Are YOU creating a Data Driven Strategy for 2019?

Today, a data-driven marketing strategy makes the difference between shouting into the wind and getting your brand’s message heard loud and clear. But harnessing data is a monumental feat in a 24/7 world where tens of billions of interactions occur daily on Facebook alone. And harnessing all that data is just one part of the puzzle – analyzing it is a whole other challenge.

Understanding how that data applies to your target audience, and the possibilities it creates for your marketing strategy, is where the game is won or lost. Success comes to those who turn to experts in social listening and community management like ICUC, since our greatest results have come from nearly two decades of having our finger on the pulse of life online.

Listen to The People

Social media is ultimately half the world talking at once.

Are you listening? We are. Our 600-strong global team of experts is dialed into that human symphony with the aid of our deep-learning software that scans the world’s voices in real-time.

And that’s no small feat. After all, in 2017, 3.77 billion people used the internet regularly. Of those, 2.79 billion routinely used social media, with 2.55 billion doing so through their smartphones. That “noise” is essentially the largest, most freely-spoken focus group you’ll ever tap into. Every day, they’re telling you what they think, need, feel and appreciate.

If you’re not listening to them, then their friends and audiences are. A reported 71% of consumers who enjoy good social media experiences with brands are likely to tell their networks about it, and the bigger their network, the better that advertising is for the brand. And that praise isn’t being earned just during the 9-to-5 business day, because now over 33,000 chatbots are employed by brands to deliver round-the-clock customer service on Facebook alone. If you’re not using chatbots, it’s time to reconsider. Studies show 80% of online customer service inquiries can be resolved by chatbots, reserving your valuable staffing resources for more difficult cases and increasing brand loyalty while you’re at it.

But, back to smartphones. Do you realize nearly 69% of all social media and web use now happens on smartphones? Does your brand’s websites and online profiles have mobile users as an afterthought, or have you optimized it all with them in mind? Optimization means delivering everything from quick-loading video content through to fast-launching internal links, because lightweight sites and apps are critical in keeping audiences engaged. Data analysis can show you how long you’re keeping eyes on your content, but also when you lose them, why, and at what cost.

And what about video? Have you adopted video for engaging your audience? It can be a compelling and powerful way to focus your message. In fact, Facebook users consume over 100 million hours of video daily on that site alone. Don’t forget photography too. Visual content, whether photography, graphs, or video, is 40 times more likely to be shared by peer communities.

And sharing can often come down to time and place. Certain times and certain days are best for getting content seen and shared, and it changes depending on the platform too. When content gets engaged, or shared, you increase the bang for your buck, ensuring your messaging is seen beyond your audience, by their followers and fans. This is what influence is all about. Quality data analysis can reveal who in your audience holds the greatest potential for influence, and even better, can help you strategize on reaching them.

Numbers Will Show You the Way

Analyzing data should go beyond your audience and demographic. It’s also a tool for better understanding your competition – how they operate, why they succeed and why they don’t. Listening to their audience can give you insight to opportunities down the road for both increasing resonance in your audience, but also expanding your business horizons.

All this information is out there, ready for the taking if you’re willing to listen.

But, going back to the “noise” comment earlier, the reality is that there’s a data tsunami daily. Not all of it is worth your time. Just like chatbots are commandeering the customer service world, bots are also populating social media, as are trolls and other low-value accounts that shouldn’t influence your data deep-dives. Stripping that out is part of quieting the “noise” of social data.

For most, monitoring mentions and managing online communities are daunting tasks, but they’re the most enlightening things you’ll ever do as a brand. It’s nearly impossible for anyone’s in-house team to be on top of all of that, across all the platforms.

That’s why even big brands like Starbucks turn to us to make it happen.

Where Do You Want to Go?

In short, if you’re not currently using social media insights to inform your strategy, you’re not using the greatest tool the marketing industry has ever had.

Social media is the world’s biggest focus group, a 24/7 free-for-all of public opinion and product research. It’s an infinite resource for what people say about not only your brand, but your competition. With our data services, you will learn consumer opinions, disappointments, expectations, and even why people’s brand allegiances are what they are. For some clients, these insights are explosively illuminating.

What could you achieve if you truly understood what consumers want, what they wish your brand delivered, why they stay, and why they go?

We’ll tell you what you can achieve. Talk to us.

Perhaps you’re interested in research and planning, or maybe you need help crafting a creative strategy to capitalize on your existing audience. We do those things. We also offer media planning and monthly strategy insight reports, along with measuring the returns on your investment. Maybe you want just one service, or perhaps you’d like to bundle them together for a feast of insights with attractive pricing. Whatever your needs, we have solutions to give you the world while influencing your strategies in ways you never imagined.