As people who work in marketing, there’s one thing we hear ALL OF THE TIME from clients: ‘What does the data say? What are the stats?’

And listen, we totally get it. You should, to some extent, let data drive what you do. But here’s the question – are you looking too superficially at the numbers? Data, while absolutely useful when it comes to revealing trends and insights, can easily overlook the human stories, experiences, and contexts that provide depth to what it is that you’re seeing.

Think about it. You look at data on spreadsheets, dashboards, and slide presentations. If the numbers look good, you usually think that things are working. Most of the time, though, no one considers the people behind the numbers.

Want real world application? Social media is a great example, both paid and organic. 

Let’s start with paid. Any good digital marketer knows you can ask Meta to optimize your campaign to clicks. And if you take that option, your click-through rate will look pretty good (because that’s what you’re paying for!). But who are the people that are clicking? Are they bot accounts? People that are actually interested in who you are, what you do, and what you’re selling? Maybe not. After all, Meta wants to make money. They want you to have good results, so you keep coming back to the well for more.

Organic is similarly true. It’s easy to be depressed when looking at organic social reports. Your reach isn’t always great (even though you swear you’re about to explode thanks to the number of reels and trending audio you’re using), nor is your engagement. But again, what about the people who ARE engaging and viewing your content? Are they loyal brand followers who are likely to talk about you offline? Are they new to you and perhaps dipping their toes in the water?

You’re playing the long game sometimes. We’re not all going to look at something and decide instantly that it’s for us. But stats don’t show that. Humans create data. It’s their behaviors, choices, and experiences that shape what you’re seeing on your reports. 

It’s simple, really. When you consider the humans behind the data, you can make more informed (more compassionate!) and effective decisions. After all, data is only as powerful as your interpretation of it.