This past week was a big one for baseball, and for the city of Chicago, Movéo’s hometown. After the much-discussed 108-year drought, the Chicago Cubs finally did it: they won the World Series! And they won in what may be one of the most exciting baseball games ever played.
Their win, not to mention the stellar season that preceded it, is the product of a carefully crafted team of great talents. Each player brings a special set of skills and talents, and it was the optimal combination of these players that laid the groundwork for the Cubs’ success.
How did Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations for the Cubs, do it? The same way marketers build great campaigns: he took a hard look at the data. Epstein is known among baseball fans for his focus on analytics — he brought data-driven leadership to the Red Sox before leading them to a championship season, and now he’s done the same for the Cubs.
Analytics and data-driven marketing are our focus here at Movéo, but we bring them to bear for brands making everything from specialty chemicals to smart grid technologies, rather than sports teams. So while you’re celebrating the Cubs’ success, think about how you could improve data use at your own organization. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Keep your data insights up-to-date
Evaluating data isn’t a one-time task, it’s an ongoing project. Epstein didn’t make one round of changes to the Cubs and then sit back and wait for success. As a marketer, you can’t either. Set regular intervals to evaluate your marketing’s performance and make appropriate adjustments.
Look for the most relevant data
In the era of big data, it’s easy to collect data of all sorts, but that doesn’t mean it’s all equally useful to your work. One of the most important lessons a marketer can learn is how to sift through the data noise and identify what’s truly relevant in order to optimize marketing campaigns. Data hygiene is also key, as “dirty data” can lead to erroneous conclusions and wasted resources.
Put data insights into action
Data can’t do anything for your organization if you don’t put it into action. The new marketing value chain relies on the application of data insights for marketing success. If your organization isn’t yet incorporating robust data into marketing decisions, it’s time to change the game. Today’s many resources and marketing touchpoints for collecting and processing data offer the chance to make marketing truly predictable, a longstanding goal. Talk to leadership at your organization about the resources you need to become more data-driven.
If you’re looking to build a championship-worthy brand in any industry, it’s time to take data seriously. For more on the role of data-driven insights, read our white paper, The new marketing value chain.
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