• by Catherine Magoffin , December 4, 2014

While most marketers completely get the notion of big data, most of the marketing teams I’ve spoken with over the past year realize they are not putting this data to use in ways that improve the customer experience, drive conversion and achieve their marketing goals.

So why aren’t more marketers rocking their data? Well, it can be a difficult and daunting process. And most marketing teams are maxed out already managing an array of cross-channel initiatives, including Web, email, mobile, social and more.

As 2015 approaches, many of us will be challenging ourselves to hit the gym, eat fewer bonbons and generally become the better version of ourselves. Let’s also use the new year as a chance to challenge ourselves on the data front.

Read on for six immediate ways to rock your data in 2015:

Inferred data based on clicks. Email opens, clicks and corresponding web site actions are valuable data that can be made immediately actionable to drive automated, contextual next touch messaging. Generally understanding who is active or inactive in email, how often they are clicking, and what type of content they are clicking (navigation bars, specific content blocks, etc.) provides an opportunity for present tense, contextual marketing.

Visual surveys. Introducing an overt data capture via a visual survey can be a compelling way to generate data from subscribers or site visitors. Use images and register clicks as actionable data attributes that imply an affinity to a certain product, brand or category. Take that data and apply it to an automated program track to continue driving the consumer down a path to key conversion points.

Yes/no buttons. Putting one question with a yes or no button in an email can be a very user-friendly way to gather immediately actionable data. For example, asking consumers “Did you receive your product on time?” can be a key question that delivers insight into consumer satisfaction. This question can trigger recommendations on products they are most likely to purchase next  and also inform customer service follow-up. And, it can be a natural queue up to social sharing, referrals and solicitation of ratings and reviews.

Social sharing . By providing social sharing options in email, marketers can begin to understand what type of content drives word-of-mouth sharing, what segments of subscribers are more actively sharing and what social networks consumers are engaged with and using the most.

Mobile engagement. Mobile email opens are in the ~70% range for many marketers. Understanding which subscribers are opening emails on mobile (or not), what devices are being used and which segments are engaged via mobile applications are valuable data points. Mobile interaction data may be leveraged to deliver a more relevant experience based on activity and inferred preferences. Subscribers not currently engaging via mobile can represent an immediate opportunity for targeting with mobile application download call-to-actions and device-specific link customization.

Conversion actions. Understanding conversion data offers a huge opportunity to drive additional conversions. Specifically, harnessing data about the last conversion point, time of conversion, profile of converting consumers and next most likely conversion point are key to messaging and segmentation strategies.

These are just a few examples of data opportunities immediately actionable in the inbox and beyond, plus they support a long-term data strategy with robust cross-channel and behavioral data.  The challenge to rock your data is clear heading into 2015. Email marketers, let’s rock!