The Problem with Marketing in Data-Driven World
We have reached an age where the amount of data being generated on a continuous basis. Likes, shares, page views, sessions, users, impressions...and this is me just getting started on the obvious stuff. If we are to measure all data properly the sources are practically endless. This has become a world where the better you are at understanding your data the better your results in practically anything. This is especially true in marketing.
The Problem with Digital Marketing Today
Because of the enormous amount of data available today, and the sheer number of channels and platforms that a business must be active on a marketer's job in the digital world is challenging to say the least. A marketer's to do list is something like:
- Posting to Facebook Twice A Day
- Tweeting Every Couple of Hours
- Posting On Instagram
- Creating Content for the company blog
- Oh but video is really big now, better learn some video editing
- Check Facebook Insights
- Check Google Analytics
- Create a new dashboard
- Calculate your churn rate
- Create Ad Campaigns
- Optimize those campaigns
- Calculate your CPAs...
The list goes on and on and on. You'd think that technology was supposed to make life simpler. The problem though is not with the technology itself. It's in the sheer number of things that are required to be done. Worse still, in the middle east, in particular, Digital Marketing does not exist as a stand-alone position yet, especially in SMEs. Normally the job of digital marketing is thrown onto a designer or an intern who seems to be good in social media. This shows you that at worst the field is still considered useless, at best it remains misunderstood.
So how do we fix it?
There are actually two sides to this equation. A side that lies with the way businesses view digital marketing as a profession and the way digital marketers go about their business. There is a major disconnect between what is in the market today and what is needed to move forward. A salaries survey conducted by "Robert Walters" in 2016 found that in the Middle East, there still is no independent "Digital Marketing" role. This role is normally bundled into "Marketing Manager/Executive".
What this tells us is that businesses in the Middle East really still do not understand the role of a digital marketer.
Businesses
Businesses in the Middle-East need to understand that Digital Marketing is a profession on its own that goes beyond a simple social media posting strategy. Business owners and managers need to understand that the value in Digital Marketing lies in the amount of marketing data available out there that is waiting to be grasped. Digital Marketing is a data-intensive field that can do wonders for any business if taken advantage of properly. This data can come from any source you can think of, social media, your website, DMPs, your Business Intelligence, your email marketing, your transaction volume ... all can be used to improve your results. But for that to happen, you need to understand that this needs to be taken as seriously as any other part of the business.
Marketers
Marketers you need to understand that the world has changed. The old ways of publishing and hoping for the best is gone. The old adage in marketing was outlined beautifully by department store magnate John Wanamaker when he said:
“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don't know which half.” ~ John Wanamaker
Traditional media buying though is an effective form of branding and exposure remains to be an immeasurable medium. It is nearly impossible to know if people liked your ads or acted in accordance with them. This is why as marketers we need to learn to work through Digital Media. We need to learn to use the tools at our fingertips to generate better results.
I understand that this might make the profession a little scarier to some. After all, the impact of their work can be directly assessed and measured. They are now accountable for the work they do. This style of marketing will force all of us to be more scientific in our approach. It will force us to be more customer oriented. The guesswork is pretty much gone and the time for real work is here.
Marketers love to speak of the marketing process. But I have come to find that many marketers are incapable of defining their target market clearly. They do their work in a throw it and see what sticks manner. It's time we moved past that.
Now I understand that moving into the new age of digital marketing is tough and requires skills that you have never used before. But the path is worth it.
And for all you marketers who are looking for a simpler way to understand this data and act upon it. I'll say this: "Stay Tuned"
Wabalabadubdub!
Nader