Is Big Data always better?

 

 

 

Having become the digital marketing buzzword of the moment, Big Data has made a name for itself as something brands should aspire to work with, thanks to the likes of digital giants, Facebook and Google.

 

Very simply put, Big Data refers to extremely large data sets pulled for analysis. These data sets usually require new forms of processing, as those traditionally used by marketers are inadequate at dealing with the sheer volume of information.

 

But is having this wealth of data all it’s cracked up to be? Could it actually cloud marketers’ abilities to make decisions? Is it all even necessary?

 

Our Performance Director, Jenny Moran, explores this topic in our recent blog, which you can read in full here. Below are two key takeaways that demonstrate how Big Data can actually become a hindrance, rather than helping you obtain insights to drive your digital strategy.

 

 

While having as much data as is available to you may seem like the best approach, in order to be effective, marketers must be willing to invest in cleaning and maintaining it. To draw conclusions from data opens brands up to the possibility of presenting ineffective and even inaccurate insights.

 

There is also the likelihood that the more data available to you, the more reports, stats and analysis can (and will!) be requested from you, by various stakeholders around the business. This can all result in the high probability that hours, even days, will be spent number crunching, without a clear objective in mind.

 

 

Another issue marketers are increasingly facing following the rise of Big Data is the percentage of time left to take action from the insights pulled. This is often greatly reduced due to so much time being spent on the above.

 

While you may have a wealth of data at your fingertips, there is little value in owning it unless you can use it to drive effective changes to your marketing strategy and campaigns.  

 

Do you want to find out how you should approach your data, to ensure that it’s actionable and effective? Read the full article on our blog here or drop us a line to find out how we can improve the performance of your digital marketing.