Lesson 1: Following the MAP, Part 1
Post #1 in the series: Course Overview
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This lesson will discuss 5Â things:
Getting to a big idea is hard -- You need a Map
Thorough analysis must start with thorough planning
Collecting the right data will unlock insights
Analysis must point to relevant powerful insights
Reporting should tell powerful stories people will remember
Getting to a big idea is hard
Youâd love to come up with a big new idea to advance your marketing program but if all you do is think about it, it wonât be enough.
So we have a 4-step process, our Map, to guide us.
1. Plan - Define Success: Determine a single clear and quantifiable objective you will investigate and document your approach to analysis
2. Collect - Measure What Matters: Use tools to acquire data you need to answer your key questions and assemble them into a data management program for analysis
3. Analyze - Monitor and Learn: Tidy data to ensure analysis is free from errors, conduct analysis and offer recommendations that help achieve the organizationâs objective
4. Report - Communicate and Act: Tell a clear, memorable story to stakeholders and move resources to working areas and away from those that fail to produce
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Planning
Establish the campaign/brand/companyâs clear, singular objective to be addressed by your analysis.
   - Choosing a singular objective is important so you donât take on too much. Taking on too much will scatter the analysis and render it unsuccessful. Very important!
Define key questions you will be asking of the data. This will dictate what data you need to answer the questions and the sources youâll use to get the data
Identify the type of analysis you will be conducting and the resultant data you will need
Document the process of your plan to collect the data - the data you require and the sources (and tools) you will use
Collecting
Figure out how you can get data from the sources youâve identified in your planning document
Utilize data mining tools and techniques necessary to collect required data
Select a data management system that balances your needs for power and simplicity
Ensure the effectiveness of future analysis by limiting bias in the data
Analyze
Produce âtidy,â analysis-ready datasets to ensure your analysis is error-free
Proactively address data-quality issues and concerns. No dataset will be perfect and thatâs OK. Your marketing savvy will kick-in when its needed.
Perform analysis techniques that lead you to draw conclusions from collected data
Compress learnings into easy-to-understand snippets by constantly asking yourself, whatâs the 60 second story?
Report
Leverage pre-attentive attributes in visual perception to quickly and effectively communicate your meaning
Ensure that recommendations are as clear and concise possible
Follow simple rules of design to visualize insights with impact
Connect to your audience with passion to ensure your story is memorable
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So what have we learned?
1. Getting to a big idea is tough, use a map
2. Planning is critical to creating a useful analysis
3. Collect the right data
4. The analysis must point to relevant and powerful insights
5. Connect the analysis story with the stakeholders