Digital tools have been around for 10-15 years now.
They get better all the time, sure. But the concept and application of them have been around for quite a while now.
Which should imply that we have gotten better at being able to apply them in a meaningful manner.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t really been the case.
If you are anyone that has revenue responsibility, you know that DATA is everywhere. You know that the impulse to use data is almost too much to resist.
You also likely know that the impact of the data on your bottom line is often difficult to understand or express.
There’s a number of reasons why.
First, we have to make sure that we are applying the data in the right way.
If we aren’t careful, we allow data to fall into the trap of being a great analytics tool that destroys the emotion in our efforts.
Second, we are reliant on the data to help us make decisions based on measurements that may or many not be the correct ones.
Why?
Because they are simple.
When you combine the two causes, you often come up with the boring, mundane, meaningless kind of digital ads that exist in so many places.
In too many cases, we just treat our potential customers and even existing ones like numbers and data on a spreadsheet.
This leads to tone deaf decisions and ads like charging $11 for a Bud Light, splashing millions of pre-roll videos before YouTube videos, or any number of other irritating practices that you can make the data say work.
The thing is, we have almost become blind to the difference between the easy and the meaningful.
Posting a piece of digital content across social channels is easy. You might get clicks, likes, or whatever.
You aren’t likely to convert anyone.
Pushing your message out like spam, may get you “attention” but it isn’t likely to create a connection.
Basing your decisions off of a spreadsheet may maximize your revenue now, but it is unlikely to develop a relationship for the future.
The truth is that easy is bankrupt. The hard work comes from doing the difficult and being willing to commit to it for the long haul.