Reach is an element of market research and insight activation that isn’t talked about quite as much as it should be, because it is an important element of market research for insight professionals to keep in the forefront of their minds.
There are a few definitions of ‘Reach’ depending on the context, but in market research the definition we work with is similar to that of marketing: the range of influence data has within a team, organisation or industry. In short, Reach is a measure of just how customer-centric a culture can be.
Now, reach isn’t a stationary statistic, there are a number of great ways to extend the reach of consumer data within an organisation so that data can inform more stakeholder decisions than ever before.
Extending the Reach of Data
One of our greatest challenges as insight professionals at the moment is how we can reach more people with our insights and still maintain our efficiency. Currently, the reach of data is limited to c-suite and senior insight professionals within a majority of organisations, leaving the customer-centricity concerns also limited to those same professionals. The rest of the organisation has very little access to the inner workings of the decisions made with the data involved, and this is what needs to change if we are to successfully extend the reach of consumer data.
But the good news is that organisations are ready and willing to change if it benefits the business, which this level of customer centricity does. This data is a direct line to both customers and consumers, and putting their voices at the heart of decisions as in a customer-centric organisation is exactly what we aim to do by extending the reach of data.
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| Reach isn't a stationary statistic. There are number of ways we can extend the reach of insights - here are just four to help kickstart your data campaign within an organisation. |
With this in mind, it is clear that a shift is needed in the perception of data and it’s value to a business. The four ways mentioned in the video have the best chance of building trust and scaling access to consumer data which is half the battle when generating insights in a business operating under a traditional top-down approach to information spreading.
Democratise access to data is one sure way to help extend its reach – in short, put the data in a an easily accessible place, so professionals at all levels can dip in at any time when a decision needs to be made. Data warehouses are fantastic tools for this, and combined with dashboard user interfaces means that everyone will have an easily accessible platform filled with datasets to manipulate and derive quick insights from.
But that still leaves the professionals too much on their own when it comes to analysing data, so creating dedicated open channels to experts will kickstart the learning process in terms of learning how to: value data, analyse basic datasets, and interpret insights that will better inform decisions – leaving all professionals within the business empowered by data at all times.
But this is a lot to manage for one insight team. How can we delegate the responsibilities of sharing and advocating the use of data within a business? By creating Insight Advocates at all levels and delegating those duties to them, so insight professionals generating the data can focus on maintaining or improving data generation efficiencies while leaving the activation side to trusted advocates.
The higher the quality the data is, the more informed decisions will be, and the more successful their outcome. This action will automatically increase the trust in data, and thus work to eliminate any reservations in regards to using current and future data in decision-making.
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| Customer-centricity is one great direct result of extending the reach of data within an organisation; embedding the voice of both customers and consumers into the heart of all decisions. |
The Animated Insight Series
Our Animated Insight videos take a look under the hood of some of the less explored areas of the research industry. From the history and development of the sector, to recent trends shaping consumer behaviours - we want to present these topics in a fun, engaging and dynamic way. Because, after all, why shouldn't market research be fun?
