What is Data Storytelling?
Currently, several startups and established businesses are focusing on implementing different tools and technologies for collecting, storing, and even analyzing different types of data. To ensure that this is carried out with higher accuracy levels, several agencies, marketers alongside analysts, have been able to make good use of what is known as data storytelling. Moreover, right after data has been collected and cleaned, the next step that is normally taken into consideration is to try as much as possible to extract value from it (Bolanos, Dimiccoli, and Radeva, 2016). Even after the advent of BI, together with several analytics tools, generating a vast range of fundamental insights has still proved to be a challenge for several organizations. A good number of companies, most so the marketing agencies, should extract value from different types of raw data and go an extra mile to adequately communicate all those relevant insights to different groups of customers.
Moreover, since many customers might not be in a position to have the technical expertise as far as data science is concerned, all the relevant insights need to be appropriately communicated in a professional manner that can be easily understood (Borges-Rey, 2016). Additionally, being in a position to tell a compelling data story to a specific group of individuals sounds to be relatively easy. However, many marketers alongside data analysts normally fund it very hard to make good use of a more engaging tone to come up with a narrative within their reporting. Different types of businesses have overlooked this mode of client reporting. As aforementioned, data storytelling is viewed to be a fundamental process of taking a wide variety of raw data, thoroughly analyzing it, and even going as far as communicating its importance to various groups of customers. Individuals and organizations that have made good use of data storytelling across the entire market platform have attained several positive outcomes that have further enabled them to address different goals and objectives in real-time. Different organizations also in this developed world have recognized data storytelling as one of the major parameters that determine a specific level of competitiveness being offered within the market platform. Since they have realized that it is the right way to go, much concentration is currently being channeled towards that direction to create a positive relationship with various target customers who are also known to be linked to different types of needs and expectations. Data storytelling has also been a general term that is being used to adequately describe a full process of gathering various forms of data together with extracting a vast range of insights. Generally, it is all about blending two different worlds that constitute hard data and human communication. On most occasions, it is also viewed as a form of compelling narrative that is adequately crafted by appropriately compelling a specific combination of data forms used to guide a particular decision making and even reveal several interesting trends.
Different components are considered to ensure that data storytelling can generate all the desired results within a marketing context. Some of the major components that are linked to data storytelling therefore include;
- Data-One of the first and major components of data storytelling will always require an individual to develop an accurate and up-to-date data. Moreover, one of the major benefits that are associated with an all-in-one reporting kind of a platform is that the entire data is pulled automatically from different types of available marketing platforms, ends u saving an individual much time, and even goes as far as avoiding the occurrence of any mode of human error when dealing with the entire data collection process (Echeverria et al., 2018). Right after the data collection has been carried out, it is further analyzed through various modes of statistics and algorithms to come up with reliable major insights.
- Visualization-Anything to do with data visualization entails a clear and realistic graphical representation of various forms of data that represents information through graphs, charts, or other relevant visual elements to convey the right information. Moreover, data visualization is essential for discovering and adequately communicating several underlying trends, patterns, and even outliers within a specific combination of data set. Again, one of the major goals associated with visualization is to adequately uncover different types of trends that might have been missed with a specific form of a standard spreadsheet and even be able to convey that information in a very realistic manner.
- Narrative-Being able to offer a narrative with a vast range of insights and visualization also provides one of the best opportunities for various analysts and marketers to highlight the importance of different forms of metrics and key performance indicators (Erete et al., 2016). In conclusion, adequately combining all these mentioned elements within a specific client reporting provides an opportunity to adequately create a top-notch level of trust and transparency by communicating the results in an appropriate manner that can be easily understood by all the targeted groups of individuals regardless of technical levels of expertise.
Components of Data Storytelling
Data storytelling is very beneficial in the field of marketing. It always brings a vast range of added advantages within the marketing platform that different organizations and marketing-related experts dominate. On the other hand, many methods can be properly used in communicating different forms of data insights (Gratzl et al., 2016). Since the entire act of storytelling appears to be one of the most intrinsic forms of human characteristics, it offers an opportunity to appropriately blend a data-driven economy through the use of different aspects of both visual and written communication. Anything to do with data storytelling is vital because it offers an opportunity for efficient communication of data that can take place from a range of perspectives. When there is a communication of different aspects of data analysis effectively, it plays a role in scaling up the overall levels of decision-making, which reinforces higher levels of work relationships with different customers available across the entire marketing platform. Also, this mode of data analysis can help change the behaviors of different individuals and go as far as scaling their respective levels of understanding, most so when dealing with complex issues. The following are among the major reasons why data storytelling is very vital in the field of marketing;
- It acts as a very powerful and reliable competitor analysis model-If you got a client who exists in a competitive market platform, there are higher chances that you might be at risk of losing several potential customers to the available competitors within the same market platform. To draw a clear line between all your targeted groups of customers and the entire market platform, it will always be essential to adequately identify different types of competitive data insights from the whole campaign and several other essential operations. As a result, implementing a vast range of internal data provides an opportunity to adequately tell a story regarding a specific brand based on its personality alongside its unique operating strategies that can address the pain points of all the target groups of customers. Being able to tell a vast range of stories with data is among the perfect forms of PR. As a result, when it is implemented in the right manner, it can always scale up the overall recognition of the entire brand over various competitors within the same market platform. In other words, various companies can be capable of enhancing the overall value of their respective products together with services to target their audiences through a data storytelling culture. At the same time, developing a realistic competitor analysis can always play a crucial role in helping reinforce the customer’s best interests in their respective minds and even go as far as monitoring various experiences that they are encountering in their respective niche.
- It boosts the communication levels and engagement of different clients-While various agencies make good use of different strategies to collect and analyze various forms of data, adequately maintaining and engaging a reliable conversation for a specific extended timeline with different types of clients might emerge to be a difficult task most so for quite a several business organizations. Moreover, creating a more reliable and effective mode of client communication is an act that normally goes beyond copying and pasting various forms of information into a specific presentation. Most people are also concerned with making good use of data storytelling to convey various results in a realistic manner that demonstrates the value of various services (Lucarevschi, 2016). Although many clients will always be concerned with seeing different numbers connected to an organization’s efforts, some of the best agencies can take it a step further by crafting a special form of a narrative that gives much information regarding the target group of customers.
- Creation of a realistic form of visual appeal-Since different humans have always reported being notorious for creating an ever-shrinking kind of attention span, issues to do with data visualization are likely to go a long way when it comes to communicating the overall results, such a situation can be implemented through the use of different visuals that entails things like graphs and charts that scale up to coming up with a more organized kind of a visual appeal that is channeled towards the direction of the end-user. Moreover, the truth is that various clients are not only interested in interacting with various forms of hard numbers but also require to adequately visualize the overall success story that is linked to the results, in other words being able to combine a variety of data elements, information together with various insights into a well-organized visual format can end up being valuable when addressing issues associated with client reporting (Ojo and Heravi, 2018).
- Operations linked to data storytelling are among the major pillars of data science-It is the nature of humans to become storytellers under different conditions. Various research has pointed out that events associated with storytelling have emerged to be some of the essential mediums capable of influencing, teaching, and even inspiring a specific group of the target audience. Moreover, within the boundaries of data science, right after the collection, cleaning, and analysis of different types of data, the essential step is always about relaying a reasonable context through the use of a compelling kind of a narrative alongside essential visuals that are capable of helping them to understand the importance of the entire data. Since many companies have begun to realize the overall potential of their data to scale up to higher levels of decision making, the use of data science has emerged to be among the fastest occupations that have greatly scaled up across different industries. According to research, the entire global big data market is expected to scale from $138 billion to $229 billion by 2025. This will be able to offer a clear representation of compound annual growth of about 10.6%. Having that in mind, several businesses will require data storytellers that are highly experienced to help them adequately identify and even communicate a vast range of matrices together with key performance indicators that help measure growth levels.
There are various ways that data storytelling can always be incorporated into a vast range of marketing reports. One added advantage of such encounters is that they will always be on the verge of generating several positive impacts. As a result, the following are therefore some of the major ways of implementing data storytelling across different types of marketing reports;
- Begin by evaluating some of the essential data points from the report-This is all about starting to find quite several essential data points from a specific report of focus. As a result, this will greatly help focus on several essential pieces of information, ensuring it is fully included within the story (Weber, Engebretsen, and Kennedy, 2018).
- Creation of a realistic storyline that will be able to accompany the chosen data points-Right after the key data points have been taken into consideration. It is advisable to come up with a realistic story that will be able to accompany all of them. This will further help make the entire data more interesting and easier to understand about different characteristics linked to the target audience.
- Implementation of various graphs and visualsto explain the obtained data- The use of graphs and visuals will always be essential to explain the obtained data in a more organized and efficient manner. This will further help the target audience adequately enhance their understanding of the whole data presented.
- Use of images to help explain different obtained data points- Different types of images together with thoughts behind the obtained data can always help create an effective communication towards addressing the meaning behind the entire data.
- Writing of various headlines capable of capturing the importance of the data story- There is no difference between a data story and any other kind of available story. It will always require a very interesting headline where the entire headline should be able to capture the importance of the whole data story and even go an extra mile to bring on board the required group of the target audience.
To ensure that data storytelling is appropriately utilized within every marketing environment, various leaders need to play a critical role in creating awareness regarding its importance. With this, various personalities will be able to understand how best it can be used to address different goals and objectives that will further propel the overall performance of an organization. On the other hand, when implementing story data telling within an organizational environment, it is advisable to focus on the organization’s goals and objectives, most so the ones linked to providing higher satisfaction levels to different groups of customers. It is also recommended to carry out higher levels of training across different organizational departments to provide various experts with appropriate insights on how to make good use of data storytelling across the entire marketing department. Once these recommendations are well taken into consideration, there are higher chances that an organization or even an individual will be able to attain various marketing goals by using data storytelling techniques.
Conclusion
By combining various aspects of data, and visualization alongside different aspects of narratives, it is always clear to tell an engaging story to every personality where anyone can develop a clear understanding that various clients will be in a position to remember. Various reports linked to data storytelling should be an essential opportunity to create a deeper relationship with various customers. On the other hand, within the boundaries of marketing, taking into consideration various principles of data storytelling is among the most fundamental ways to adequately and strongly deliver a creative understanding of the entire campaign results. Again, it is concerned with communicating the higher value of different services in a certain thought-provoking manner and extends to coming up with a certain level of transparency and accountability levels that are likely to exist between different types of clients. On the other hand, the implementation of data storytelling is also regarded as a special kind of methodology to communicate different types of information that are majorly tailored to a particular group of audience by trying to focus on a specific level of narrative. Evolutionarily, various humans are naturally wired in a hard way to share different types of stories as part of information. Many theorists have also been able to come on board to give clear suggestions that issues associated with storytelling emerged to act as a major launchpad to transit knowledge across different groups of targeted individuals. The use of data storytelling has indeed been able to change the phase of quite a several organizations hence putting them at a better position within the market platform where they can positively relate with their target groups of customers and even go an extra mile to address quite a number of their needs by putting into consideration the right techniques.
References
Bolanos, M., Dimiccoli, M. and Radeva, P., 2016. Toward storytelling from visual lifelogging: An overview. IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems, 47(1), pp.77-90.
Borges-Rey, E., 2016. Unraveling data journalism: A study of data journalism practice in British newsrooms. Journalism Practice, 10(7), pp.833-843.
Echeverria, V., Martinez-Maldonado, R., Shum, S.B., Chiluiza, K., Granda, R. and Conati, C., 2018. Exploratory versus explanatory visual learning analytics: Driving teachers’ attention through educational data storytelling. Journal of Learning Analytics, 5(3), pp.72-97.
Erete, S., Ryou, E., Smith, G., Fassett, K.M. and Duda, S., 2016, February. Storytelling with Data: Examining the use of data by non-profit organizations. In Proceedings of the 19th ACM conference on Computer-Supported cooperative work & social computing (pp. 1273-1283).
Gratzl, S., Lex, A., Gehlenborg, N., Cosgrove, N. and Streit, M., 2016, June. From visual exploration to storytelling and back again. In Computer Graphics Forum (Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 491-500).
Lucarevschi, C.R., 2016. The role of storytelling on language learning: A literature review. Working Papers of the Linguistics Circle, 26(1), pp.24-44.
Ojo, A. and Heravi, B., 2018. Patterns in award winning data storytelling: Story types, enabling tools and competences. Digital journalism, 6(6), pp.693-718.
Weber, W., Engebretsen, M. and Kennedy, H., 2018. Data stories: Rethinking journalistic storytelling in the context of data journalism. Studies in communication sciences, 2018(1), pp.191-206.
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