The Data Driven Newsletter
​Harnessing Data to Drive Growth
​Volume 11.10.4
October 27, 2023

Reading time: 5 minutes

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Hey Reader,

Each week, we deliver data-driven marketing insights and advice in this newsletter to help you make smarter business decisions.

✨ Can You Be Both Creative and Data-Driven?

Being data-driven in marketing means you get insights from numbers and reports.

But does that leave any room for creativity?

You bet it does! Marketing is both an art and a science, so you need both creativity and a willingness to use data to guide you.

You see, the data should inspire the creative, not restrict it.

The numbers tell a story about what's working and what's not. From there, the magic happens when you use those insights to imagine fresh, innovative ideas.

For me, around 80% of my marketing strategy ties directly back to the hard performance data, and the other 20% is where I come up with new ideas. Ideas that result in “a-HA” moments serve as fuel for my new campaigns and content. But these wouldn’t be possible without the data analytics provided us with in the first place.

It's important not to take the numbers too literally. Instead of letting data dictate your direction, use it as a compass to point your creativity in the direction your data is pointing towards.

While numbers inform the creative process, we should want to come up with ideas beyond what data alone can tell you.

The data keeps your creative feet grounded in results, and the creative keeps the data fresh and engaging. That sweet spot where measurable strategy meets imagination…

That's where marketing magic is made.

Pro tip:

Your best ideas may come to you not when you’re in a marketing meeting, but when you’re exercising, reading a book, meditating, or even while you’re dreaming. Keep your mind open to those ideas when they come.

🎙️ Business Unfiltered Podcast EP #25: Managing and Motivating Top Performers

What transforms someone into an A-player that helps produce exponential growth for businesses? Chris Mercer and I unlocked the secrets in this week’s Business Unfiltered podcast episode.

We found that tapping into the potential of top talent needs tailored management approaches based on strengths, motivations, and growth areas. Forget one-size-fits-all. Two-way communication, autonomy, and playing to core competencies are key.

Even more powerful is moving beyond monetary incentives to connect work to a deeper purpose. I’ve been championing personalized motivation strategies coupled with painting a compelling vision of the future. When top performers feel genuinely invested in your business, results usually skyrocket.

​Listen here​

📊 [Analytics] Is Gen X the “Lost Generation” in Advertising?

A new study shows that brands are overlooking Gen X consumers despite their tremendous spending potential.

Gen X is set to inherit $70 trillion from Baby Boomers and become the wealthiest generation ever. Yet only 13% feel “seen” in advertising with so few companies targeting this cohort. With Gen X making up 28% of TikTok's audience and accounting for 27% of global spending, overlooking them means lost profits.

But brands can't rely on the same playbook used for Millennials and Gen Z. Gen X prefers longer-form content from creators around the same age with a self-improvement tone over hard sells. They are also more brand loyal and need-driven than younger shoppers.

Key Takeaways:

👉 Research Gen X shopping habits and test content tailored to their preferences

👉 Aim for an educational, not salesy, tone in your content and advertising

👉 Focus on need-based messaging and brand loyalty incentives

​Read more here​

💡 Blog Post: Page Value in GA4 - Recreate or Move On?

Just as they did with the bounce rate, Google got rid of page value in GA4
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This is a bummer because this metric helped you better understand how individual web pages contributed to the monetization of your site.

But let’s not whine and instead look at two ways to bring page value back to GA4: 1) BigQuery and 2) GA4 exploration.

​Read this article to see how to bring page value back​

If you do the work, page value can help you generate more revenue by pointing out web pages that require your attention.

🎥 YouTube: Understanding Engagement Rate in GA4

In GA4, engagement is a session characteristic, meaning users can have engaged and disengaged sessions. GA4 calculates the engagement rate by dividing engaged sessions by total sessions.

Sessions are deemed engaged based on:

• More than one pageview
• Firing a conversion event
• Session duration of at least 10 seconds (which is the default, but adjustable)

Users can customize the session timeout in data stream settings. Engagement data features are shown in lifecycle and acquisition reports. However, conversions like scrolling can artificially inflate engagement rates, so accurately defining conversions is crucial.

​Watch video​

See you next week!