It’s no secret that sitting on a pile of data is a blessing and a curse.
A blessing in the sense that it offers a company so much potential to grow,
excel, and improve, and a curse in the sense that if it isn’t analyzed properly
or if it isn’t analyzed at all it can be extremely detrimental. According to a
report from LinkedIn, data analysis is one of the hottest skill categories
because companies want individuals who can tell stories of their numbers. Data
storytelling can best be defined as: “the process of translating data analyses into layman's terms
in order to influence a business decision or action” (searchcio.techtarget.com).
There are 3 key elements in data storytelling: data, visuals, and narrative. When
data and narratives are combined, it helps in the explanation process to the
target audience of what is occurring in the data as well as why a certain
insight has significant value. Additionally, visuals can be applied to data and
help in informing the audience to insights they would not see if graphs or
charts were not presented. When narratives and visuals are combined, it helps
in the entertainment or engagement of the consumers the company is targeting.
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A critical topic, especially translating data effectively. I struggle with that. I know what I'm talking about in team meetings - but I start drawing blanks when I need to tell the stories in layman terms. Upping your skills in visual storytelling and reporting seems to me to be the best way to make digital marketing more important to your colleagues, and make yourself a better candidate for ladder-climbing.
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