It’s highly likely that, as a leader, you’ll find yourself making presentations on the company’s financial results and projections. In such situations, you should be armed with meaningful data to make an impactful presentation to your audience.
In today’s digital marketing world, data is visually presented, unlike in the olden days when long, boring sentences and paragraphs were used to make presentations.
However, leaving a lasting impression on your audience with a quality presentation is not as easy as it sounds. The process has to be carefully thought through and preparation made well in advance.
At times, statistics and plain numbers may be ineffective in bringing out the expected results. Tables, charts, and well-formatted graphs may be used as complementary tools to bring out the intended effect. To leverage your online marketing, you need to visualize data for the best outcome.
What is Data Visualization
Data visualization is the use of charts, pictures, diagrams, and infographics to present data. Data visualization simplifies complicated data into more understandable information to your audience. In other words, data visualization is used as a reporting tool.
Benefits of Data Visualization To Online Marketing
Data visualization provides the following benefits to an online marketing strategy.
Demystify Complex Data
As we’re well aware, human beings are visually wired. Trying to communicate through a numerically-filled spreadsheet may not work, especially if the respondents do not relate well with numbers. Stakeholders are looking for easy and consumable information that will not take a toll on them. Converting these complex figures into visuals may go a long way in grabbing your audience’s attention.
Data Visualization Uncovers Trends and Patterns
Marketers can evaluate a site’s analytics to know the most visited page, performing locations, and best performing days of the week. The results can then be used to strategically position and adjust their online marketing campaigns. With inherent data, developing trends, patterns, and correlations can easily be spotted.
Data Visualization May be Used to Drive A Point Home
Marketers may be having budgets only understandable by them. The management may be having reservations on the budget due to some reasons that may easily be taken care of by data visualization. However, marketers may use data visualization to drive their point home and gain the confidence of the management.
Data Visualization May be Used as Content
With the effects of information overload in the market, customers and potential clients end up confused and stranded on the right information to consume. With this in mind, data visualization may help you have an edge and stand out from the competition. The use of stories, diagrams, and infographics may help you share information in a more comprehensive and simplified way.
Marketing Strategy
With the availability of different online marketing channels, marketers can use analytics evaluating tools such as social media insights, Google analytics, and AdWords to choose between:
- Paid Media
This includes blog or website - Owned Media
This includes social media ads, search ads, and banner ads. - Earned Media
This includes social media communities, guest posts, and Public relations stunts.
10 Ways to Use Data Visualizations To Leverage Your Online Marketing
#1 Bubble and Scatter Charts
Scatter and Bubble charts present data in a similar fashion. They are used to show or explain how two variables are related, especially when there are more significant categories involved than others.
Colors are used to depict the categories, while circle size depicts volume. Though they are popular with presenting political stances, Bubble charts and Scatter charts can be used in businesses to point out areas of weaknesses.
#2 Bar Charts
Bar Charts are primarily used to illustrate statistical and analytical information. They use a frequency distribution to show different data categories and compare values. Bar Charts work so well when incorporated into a visual presentation.
#3 Pivot Tables
Though not popular for grabbing audience attention, pivot tables come in handy when key figures and statistics are needed. This tool uses columns and rows to analyze data more simply.
#4 Area Charts
They chronologically illustrate the time series dependency of data. Area charts are best at portraying the overall cost and sales revenue of a business.
#5 Number Charts
Number charts help in exhibiting the overview of key performance indicators (KPI). The Number Charts are best at depicting actual analytics of KPIs. The KPIs may include but not limited to, the following:
- Sales performance
- Conversions performance
- Traffic change
#6 Column Charts
Column Charts work just like Bar Charts. However, Column Charts present data on rectangular columns. Essentially, the tool is best for comparing data of different values.
#7 Pie Charts
Since most people have encountered them at some point in their lives, Pie Charts are easy to relate with, hence good at grabbing the audience’s attention. They work best at illustrating large amounts of data and analyzing the proportions of different variables. When properly utilized, Pie Charts can easily help communicate with any type of audience.
#8 Line Charts
This tool is best for illustrating changing trends or changes between variables. Line Charts are most effective when used to analyze the sales, turnover, and profit margins of a business. The line graphs may also be used to predict the future performance of the business.
#9 Maps
All over the world, maps are the most popular data visualization tools as they’re easy to understand. With a map, marketers can predict the performance of the online marketing campaign in different locations.
#10 Gauge Charts
Gauge Charts are primarily for measuring progress made against key performance indicators. They’re therefore used to evaluate whether the marketing campaign is on the right track. Adding colors to the Gauge Charts may improve the overall presentation.
Bonus #11 Venn Diagrams
In addition to the above-mentioned data visualization ways, more advanced tools such as downloadable Venn diagrams templates, which are compatible with GoogleSlide and PowerPoint, may be used to communicate in a more effective and simplified way to your audience. They come in various colors, so they can help catch the eyes of your audience.
Conclusion
Now that you know the several ways you can use data visualizations to leverage your online marketing, you shouldn’t ignore the benefits you stand to reap.
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