What does it mean to be data driven? It means to use data and insights to inform your decisions and actions, rather than relying on intuition, assumptions, or opinions. Data driven decisions can help you achieve better results, improve efficiency, reduce risks, and optimise your resources.
But how does this apply to communications teams? Aren’t communications all about creativity, storytelling, and human connection? How can data help with that?
The answer is: data can help a lot. Data can help communications teams understand their audiences, measure their impact, optimise their strategies, and demonstrate their value. Here are some examples of how and why communications teams should make more data driven decisions.
Data can help you segment your audiences based on their demographics, preferences, behaviours, and needs. This can help you tailor your messages, channels, and formats to suit each audience and increase engagement. For example, you can use data to find out which topics interest your employees the most, which channels they prefer to receive information from, and how they respond to different types of content. This way, you can create more relevant and personalised communications that resonate with your audiences.
Data can help you track and evaluate the effectiveness of your communications campaigns and initiatives. You can use data to measure key performance indicators (KPIs) such as reach, engagement, sentiment, conversion, retention, and advocacy. This can help you assess whether you are achieving your communications goals and objectives and identify areas for improvement. For example, you can use data to find out how many people read your newsletter, how many clicked on a link, how many shared it with others, and how they felt about it. This way, you can determine the return on investment (ROI) of your communications efforts and adjust your tactics accordingly.
Data can help you test and compare different communications approaches and find out what works best for your audiences and goals. You can use data to conduct experiments, such as A/B testing, to compare different versions of your messages, designs, layouts, headlines, calls to action, and so on. This can help you optimise your communications strategies and increase your chances of success. For example, you can use data to find out which subject line generates more open rates, which image attracts more attention, or which button leads to more conversions. This way, you can fine-tune your communications elements and maximise your outcomes.
Data can help you communicate your communications results and achievements to your stakeholders and management. You can use data to create reports, dashboards, and presentations that showcase the impact and value of your communications work. This can help you justify your budget, resources, and priorities, and gain support and recognition for your team. For example, you can use data to show how your communications campaigns increased awareness, loyalty, satisfaction, or sales among your target audiences, and how that contributed to the overall organisational goals and mission. This way, you can prove your communications worth and influence.
Addin Analytics is a tool for Microsoft 365 that can help you to:
Segment your audiences based on their demographics, preferences, behaviours, and needs.
Track and evaluate the effectiveness of your communications campaigns and initiatives.
Test and compare different communications approaches and find out what works best for your audiences and goals.
Communicate your communications results and achievements to your stakeholders and management.
If you want to learn more about how Addin Analytics can help you to make more data-driven decisions, you can either sign up to our September webinar or contact us today for a demo.
Addin Analytics is compatible with out of the box SharePoint and all third-party ‘intranet in a box’ products.
