Digital Marketing - Study Notes:
What is data?
To work with data effectively, it’s important to understand what this term means. Essentially, data is information in a raw or unorganized form – such as letters, numbers, or symbols – that refers to or represents conditions, ideas, or objects.
Data challenges
Working with data is sometimes challenging. There are several reasons for this:
- Limitlessness: Data is potentially limitless, so the first challenge is that the sheer amount of data available to analysts can be overwhelming.
- Interpretation: With the abundance of data, we can try to manipulate it to get it to tell the story that we want to tell. This can lead to falsehoods, which is one of the big issues with analyzing data.
- Security: This is becoming a fundamental issue in terms of privacy. There have been lots of examples where data has been compromised, and has been leaked on to the internet, so it is crucial to think about the way we store and secure data.
- Relevance: Data is unequivocally linked to time. With so much data, it can become irrelevant very quickly. Today, real-time data is something that people, particularly consumers, expect, so we need to react quickly.
- Accuracy: How accurate do we make the data? And is it capturing all the factors and variables that we want it to?
- Time: It is important that you use the data quickly, almost in real time. Organizational systems often make it difficult to do that.
Analysts must now also consider the challenges posed by data privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. They need to ensure that they remain compliant. This involves managing large datasets effectively while also maintaining data privacy and security.
Back to TopChristopher Coomer
Chris is a results-driven VP of data, analytics, and business intelligence driving data management, analytics strategies, and technical architecture to scale optimized enterprise operations. As a trusted advisor and strategic business partner, Chris develops meaningful data insights and infrastructures through business intelligence and data analytics strategies to optimize business functions and drive impactful ROIs. Chris is also an enthusiastic and passionate educator in the field of data and analytics and marketing at The University of Tampa.
Cathal Melinn
Cathal Melinn is a well-known Digital Marketing Director, commercial analyst, and eommerce specialist with over 15 years’ experience.
Cathal is a respected international conference speaker, course lecturer, and digital trainer. He specializes in driving complete understanding from students across a number of digital marketing disciplines including: paid and organic search (PPC and SEO), analytics, strategy and planning, social media, reporting, and optimization. Cathal works with digital professionals in over 80 countries and teaches at all levels of experience from beginner to advanced.
Alongside his training and course work, Cathal runs his own digital marketing agency and is considered an analytics and revenue-generating guru - at enterprise level. He has extensive local and international experience working with top B2B and B2C brands across multiple industries.
Over his career, Cathal has worked client-side too, with digital marketing agencies and media owners, for brands including HSBC, Amazon, Apple, Red Bull, Dell, Vodafone, Compare the Market, Aer Lingus, and Expedia.
He can be reached on LinkedIn here.
Clark Boyd
Clark Boyd is CEO and founder of marketing simulations company Novela. He is also a digital strategy consultant, author, and trainer. Over the last 12 years, he has devised and implemented international marketing strategies for brands including American Express, Adidas, and General Motors.
Today, Clark works with business schools at the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Columbia University to design and deliver their executive-education courses on data analytics and digital marketing.
Clark is a certified Google trainer and runs Google workshops across Europe and the Middle East. This year, he has delivered keynote speeches at leadership events in Latin America, Europe, and the US. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and Slideshare. He writes regularly on Medium and you can subscribe to his email newsletter, hi, tech.
