How Data Inspires Belief
Jan 21st, 2010 by admin
Seth Godin’s recent blog post, “Too much data leads to not enough belief,” accurately asserts that we become skeptical when facing a lot of data that has been offered to prove a point. He goes on to say that the real mission of marketing is to make an emotional connection. I couldn’t agree more. However, that’s not the end of the issue.
I believe having a large, accurate supply of data is the very best way to create an emotional connection. It’s the core driver in one-to-one marketing.
How do you create an emotional connection with a wide audience of completely different individuals? Each one has a personal belief about your organization. Is it reasonable to assume that you can effectively connect with each of them using the same message? No. We all know that the best way to connect with someone is to meet them on their own terms. That requires a large supply of accurate data. It also requires using the data to drive the content of the message to make an emotional point that is relevant to the person being addressed. It’s what we do in a one-on –one conversation. That’s one of the reasons why social media is so popular — it enables relevant conversations.
Relevance is the key to making an emotional connection and motivating action. Because no two people are alike, it makes sense to understand and record how we are all different. That’s why you should collect customer data. Are there similarities between us? Yes, that’s why we use segmentation in developing marketing messages. One-to-one marketing is a process of using customer data to drive massive segmentation to an individual level. It enables you to make an emotional connection that is relevant to each recipient motivating him or her to take action. Too much data leads to not enough belief if you simply show the data. It leads to sincere, widespread belief if you use the data wisely.
Image: ViaMoi at Flickr under Creative Commons License
well put. and i’m sorry but godin is the last person to whom you should be apologizing..i sometimes find that some bloggers try too hard to crank out content as if some twisted creative biological clock is driving them to be flesh out content beyond the bare bones.. much like same frenxy crazed followers get while under threat of restraining orders..but i digress.
data is part of the relevance equation. period. there is no if’s and’s or but’s about that..”Too much data leads to not enough belief”? that’s just plain guru-talk, you might as well say “give me your soul and i’ll set you free!” rubbish.
but superb post. well done.
Thanks, Autom. I agree, the rush to get content out is a detriment to quality. I think at face value Seth Godin made a good point — you can’t reach someone emotionally by showering them with numbers. But that doesn’t mean the numbers have no value.
Your post is exactly on target! 1to1 marketing is all about knowing each customer, and the way you know them is through data. When you prove you really know them and are listening to them, you become believable. That’s the way to use data intelligently.
Thanks, Andrea! That’s the most concise and accurate description of the value of 1to1 marketing that I believe I’ve ever heard.