Welcome to this week’s installment of my marketing-focused blog series, the clean Tusk! Consulting is a dynamic and risk prone service sector and marketing data analysts play an important role in shaping the outcomes of the world of commerce by wielding data to carve strategic pathways. Yet, this corporate pathway is riddled with challenges, especially when consulting clients with stringent data access restrictions. From grappling with the tangible issues of limited data access and ensuring compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA, to navigating the abstract waters of stakeholder trust and communication hurdles, the task is monumental.
But where challenges abound, innovation thrives. As a seasoned marketing consultant, I’ve experienced these obstacles myself and worked my way around them. Marketing data analysts are meant to harness external data, employ advanced tools, and even turn to storytelling to convey intricate insights with clarity. By fostering collaboration and feedback loops with clients, they ensure insights resonate and drive actionable results.
In this article, we will unpack these challenges and the creative strategies analysts employ to navigate them by presenting a matrix which looks to answer two key scenarios and the possible outcomes within challenging areas. Whether you’re an analyst charting these waters or a business leader keen on understanding the nuances of data consultancy, this piece is meant to be a beacon of hope in our data-restricted landscape.
TWO MAJOR CHALLENGES FOR MARKETING CONSULTANTS
Marketing data analysts and consultants face two key challenges when dealing with projects that require data and data visualization. The first is restricted access to client’s data and raw data sets. The second is having to visualize information that is conceptual or data driven in nature. It is important to recognize that although certain information may need to be visually represented in a conceptual manner, the concepts and ideas themselves may have been derived from historic data and a specific perspective or opinion on that data. Although this represents many real- world scenarios, for the purpose of this article it is the assumption on which the following solution is based. Thus, it is rather the combination of these challenges which require consultants to seek new ways of engaging with clients and not the challenges individually in their own capacities.
This brings us to write down the two chanllenging questions that give rise to the following matrix:
- Is the information conceptual or data-driven?
- Is client data accessible or inaccessible?
The answer is The Visualization Proposal Matrix and each section identifies the solution to a cross-section of challenges. Let’s explore!
Quadrant 1: Concept Visualization
Information and objective: Highly processed data from multiple sources that needs to be re- interpreted to support a new marketing strategy. For example, convincing marketing executives at a fashion brand that senior influencers can train junior influencers to create effective content instead of implementing a costly training program.
Typical challenge: Although a consulting agency may have access to marketing data, we may not have the permission to test the above mentioned program with the brand’s influencers and need to propose or pitch our ideas.
Solution: Using available data to make deductions consultants can propose a training process through diagramatic visualization. This will not only ensure that they are seeking permission for texting a process but representing in a quick and compelling manner how that suggested process would work
Quadrant 2: Concept Simulation
Information and objective: Little to no data or data sets are made available, but consultants need to suggest a new marketing strategy. For example, showing content managers that the new the content categories will align with specific parts of the marketing funnel
Typical challenge: Neither does the consulting agency have access to marketing data and nor are they allowed to acquire similar data due to restrictions of trade and agreed confidentiality periods.
Solution: The consultants can visually represent how the storytelling methodologies within new content categories will answer to the need to create awareness, consideration and influence decisions within target audience groups.
Quadrant 3: Visualization model
Information and objective: Little to no data or data sets are made available, but consultants need to show projected target data. For example, showing executives what type of progress and trajectory they can expect from hiring your agency to execute performance marketing duties.
Typical challenge: The consulting agency does not have access to marketing data.
Solution: The consultants can visually represent a proposed target data projection model (or framework) by using dummy data or simulated data through data partnerships.
Quadrant 4: Data Visualization
Information and objective: Highly processed data and raw data from multiple sources that needs to be represented in a visual format. For example, showing marketing executives what the impressions results have been like across all channels for the last quarter.
Typical challenge: Representing the data is a concise and compelling manner as executives are always short on time.
Solution: Process all available data, remove any non cyclical anomalies and use the most effective and clear diagrammatic path to create the visuals.
Conclusion
Although marketing consultants and data analysts face multiple challenges, they can incorporate alternative pitching and proposal steps in ensuring they meet their data visualization needs and keep client engagements value-focused. Most importantly, the above approach allows them to be more open to dealing with data visualization in a traditional suggestion based manner.
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