LET'S GET IT ON

DATA

MARKETERS SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ATTEMPTING TO FIND CUSTOMERS'  LOVE LANGUAGE — WHAT DO THEY WANT? WHAT MAKES THEM TICK?

BEST BET FOR DATA

HIT US UP

+

AREN'T YOU CURIOUS

CHANNELS

I DON’T HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL, BUT I DO HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHERE EMAIL IS HEADED IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WE ARE ON THE CUSP...

5 YEARS FORWARD: EMAIL

+

GET TO KNOW US

CULTURE

WE GIVE BRILLIANT CREATIVE A FUNCTIONAL, TECHNICAL BACKBONE THAT MAKES IT FEASIBLE IN REAL LIFE, NOT JUST COOL TO TALK ABOUT IN A KEYNOTE.

LEAST GLAMOROUS

LOVE COFFEE? OR MARKETING? OR DEBATING WHETHER HAN SOLO REALLY DID SHOOT FIRST? WE’RE ALWAYS DOWN TO GEEK OUT, TALK SHOP, TALK SHIT, AND CO-CAFFEINATE WITH LIKEMINDED PEOPLE. FIRST ROUND’S ON US.

NERD OUT WITH US

+

DATA

BEST BET FOR DATA

LET YOUR CUSTOMERS DECLARE THEIR LOVE

In 1992, Gary Chapman published “The Five Love Languages,” a book about relationships which has since sold millions of copies and enjoyed a decade on the New York Times Best Sellers list. In it, Chapman identifies specific ways in which people communicate love, as well as how they prefer it to be communicated to them: things like compliments, gifts, or acts of service. The book’s takeaway is that once you and your partner identify each others’ love languages, you can move forward with a clearer understanding of how to intentionally express love in the specific way your partner will most appreciate, and vice versa — as well as how to avoid wasting your time on an “act of service” when what he or she really wants to hear is a compliment on their new haircut.

Marketers spend a lot of time and money attempting to find the equivalent of a love language for their customers — what do they want? What makes them tick? How can we reach them in a way that’ll actually resonate? If we’re giving them “acts of service” when what they really respond to is “words of affirmation,” are we wasting our money? (Yes.) In 2019, brands are dropping ungodly sums of money on dump-trucks full of data, and diving into the heap face-first to try and pluck out something useful. But what more marketers should realize is this: in 2019, it isn’t Facebook, or Google, or Experian who can tell you what your customers need. It’s just your customers.

I’m not talking about observed or inferred or predictive data — those are helpful tools, sure. But none of them can compare to getting it straight from the horse’s mouth. Marketing with third-party data is a little like buying a ticket to Lollapalooza with the hope of bumping into your friend there: sure, you know they’re in the crowd somewhere. And, presumably, many of the other people in the crowd have a lot in common with your friend. But how likely is it that you’re really going to find that one individual in a sea of 90,000 faces? They’re all really similar, but only one of them is the person you’re looking for.

MICHELE GRANT

FOUNDER + CEO

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...

DATA

"Marketing with third-party data is a little like buying a ticket to Lollapalooza with the hope of bumping into your friend there: sure, you know they’re in the crowd somewhere. And, presumably, many of the other people in the crowd have a lot in common with your friend."

linkedin-mono

Even other types of first-party data, while useful, aren’t as powerful as we’d like to believe. It’s like predicting the future with astrology or tarot cards: you might be vaguely accurate every now and then, but you’ll never be precise, because it’s not an exact science.

Declared data is infinitely more precise, because it requires talking to your customer and listening to what they say. It’s a shame, then, that we under-solicit it so much. Imagine what you could learn if you asked just one question each time you interacted with a customer. Imagine if a brand like Banana Republic emailed me about their two newest spring styles, but rather than simply announcing “New Arrivals!” in the headline, directed me to pick the one I liked more. When I click on one over the other, that yields crucial data — data that can then play a powerful role not only in marketing, but product development. You can bring to market something that you know holds actual, proven value among your customers.

What we’re ultimately trying to decipher when we talk to customers is the stuff that forms the backbone of good, impactful marketing: what motivates you? What drives you? What do you aspire to? No marketing strategy can truly resonate without knowing those answers. And nothing will provide sharper, more precise answers than declared data.

Brands, manufacturers, businesses: you are doing your customers a service by talking to them. And not just in “getting them to buy more stuff” — you can actually make their lives easier. Use it to show them products that are more tailored to what they want. Use it to make their experiences more seamless. Use it for creating a better business. If you aren’t asking them what they want, you’re probably not giving it to them.

+

WAIT THERE'S MORE

CAPABILITY NAME

I’M A TEXT BOX. DOUBLE CLICK ME TO EDIT THE TEXT OR TO CHANGE THE WAY I LOOK. YOU CAN CHANGE THE FONT, SIZE, COLOR, AND SO MUCH MORE. FOR ADVANCED STYLING OPTIONS, CLICK ON “MORE” LOCATED ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE TEXT EDITING MENU.

CLIENT NAME LOREM

+