Recently, Search Engine Journal posted an article about some of the commonplace mistakes that digital marketers make. The article spotlights mistakes related to data and reporting. We’ll take a deeper dive into the article to explore some key points addressed by the author:
Here is an excerpt from the article:
10 Top Data Analysis Mistakes Digital Marketers Make
by Tim Jensen, published by Search Engine Journal, May 20, 2021
“Reporting and data analysis inevitably encompass a significant amount of our time as digital marketers.
However, even experienced marketers can trip up and make a few common mistakes when looking at data and making decisions.
You need to stay mindful of errors that can result in looking at the wrong data, reaching the wrong conclusions, or leaving the door open for faulty interpretations from a client or boss.
In this article, you’ll learn 10 common mistakes digital marketers make when analyzing data:
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- Not looking at a statistically significant timeframe.
- Not factoring in seasonality.
- Ignoring the impact of offline activity.
- Not accounting for multi-channel engagement.
- Reporting on numbers without conclusions.
- Focusing on the wrong KPIs.
- Making decisions based on faulty data.
- Not incorporating backend data.
- Visualizing data poorly.
- Assuming that you can measure everything…
Now that you’ve reviewed these 10 common mistakes, think through your own processes of evaluating and reporting on data.
Are you looking at significant enough data?
Are you factoring in events outside of what’s tracked in your analytics and ad platforms?
Are you providing enough context for your reports?
Be mindful of these potential mistakes when working through making decisions for your campaigns, as well as when preparing reports.”
Tips for Effective Data Analysis
There’s so much data for digital marketers to evaluate that it’s easy to get lost in the maze of it. Moreover, that maze shifts each day, week, and month. Keeping up with data analysis is clearly a full-time job in itself, and for busy digital marketers who have plenty of other tasks to complete in a day, it’s easy to make some missteps concerning data analysis.
While each of the mistakes outlined here has potential to impact digital marketing plans, “making decisions based on faulty data” is, perhaps, the mistake on which all of these mistakes hinge. In fact, why bother with data analysis unless you can rely on that analysis to make good decisions?
Wrong decisions based on faulty data can cost businesses. For instance, failing to factor in seasonality can result in a failed marketing campaign. Examining only one channel engagement before making decisions can also throw off an entire campaign. The article highlights the importance of making “data-informed decisions,” but faulty data remains an issue for many digital marketers who are stressed for time.
Blue Interactive Agency specializes in digital marketing and prioritizes data analysis, helping to ensure that clients can make data-informed decisions based on quality data and expert analysis. Before making major (and expensive) decisions that affect your digital marketing initiatives, it’s crucial to avoid pitfalls like those outlined here. Blue Interactive Agency can help. Contact us to learn more about our data analysis and other marketing solutions.