Today's Marketing Cookie - Sharpened Perceptions

Today's Marketing Cookie points to the importance of data analysis.  There are some decisions in business that you simply know as absolutely correct. You know it completely without question - such as, never spend more to make a sale than you will earn when the sale is complete.  For everything else, you must rely on analysis to make good decisions. Today's cookie is about knowing what you didn't know. For some of our clients, we look at our lead generation numbers report every single morning, which tells how we are doing against our monthly goals. We look at it daily because we simply can't move forward and improve if we aren't sure where we stand. The performance report tells us how we did, and what we did, but doesn't tell us why it worked... or not. Understanding why our programs are working requires deep digging in the data... and sometime a lot of coffee.

Well before a new program launches, you should review the landscape, look for white space and identify your next great marketing opportunity. If you can't clearly identify a great opportunity, then you'll have to guess. With careful observation, study, and research, we hope to eventually uncover an "AH-hah!" moment that we believe will bring us a lift in response or increased awareness. When we discover something really great, we actually giggle a little bit. (true story)

We may be accused of being geeky for all the analysis we do, but its well worth the effort. When you're ready to review the numbers, keep in mind that they never tell a lie, so try not to twist, pull or push them... Oh! Be careful. If you don't have enough data to produce findings that are statically relevant, you could misread what they are telling you. If your perception of the data is flawed, you could wander off course which will give way to poor decisions and sabotaging yourself.  It's difficult to be a smart marketer if the data you're listening to is stupid.  So, stay sharp, be careful, and may all your perceptions be crystal clear!