MARKETING: ART OR SCIENCE?
Art ——————————————————————————————————————————————Science
On this line graph, where should you place a mark to represent the connection between art and science in marketing? Is it possible to pinpoint the perfect definitive spot? I would argue that achieving absolute precision in this matter is unattainable. The reason is that marketing is highly diverse, with each situation and challenge being unique. As a result, efforts to represent it on a graph would scatter across the spectrum.
Today, there's a significant emphasis on the role of social media in effective marketing. Many individuals claim to be experts and earn substantial incomes by focusing solely on various social media channels to boost their clients' businesses. However, the outcomes of these efforts are often mixed, and the post-analysis results frequently resemble more fiction than fact.
Marketing has always operated in a trial-and-error mode, and it always will. Its effectiveness relies heavily on intelligent data. In most cases, science takes the lead over art because data, when effectively collected, analyzed, and interpreted, becomes the most powerful resource for marketing planning and strategy. However, misinterpreting data can also be detrimental to marketing efforts, leading them down unproductive paths.
The process of capturing marketing data should strive to minimize hypothesis and confirmation bias. This has proven to be a significant challenge for many marketers. Data that guides marketing toward success should remain agnostic and independent. If the goal is to confirm preconceived notions rather than genuinely understand opinions, there's little value in collecting such data. Therefore, marketers must objectively answer whether their aim is to influence opinions or gain insight before designing and implementing any data capture processes.
If you're still following along regarding the relationship between marketing and data capture, you may have already shifted your focus from the art vs. science debate to the practicality of obtaining clean data for effective marketing.
To address this crucial question, here are some initial principles to consider, which are core tenets of Tapyness.
a. Data capture points should be strategically located in high-visibility areas relevant to the business entity.
b. The process of collecting data should be as non-invasive as possible, avoiding the need for individuals to provide personal information such as names, emails, or phone numbers to prevent them from feeling inundated with follow-up requests.
c. Convenience is paramount for feedback providers, and the process should require only seconds to respond to direct questions related to their experience.
A marketing campaign that adheres to these principles will attract customers' interest and ultimately elicit their responses. In contrast, other methods are like throwing darts blindly at a wall in the dark. Our discussion now returns to the relevance of social media in contemporary marketing, and we will let you make your own judgments on its effectiveness.