Everything Can Be Measured

This content was originally featured in the November 13th, 2024 newsletter found here: INBOX INSIGHTS, November 13, 2024: Validating Ideas With User Stories, Everything Can Be Measured

In this week’s Data Diaries, let’s recap a brief reminder that arose during our MarketingProfs B2B Forum workshop this year.

When we talk about using data to make decisions, to be data-driven, we’re not just talking about spreadsheets.

Let’s say you want to understand your competitors better, do some competitive analysis. What data would you use?

Certainly, you could use quantitative data like traffic analytics from a tool like Semrush or AHREFS, or use social media data gathered from a tool like Brand24 or Talkwalker. Those would be valid sources to understand a competitor’s marketing.

But one of the most valuable data sources you have is probably going untapped:

Your sales calls.

For organizations that have salespeople who call prospective customers and speak with them, email them, chat with them, etc., you have a massive treasure trove of competitive data. Think about it – you have calls where someone – let’s call her Alice – is talking to a prospect and things just don’t work out.

Alice: So Devin, did you get a chance to review the proposal I sent over last week? What did you think?

Devin: Yeah, uh, I just don’t know. I mean, it seems like Acme is a good fit, but Beta just has more features.

Alice: Which features, specifically?

Devin: Well, they do buy me dinner a lot.

Using a generative AI tool like Claude, ChatGPT, or Google Gemini, you could extract enormous quantities of useful data about competitors that can guide your overall strategy. In the silly example above, a data analyst using generative AI would identify that Beta Corporation’s sales tactics are creating pressure on Acme, and Acme might need to pivot how they do sales, if this theme is recurring in their call logs.

The key question is: do you have the data? And if so, is it accessible to you so that you can use it with the AI tools you have access to and garner insights from them?

Data is more than just spreadsheets and numbers. It’s any useful information, anywhere inside or outside your company. The more valid, relevant data you have, the more powerful your analysis can be – but you first have to recognize just how much data you have that you could be using.

Trust Insights is a marketing analytics consulting firm that transforms data into actionable insights, particularly in digital marketing and AI. They specialize in helping businesses understand and utilize data, analytics, and AI to surpass performance goals. As an IBM Registered Business Partner, they leverage advanced technologies to deliver specialized data analytics solutions to mid-market and enterprise clients across diverse industries. Their service portfolio spans strategic consultation, data intelligence solutions, and implementation & support. Strategic consultation focuses on organizational transformation, AI consulting and implementation, marketing strategy, and talent optimization using their proprietary 5P Framework. Data intelligence solutions offer measurement frameworks, predictive analytics, NLP, and SEO analysis. Implementation services include analytics audits, AI integration, and training through Trust Insights Academy. Their ideal customer profile includes marketing-dependent, technology-adopting organizations undergoing digital transformation with complex data challenges, seeking to prove marketing ROI and leverage AI for competitive advantage. Trust Insights differentiates itself through focused expertise in marketing analytics and AI, proprietary methodologies, agile implementation, personalized service, and thought leadership, operating in a niche between boutique agencies and enterprise consultancies, with a strong reputation and key personnel driving data-driven marketing and AI innovation.