How Can CMOs Be Ready for Big Data?
Many will tell you that we are already in the age of Big Data, and maybe we are. But the truth is that whatever pile of data we have today will look puny in just a few short years. Big Data keeps getting bigger, so whether you think we have already arrived or Big Data is around the corner, how can CMOs be ready for what comes next?
It’s not that complicated, actually. The most important step any CMO can take is to move to a data-driven decision-making process. What that means is no more “golden gut.” What that means is that we don’t ask the CMO what to do–we ask the data what to do. It doesn’t matter whether the data we have now is big or medium-sized. The truth is that most companies do a crappy job with small data.
How would your job be different if every time someone asked you to decide something, you asked what the data shows? And if there is no data, you asked how we could get some? And if no one knows how to get the data, you ask what kind of experiment can we run to get the data?
For some CMOs, that’s very threatening. They believe that their job, like any good executive, is to make the tough decisions. And that’s true. But what if the toughest decision you will ever have to make is to give up your own personal control and seek the data to make the decisions?
Data-driven decision-making is a culture change. It says that instead of believing in our own opinions, that we will focus on our customers’ opinions. When we focus on data that tells us what our customers want, it’s amazing what geniuses we become.
It feels like data-driven marketing is a loss of control. But what we need to accept is that depending on our own opinions is the most out of control we can be. Each decision that we make personal might feel under control, but competing against companies that decide based on data will quickly make us extremely uncomfortable–because they are making better decisions than we are. And in just a few years, we won’t be making decisions based on data–we will be providing rules for computers to make decisions based on data. We’ll do that because people can’t decide fast enough.
Have you reconsidered your reliance on data for decisions? Moving to data-driven processes prepares you for the onslaught of data that is coming for all of us.
Mike Moran is an expert in digital marketing, especially content marketing areas, such as personalized websites, search, and social media. Mike also has a 40-year background in technology with a dozen US patents, specializing in machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and other AI techniques, as well as search technology.
Mike serves as a senior strategist for Converseon, a leading social listening technology company based in New York City. He is also a senior strategist for SoloSegment, a site search and customer experience software company. Mike is also an executive consultant for the Consultant's Collective and a Program Director for the Conference Board. Mike currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of SEMPO, is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) in the National Speaker's Association, and a Senior Fellow for the Society of New Communications Research.
Mike spent 30 years at IBM, rising to Distinguished Engineer, an executive-level technical position. Mike held various roles in his IBM career, including eight years at IBM’s customer-facing website, ibm.com, most recently as the Manager of ibm.com Web Experience, where he led 65 information architects, web designers, webmasters, programmers, and technical architects around the world.
Mike's newest book is Outside-In Marketing with James Mathewson, covering Big Data and Content Marketing. He is co-author of the best-selling Search Engine Marketing, Inc. (with fellow search marketing expert Bill Hunt), now in its Third Edition. Mike is also the author of the acclaimed Internet marketing book, Do It Wrong Quickly, named one of best business books of 2007 by the Miami Herald. Mike founded and writes for Biznology®, a daily blog devoted to digital marketing.
In addition to Mike’s broad technical background, he holds an Advanced Certificate in Market Management Practice from the Royal UK Charter Institute of Marketing and is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He also teaches at Rutgers Business School and is a Distinguished Instructor at the University of California Irvine.
|Mike Moran is an expert in digital marketing, especially content marketing areas, such as personalized websites, search, and social media. Mike also has a 40-year background in technology with a dozen US patents, specializing in machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and other AI techniques, as well as search technology.
Mike serves as a senior strategist for Converseon, a leading social listening technology company based in New York City. He is also a senior strategist for SoloSegment, a site search and customer experience software company. Mike is also an executive consultant for the Consultant's Collective and a Program Director for the Conference Board. Mike currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of SEMPO, is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) in the National Speaker's Association, and a Senior Fellow for the Society of New Communications Research.
Mike spent 30 years at IBM, rising to Distinguished Engineer, an executive-level technical position. Mike held various roles in his IBM career, including eight years at IBM’s customer-facing website, ibm.com, most recently as the Manager of ibm.com Web Experience, where he led 65 information architects, web designers, webmasters, programmers, and technical architects around the world.
Mike's newest book is Outside-In Marketing with James Mathewson, covering Big Data and Content Marketing. He is co-author of the best-selling Search Engine Marketing, Inc. (with fellow search marketing expert Bill Hunt), now in its Third Edition. Mike is also the author of the acclaimed Internet marketing book, Do It Wrong Quickly, named one of best business books of 2007 by the Miami Herald. Mike founded and writes for Biznology®, a daily blog devoted to digital marketing.
In addition to Mike’s broad technical background, he holds an Advanced Certificate in Market Management Practice from the Royal UK Charter Institute of Marketing and is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He also teaches at Rutgers Business School and is a Distinguished Instructor at the University of California Irvine.
|Mike Moran is an expert in digital marketing, especially content marketing areas, such as personalized websites, search, and social media. Mike also has a 40-year background in technology with a dozen US patents, specializing in machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and other AI techniques, as well as search technology.
Mike serves as a senior strategist for Converseon, a leading social listening technology company based in New York City. He is also a senior strategist for SoloSegment, a site search and customer experience software company. Mike is also an executive consultant for the Consultant's Collective and a Program Director for the Conference Board. Mike currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of SEMPO, is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) in the National Speaker's Association, and a Senior Fellow for the Society of New Communications Research.
Mike spent 30 years at IBM, rising to Distinguished Engineer, an executive-level technical position. Mike held various roles in his IBM career, including eight years at IBM’s customer-facing website, ibm.com, most recently as the Manager of ibm.com Web Experience, where he led 65 information architects, web designers, webmasters, programmers, and technical architects around the world.
Mike's newest book is Outside-In Marketing with James Mathewson, covering Big Data and Content Marketing. He is co-author of the best-selling Search Engine Marketing, Inc. (with fellow search marketing expert Bill Hunt), now in its Third Edition. Mike is also the author of the acclaimed Internet marketing book, Do It Wrong Quickly, named one of best business books of 2007 by the Miami Herald. Mike founded and writes for Biznology®, a daily blog devoted to digital marketing.
In addition to Mike’s broad technical background, he holds an Advanced Certificate in Market Management Practice from the Royal UK Charter Institute of Marketing and is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He also teaches at Rutgers Business School and is a Distinguished Instructor at the University of California Irvine.
Mike serves as a senior strategist for Converseon, a leading social listening technology company based in New York City. He is also a senior strategist for SoloSegment, a site search and customer experience software company. Mike is also an executive consultant for the Consultant's Collective and a Program Director for the Conference Board. Mike currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of SEMPO, is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) in the National Speaker's Association, and a Senior Fellow for the Society of New Communications Research.
Mike spent 30 years at IBM, rising to Distinguished Engineer, an executive-level technical position. Mike held various roles in his IBM career, including eight years at IBM’s customer-facing website, ibm.com, most recently as the Manager of ibm.com Web Experience, where he led 65 information architects, web designers, webmasters, programmers, and technical architects around the world.
Mike's newest book is Outside-In Marketing with James Mathewson, covering Big Data and Content Marketing. He is co-author of the best-selling Search Engine Marketing, Inc. (with fellow search marketing expert Bill Hunt), now in its Third Edition. Mike is also the author of the acclaimed Internet marketing book, Do It Wrong Quickly, named one of best business books of 2007 by the Miami Herald. Mike founded and writes for Biznology®, a daily blog devoted to digital marketing.
In addition to Mike’s broad technical background, he holds an Advanced Certificate in Market Management Practice from the Royal UK Charter Institute of Marketing and is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He also teaches at Rutgers Business School and is a Distinguished Instructor at the University of California Irvine.
|Mike Moran is an expert in digital marketing, especially content marketing areas, such as personalized websites, search, and social media. Mike also has a 40-year background in technology with a dozen US patents, specializing in machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and other AI techniques, as well as search technology.
Mike serves as a senior strategist for Converseon, a leading social listening technology company based in New York City. He is also a senior strategist for SoloSegment, a site search and customer experience software company. Mike is also an executive consultant for the Consultant's Collective and a Program Director for the Conference Board. Mike currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of SEMPO, is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) in the National Speaker's Association, and a Senior Fellow for the Society of New Communications Research.
Mike spent 30 years at IBM, rising to Distinguished Engineer, an executive-level technical position. Mike held various roles in his IBM career, including eight years at IBM’s customer-facing website, ibm.com, most recently as the Manager of ibm.com Web Experience, where he led 65 information architects, web designers, webmasters, programmers, and technical architects around the world.
Mike's newest book is Outside-In Marketing with James Mathewson, covering Big Data and Content Marketing. He is co-author of the best-selling Search Engine Marketing, Inc. (with fellow search marketing expert Bill Hunt), now in its Third Edition. Mike is also the author of the acclaimed Internet marketing book, Do It Wrong Quickly, named one of best business books of 2007 by the Miami Herald. Mike founded and writes for Biznology®, a daily blog devoted to digital marketing.
In addition to Mike’s broad technical background, he holds an Advanced Certificate in Market Management Practice from the Royal UK Charter Institute of Marketing and is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He also teaches at Rutgers Business School and is a Distinguished Instructor at the University of California Irvine.
|Mike Moran is an expert in digital marketing, especially content marketing areas, such as personalized websites, search, and social media. Mike also has a 40-year background in technology with a dozen US patents, specializing in machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and other AI techniques, as well as search technology.
Mike serves as a senior strategist for Converseon, a leading social listening technology company based in New York City. He is also a senior strategist for SoloSegment, a site search and customer experience software company. Mike is also an executive consultant for the Consultant's Collective and a Program Director for the Conference Board. Mike currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of SEMPO, is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) in the National Speaker's Association, and a Senior Fellow for the Society of New Communications Research.
Mike spent 30 years at IBM, rising to Distinguished Engineer, an executive-level technical position. Mike held various roles in his IBM career, including eight years at IBM’s customer-facing website, ibm.com, most recently as the Manager of ibm.com Web Experience, where he led 65 information architects, web designers, webmasters, programmers, and technical architects around the world.
Mike's newest book is Outside-In Marketing with James Mathewson, covering Big Data and Content Marketing. He is co-author of the best-selling Search Engine Marketing, Inc. (with fellow search marketing expert Bill Hunt), now in its Third Edition. Mike is also the author of the acclaimed Internet marketing book, Do It Wrong Quickly, named one of best business books of 2007 by the Miami Herald. Mike founded and writes for Biznology®, a daily blog devoted to digital marketing.
In addition to Mike’s broad technical background, he holds an Advanced Certificate in Market Management Practice from the Royal UK Charter Institute of Marketing and is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He also teaches at Rutgers Business School and is a Distinguished Instructor at the University of California Irvine.
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