Are you making the most of predictive analytics?

Published August 28, 2014 at 10:23 am

Data is everywhere these days. With more people turning to mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets to communicate, shop and perform other activities that require internet connectivity, there is a wealth of information available. By taking this information and translating it into actionable insight, marketers can create more finely tuned campaign marketing strategies.

Analysis is required to use available data. With the help of software, marketers can translate this information into insight to assist in their campaigns. The idea is to improve campaigns by better predicting customer behavior. However, the systems for accomplishing this are not yet perfect.

Al Urbanski discusses this idea in a recent article for Direct Marketing News, citing information from Edo Airoldi, a Harvard statistics professor who says that marketers often use correlations to make predictions. Making decisions based on a correlation is different from making one that is based on a cause-and-effect relationship. As such, there is a ways to go before marketers can truly make the most accurate decisions based on customer data, and Airoldi suggests data and predictive analytics must be combined to achieve the greatest insight.

Predictive analytics can certainly give campaigns an advantage. Analytics allow marketers to more easily see consumer trends and focus on converting those trends into action. Automated marketing software can assist marketers in achieving this goal, allowing them to more directly bring customers what they want, and increase sales at the same time.

Automated marketing software also helps marketing departments based in different geographical regions make decisions about how to appeal to customers in those specific areas. With software, marketers can deliver personalized materials while maintaining cost-effectiveness and increasing efficiency at the same time.