simple, animated timeline for a campaign’s performance during a presentation. The visualization made the campaign’s success story instantly clear and memorable.

Transform data into images that tell stories. Use graphs, tables, and infographics strategically to highlight the key points of your narrative. Avoid visual overload. Prioritize clarity and simplicity, using visual elements that complement, not compete with, your message. Tell stories with color and design. Use visual elements strategically to direct attention, awaken emotions, and make your narrative more memorable.

Every client has miseries and every client wants miracles. It's your job to paint the picture of how your product takes their misery and turns it into a miracle. Set up a system to ensure this story is told throughout your funnel.

Enhancing storytelling in marketing analytics through the use of comparative analysis is one of my key strategies. When discussing client results, I focus on drawing parallels between different data sets, whether it's comparing metrics, market environments, campaign strategies, or setups. This also helps in putting the data in context, which helps clients to understand the data presented more.

Ensuring your data tells a story is critical. I can remember developing something I called the Marketing Effectiveness Index, and it was a brilliant piece of work. It had weightings, ratings, stats, facts, and all manner of measurement. When I presented it to the Executive Leadership team, I walked through the methodology and showed the rating. When I finished the CEO looked at me and asked, "Well is that good?" I realize he understood, but the larger point is you have to think about it from your audiences' perspective. I like to say that data is great, but data with analysis is information which is better, information that gives recommendations and is actionable is intelligence, and that is what your narrative's goal.

If you feel like it's hard to find your narrative, try having a clear answer for these questions: 1) Why did we choose to do initiative/project/campaign? What led us to believe this was the right thing to do? 2) What did we do about it, and what were our assumptions around then? 3) What happened during/after the campaign? Bonus points if you can include qualitative feedback or testimonials on top of the numbers itself. By having those items clear in your head, you already have your outline. From there, it's all about putting it all on paper. Pro tip: think about the people you're presenting this to: what are their roles? What do they care about? This will help you prioritize the right things to highlight on your story.

Crafting a compelling narrative is essential in marketing analytics. Start with a clear introduction to establish context and set the stage. Then, present your data-driven insights logically, building towards a conclusion or recommendation based on the data. Ensure each part of your story flows seamlessly into the next, creating a cohesive narrative that captivates your audience from beginning to end. By structuring your data story effectively, you can convey complex information in a clear and compelling way, driving action and decision-making based on insights.

Rehearse your presentation to refine your pacing, tone, and body language, ensuring a smooth delivery. Consider recording yourself to identify areas for improvement and fine-tune your performance. The more comfortable and confident you are in presenting your data story, the more engaging and impactful your delivery will be, captivating your audience and inspiring action based on your insights.

How you deliver your story is as important as the story itself. Practice your delivery to ensure clarity, confidence, and engagement. Recording myself presenting and reviewing the footage was eye-opening, revealing habits and areas for improvement in my delivery that I hadn’t noticed before.

Convey your passion for history. Enthusiasm is contagious and captivates the audience, making your narrative more engaging. Master the art of presentation. Practice your rhythm, diction, and body language to convey confidence and professionalism. Use visual resources masterfully. Master presentation tools and use visual resources strategically to improve your delivery.

Your storytelling doesn't end with the creation of slides or reports; delivery is key. Practice presenting your data story to refine your pacing, tone, and body language. Consider recording yourself to identify areas for improvement. The more comfortable you become with your story, the more confidently you will present it, and confidence can be contagious—your audience(your prospective lead/Customer) will take note.

Continuous learning doesn't mean taking expensive trainings or classes. There are many free online sources that will keep you up to date with the latest techniques, marketing trends, and technology advances. I have been attending free webinars put on by major marketing/media players for the past several years and have boosted my credibility without a big time and money commitment.

Throughout my professional journey in the B2B industry, I've found that continuous learning is essential for leveling up storytelling skills in marketing analytics. For instance, at a previous company, I dedicated time to staying updated on the latest trends in data visualization and presentation techniques. By attending workshops and online courses, I learned new methods for transforming complex data into compelling narratives. This commitment to ongoing learning not only enhanced my storytelling abilities but also kept me ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Continuing to learn is essential for mastering the art of storytelling in marketing analytics. Stay abreast of the latest trends in data visualization and presentation techniques to keep your skills sharp and relevant. Seek feedback from colleagues and mentors to identify areas for improvement and refine your storytelling approach. Embrace each opportunity to enhance your storytelling skills, as continuous learning will empower you to create compelling narratives that resonate with your audience and drive impactful decision-making based on data insights.

Storytelling, like any skill, requires continuous learning. Seek out resources on both data analysis and narrative construction. Attend workshops, webinars, and conferences. Learning from experts across fields broadened my understanding of storytelling, inspiring innovative approaches to presenting data.

Learning is a platform for continuous improvement, offering opportunities to enhance skills and discover more effective strategies. It serves as a board for innovation.

Using your storytelling skills in Marketing analytics starts with ?? Understanding the data (spotting the pattern or trends, what's and what's not working) ?? Using your findings to tailor the narrative for your Target Audience (Executives, Client, or internal team) ?? Using data visualisation to support your narrative with data

Broadening our perspective, reflect on the psychological aspects of storytelling in marketing analytics. Understanding the psychological principles behind storytelling can significantly enhance its effectiveness in marketing analytics. For example, leveraging concepts like cognitive biases and emotional triggers can help tailor narratives that resonate deeply with the audience's subconscious motivations. In a recent project, we applied principles of social proof and reciprocity to craft a narrative that highlighted how our product had positively impacted similar businesses, thereby instilling trust and encouraging engagement.

Storytelling to me, is personal life experiences that can help your customers find what is needed. When I interact with my customers, it comes from my experiences. Whether it be healthier food choices, naturalpathic remedies, or anything off the wall. My interactions are personal and positively motivated. My goal is to help others on a more connected level. They know me by name and can count on me for anything at all. I have a positive influence on what they need and they trust I won't let them down.

To level up your storytelling skills in marketing analytics, stay updated with market needs and trending topics. Incorporate these trends strategically into your marketing strategy to captivate your audience and enhance engagement.

Remember, storytelling is not just about presenting data attractively; it's about making it relevant and actionable. Always end your narrative with clear takeaways or recommendations. Additionally, fostering a culture of storytelling within your team can amplify the impact of your analytics work, turning every report and analysis into an opportunity to inform and inspire. Elevating your storytelling skills transforms data from abstract numbers into narratives that inform, persuade, and inspire action. By deeply understanding your data, knowing your audience, effectively visualizing information, crafting engaging narratives, practicing your delivery, and committing to ongoing learning, you can become a master storyteller in analytics.