Data-Driven Marketing Success, Part 2: What Data to Capture, and How

By now you know: Analytics is essential to digital marketing in 2024. For most businesses, however, actually capturing and leveraging data is less clear. Which tools to tap? Who handles it? How are reports organized, shared, analyzed, and used to benefit your bottom line? There is a significant learning curve associated with analytics tools and best practices.

Before we shed some light on the matter so you can get started, a quick look at the missteps we aim to help you avoid – mistakes that routinely bungle the efforts of small and medium-sized businesses, and which can counteract even the best data collection tools:

• Inadequate Planning: Failing to define clear objectives and KPIs before embarking on data collection – much like trying to fly a plane as you build it.
• Poor Data Quality: Issues with data accuracy, completeness, and consistency due to manual entry errors, lack of validation processes, and – as mentioned above – inadequate planning.
• Siloed Data: Data being stored in disparate systems, which gets in the way of integration and holistic analysis.
• Lack of Expertise: Limited knowledge of advanced analytics techniques and tools as well as data analysis and interpretation, leading to underutilization or misuse of collected data. 

Collecting Data: Getting Started

As you can probably tell, we’re sticklers for reminding businesses that internal preparation is essential to effective data collection. After all, every business is different, with different problems, different starting points, and different goals they aim to solve. As Captain Obvious as this might sound, getting clear on these things, and on key performance indicators (KPIs) related to data-driven marketing, is a step that’s too often skipped, with dire consequences. Avoid this common blunder by taking the time to assemble key stakeholders and achieve consensus on the following:  

• What are your primary business objectives related to digital marketing? Are you looking to increase sales, improve customer retention, expand your market reach, or something else? If the answer is all of the above, determine priorities in descending order, and whittle the list down to one or two to start.
  – Break each goal into two categories: Short-term (next six to twelve months) and long-term (one year and beyond).
• Who is your target audience? What are their demographics, behaviors, and preferences?
• Which key marketing platforms and channels (e.g., social media, email, and pay-per-click, or PPC), if any, are you currently using to reach your audience?
• Which key marketing channels and platforms are you considering moving forward? What’s the business case for each?
• What tools and technologies are you currently using, if any, to better understand your target audience? Are you, for example, leveraging CRM systems, marketing automation tools, or analytics platforms?
  – What metrics are those tools tracking? Maybe you’re monitoring website traffic or website visitor behavior, conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, or something else?
• What are your current marketing challenges? Perhaps, for example, you’re facing issues with lead generation, customer engagement, or campaign performance. If the answer is all of the above, determine priorities in descending order.  
• What is your budget for marketing activities?
• How much more are you willing to invest in different marketing channels and tools than what you’re currently spending?  
• How have you defined data-driven marketing success to date?
• How will you define data-driven marketing success moving forward?
• What KPIs will indicate that your marketing efforts are successful?
• What data do you need to make informed decisions?

Moving Into Tools & Techniques

With a clear sense of where you currently stand and where you want to go, it’s time to drill down on specific data capture tools and practices. Not sure what your options are, or where to start? Here are four fantastic resources:

• Datamation’s Guide on Data Capture: Provides a comprehensive overview of data capture methods; a great resource for understanding back-end mechanisms and options.
• Adobe Experience Cloud: Builds on the Datamation guide above, outlining intricacies of data capture and its applications for businesses.
• Codeless: Delves into specific data collection tools your business can choose from, including tools for surveys, questionnaires, case studies, and more.
• Codeless: Delves into specific data collection tools your business can choose from, including tools for surveys, questionnaires, case studies, and more.

The Benefits of Outsourcing Data Collection

Sound like a lot? It is. While effective in-house data collection and analysis is possible, there are many benefits to handing it to experts like the team at Hammer Marketing.

For one, outsourcing to Hammer means bypassing learning curves, letting you focus on your core business while we handle all of this for you. It also, in most cases, translates to superior data collections. Digital agencies like ours, after all, collect and analyze data all day, every day, using best-in-breed tools and processes (many of which are too cost prohibitive for companies to invest in on their own). We offer you a cost-effective, leading-edge, and flexible solution that can scale with your business, adapt with the times, and ultimately give you a competitive advantage.

For most of our clients, the process looks like this:

• Initial Consultation: We get to know your business goals, current data infrastructure, culture, and specific needs.
• Onboarding: A kick-off meeting, questionnaire, data audit, and ongoing conversations source us with key information; this info spans target audience, key performance indicators (KPIs), current data sources, and more. We work with you to gain shared access to relevant data sources and tools, like Google Analytics 4, to understand existing data and configure new tracking mechanisms. We also establish communication channels to keep our team connected with yours.
• Strategy Formulation: We develop, then present for approval, a comprehensive data capture and reporting strategy based on your company’s exact objectives and all information gathered.
• Implementation: We set up tracking codes, configure dashboards and analytics tools, and ensure all data points are accurately captured.
• Client Launch Meeting: We review the plan with you, addressing any questions, and finalizing the reporting schedule.
• Ongoing Management: We continuously monitor, analyze, and optimize data collection and reporting processes on your company’s behalf, assessing outcomes and evolving as needed!

In part 3 of this series, we’ll talk about reporting and dashboards in more detail for businesses handling data collection on their own.

Or you can skip that learning curve and put data collection in the hands of the Hammer Marketing pros instead. Contact Hammer Marketing for a free consultation.