Why Most "Marketers" Don’t Trust Their Data

I admit it. I pick on these guys. "Marketers", I mean. And I give some specific reasons for that in posts linked below. But today's post is about an article I just read this morning.

We live in the age of "Big Data". Yes, the term is falling out of favor (with the same people I pick on, among others), but the reality is still the reality. And, as it turns out, the reality is part of their problem.

The questions that were asked included:

• What does marketing measurement look like on the ground, to the people running the metrics?
• What channels are they using?
• How are they measuring them?
• What do executives want to know, and which metrics and tools deliver those answers?
• What’s getting in the way of unified marketing analytics? and.
• What are marketers doing to overcome those roadblocks?

These questions arose because "most marketers" us at least six tools to measure results.  But half  don’t trust the results.

"Challenges in data collection and centralization" came in as the #1 issue (almost 60% identified this), with nearly half saying they were unable to "gain actionable insight" from the reams of data at their disposal.  More than 3/4 "plan to use or adopt an attribution solution" (but don't necessarily agree on a definition of "attribution"), while more than 1/4 plan to use statistical modeling and algorithms (geek stuff), and nearly 1/4 are going to stick with "last-click" to determine where a particular customer came from (who cares how they got there, right?).

You do.  You, a local small business owner, already understand "attribution".  That's the "marketers" term - the NATIONAL "marketers'" term, for a question you ask, if you don't know.  "How did you find us?"  "Who referred you?"  If they came with coupon-in-hand, or someone else's business card, you don't even have to ask.

It comes down to what I posted here, and here, and here.  "Marketers" and those that write about them, have absolutely no interest in you.

But WE ARE YOU.  Local Motive Marketing IS LOCAL; IS SMALL.  And we want to keep as much "bottom line" in Phoenix, the Valley, and Arizona as we can.