Data collection is the heartbeat of successful digital marketing. Without it, your marketing efforts will be done based on guess work. And mere guessing doesn’t work for brands that want to grow and expand sustainably.
What Is Data Collection?
Data collection is activity recorded in numbers. It is just like (and includes) engagement metrics — how many people saw your post, clicked your link, bought something after seeing an ad, or which part of your website people leave first. Altogether, this information helps you track what works, and what doesn’t.
The importance of data collection in marketing
- You won’t improve if you don’t measure. If you post content on Instagram or run ads without checking which ones got clicks –and which ones got silence– you’ll keep battling with strategies that don’t ever bring results.
- Data collection helps you spend your business’ money smartly. For example, if your ads are bringing more website visitors than other posting channels (e.g social media posts), you might want to spend more money there instead of spreading your resources thin across all channels.
- It helps you understand your audience by calculating things like: what time of day they are most active, which kind of posts they like more (videos? graphics?), where they live (country and city), and what they care about. All of this lets you tailor your message properly, instead of guessing.
How poor data collection affects your business
Here’s what happens if you ignore proper data collection and monitoring:
- Your time spent on creating content may turn out to be a waste if nobody sees it.
- You overspend on channels that don’t convert
- You miss out on a lot of opportunities to reach the right people
- Your message feels generic, and doesn’t stand out to any particular group of people
Also note that having inaccurate or bad data leads to making wrong decisions. If your data analytics tools aren’t set up properly, you might be led to think a campaign failed or succeed when it didn’t
How to make the most of data for digital marketing
Here are a few simple steps you or any small brand can start using right away:
1. Track what matters: To avoid confusion, choose a few defined metrics to follow: website traffic, post engagement (likes/comments/shares), ad clicks, conversion (e.g. someone signs up or buys something).
2. Set goals & benchmarks: Compare the present month with the previous month. As a goal, try to increase engagement by 10%, or boost leads. Use those goals to tweak your strategy.
3. Run small tests: Tests are done by comparing two or more results to see which one works best. For example, try two versions of a social media caption or a design, and see which one gets more attention (by paying close attention to the engagement metrics). Use the winning style more often.
4. Check what your users are doing: When it comes to your website, pay close attention. Are mobile users spending too short a time? That might mean your site is slow or hard to read on phones.
Are your facebook reels not getting enough watch time? Then review the video editing style or content style
5. Check your insights regularly: Every month (which is typical for most users) , review your data. Check which posts got the most engagement, what time they were posted, which design style was used. Then plan your next month’s posts using what you have learned
Examples that explain what we mean
Let’s say you run a small food business in Lagos. You post two styles of video — one showing your cooking process, another with customer reviews. If you compare your “reach” and “comments” on both, you might see that the review clips get more saves and shares. From that moment, you can start posting more review-style clips than cooking process videos. That decision to make that shift is because of data, not guesswork.
Another good example is if your website loads slowly on phones. Data from your analytics can help show you if mobile users leave before clicking the link to view the product. Knowing this, you can then speed up images or simplify the website layout and see conversions because the site is easier to use.
In conclusion
Data collection is not optional. If you want your brand to grow, to be seen, to connect with real people, you need to measure, test, adjust, and evolve. If you’re ready to build data-driven marketing for your brand, join our Telegram community for Brands & SMEs. We also run free classes from time to time to help you turn data into sustainable growth for your business.
