Going Beyond Spreadsheets
You would think that in a world where access to information is based on more data than it ever has been, we would be quite informed. Unfortunately, we are now tempted to hide behind inaccurate and inhuman data that is based on massive points of data collection. Rather than understanding people, we base our marketing decisions on Excel sheets. To truly understand the motivations and mindsets behind purchases, however, we must think beyond that data.
31% of adults in the United States are online almost constantly.
“Zoom” has gone from the name of a brand to a common verb almost overnight.
While we might be unable to sit in a coffee shop and meet with our customers, we can dive into the intimate world of a customer’s office or living room through Zoom or other similar apps. Plus, with consumers spending more and more time filming themselves and using video chat, it has gone from something that was once quite awkward to something that feels incredibly casual.
It is important that marketers take advantage of opportunities like these to better understand consumers through digital mediums.
The action of hopping on a zoom call and talking “face-to-face” with someone can provide serious insight.
Working with someone to find that time is very important, especially considering that as certain marketing conditions become tougher and tougher, the deep understanding we can gain from true interaction might just be the key to survival and success.
Of course, this article isn’t meant to bash data, as having the ability to capture data in digital form to gain a more detailed understanding of the market is important. However, the real important data lies not in what customers are doing differently in a world where COVID made its mark, but why they are choosing to do things differently.
With real interactions, we can better understand why people behave in certain ways and use that understanding to create valuable and relevant brand experiences or more genuine communications.
This idea of why can only be uncovered through a more personal investigation of consumers that lie behind the wall of spreadsheet data.
