Marketing isn’t about working with trends and statistics—though, sometimes, one could swear one hears about nothing else—but about having an understanding of why humans respond in a specific way. What is an insight in marketing? Information is simply a beginning point; value comes from having an understanding of how to utilize information in a way that actually works.
I have seen many companies become obsessed with mere statistics, thinking increased activity, or website visitors, will necessarily mean success. Yet, with no actual insights, such statistics mean nothing at all. What is an insight in marketing truly worth if it doesn’t help a company act on real consumer behavior? An insight tells one why a specific scenario is occurring, and therefore actually empowers one to act with information, not sit and marvel at spreadsheets.
Marketing Insight? What’s That?
A marketing insight isn’t a fact; it’s an epiphany that informs decision-making. What is an insight in marketing? It’s what separates raw data from strategic action. Where information tells one about what happened, insight tells one about why it happened and therefore about what one must do about it.
For example, an e-commerce website sees a high drop-off at checkout with many cart abandoners at that point. That’s a high drop-off, but an insight could say the shipping price seems too high, or checkout takes too long. Once one realizes that, then a direction of change can be initiated—perhaps offering free shipping over a minimum purchase value, for instance, or simplifying checkout.
What Types of Marketing Insights?
There’s no single kind of marketing insight. There’s no single source and no single purpose, but a variety of them, including:
I used to work with a client who thought that their target audience loved high-falutin’, sophisticated messaging, but when I looked at engagement and did a little testing, I found that actually, their target audience loved casual, down-to-earth messaging. They sounded too try-too-hard sophisticated, and it was sending them off in droves. Slight tone changes made a big difference.
Consumer Behavior and How It Informs Insights
My go-to place for a peek at the real behavior of real humans is social media. And sometimes, sometimes, not putting a post out is a goldmine for insights, too. What is an insight in marketing if not a reflection of real-world behavior?
I remember a campaign I worked on for a brand, and I noticed an off behavior thanks to Views4You—posts of a certain type were deleted in a few hours. After a little digging, I found that users were deleting poorly performing posts for not want them spoiling their perfectly curated profile aesthetic. You can, too, learn from Views4You to create a perfect profile!
From that, a new direction in terms of strategy followed. Rather than spurring posts out at a quick pace, I emphasized quality over quantity and asked our followers to vote on posts in advance, and then post them out. And then, boom, a big bump in terms of engagement and a whole lot less deleting!
For marketers, a lesson in taking a deeper, nuanced look: vanity metrics (shares, likes, comments, etc.) don’t necessarily paint a picture, and sometimes, real gold comes in seeing what’s getting taken down.
How to Get and Analyze Marketer Insights
Now, I don’t have one prescription for getting insights, but a few real-life tips for getting started include:
- Social media analysis – Take a look at what works, flops, and gets taken down.
- Customer feedback – Listen in for actual feedback, not rating.
- A/B testing – Try a little, see what holds.
- Competitor analysis – Learn from companies getting it right (or getting it horribly wrong).
I have fallen victim to assuming feedback gained through a survey with a customer can inform a campaign. Huge mistake. What is an insight in marketing if it’s based on faulty assumptions? Folks will say one thing in a survey but act in a whole different way in life. That’s why double-checking your data with actual behavior is key.
Bringing Insights to Action for Smarter Marketing
Insights don’t matter when they sit in a report somewhere. Where the real challenge comes in is in acting on them. Here’s how:
- Personalization – Apply insights in creating a campaign that feels tailor-made for each group.
- Optimization for timing – Publish at a time when your group is actually present, not when it’s convenient for yourself.
- Optimization for messaging – Speak in a voice your group prefers.
A student I have is an owner of a small store for Instagram and not getting any traction with her posts. I helped her review her audience behavior, and she discovered most of her followers participated in at dead of night times. She changed her post schedule, and in two weeks, her traction increased three times over. That’s the value in insights.
Common Pitfalls in Marketer Misinterpreting Insights
Mismanaging insights can sometimes be worse than not having them at all. What is an insight in marketing worth if it leads to wrong conclusions? There are several common mistakes to avoid:
- Confusion between cause and effect – Because two events occur together, doesn’t mean one happened because of the other.
- Too narrow a view of analysis – Sometimes, listening to humans is worth more than slicing and dicing.
- Disregard for little trends – Slight shifts in behavior can mean big shifts when spotted.
A classic case? One I handled saw sales booming off an effective ad campaign. What actually happened, unbeknownst to them, was an unassociated social craze driving people to their store. They almost wasted thousands of dollars rolling out an ad not actually driving success.
Trends in Marketing Insights in the Future
Marketing insights are evolving at a breakneck pace. Here’s where it’s moving:
- AI-powered analysis – Machines getting smarter at seeing trends humans can miss.
- Predictive insights – Anticipating future behavior with past behavior.
- Privacy-conscious tracking – Squeezing ethics and insights out of responsible collection.
The future of AI is exciting, but I don’t think anything can beat a gut instinct when it comes to marketing. Regardless of technology’s ongoing improvement, knowing humans will always be at its heart.
FAQs
1. How are marketing data and marketing insights different?
Data is simply raw numbers—how many clicks, likes, sales, etc. Insights, in contrast, answer the why for these numbers, and give companies an answer for what to act with them. What is an insight in marketing if not the key to turning numbers into decisions?
2. How can I know my marketing insight will be useful?
A useful insight will drive a specific behavior. If it simply sounds cool but doesn’t inform decision-making, then it’s not actually useful.
3. Can small companies use marketing insights, or is it only for big companies?
Absolutely. In fact, small companies can use them even more, simply because they can make quick turns in direction. An easy-to-grasp insight—like your followers prefer Reels over static posts—can make a big impact. What is an insight in marketing if not a tool for companies of all sizes?
**’The opinions expressed in the article are solely the author’s and don’t reflect the opinions or beliefs of the portal’**
