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Stuart O'Brien

GUEST BLOG: The Evolution of Business Intelligence Trends
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By Naveen Miglani, CEO and Co-Founder at SplashBI

In recent years, the world of Business Intelligence (BI) has been turned upside down. Data became big, organisations adopted cloud computing, and spreadsheets took a backseat to actionable data visualisations and interactive dashboards. Self-service analytics grabbed the reins and democratised the world of data reporting products. Suddenly, advanced analytics wasn’t just for the analysts.

In 1958, a computer scientist, Hans Peter Luhn, published an article titled “A Business Intelligence System” in the IBM Journal of Research and Development that would later become the foundation for how BI is understood today. Luhn’s article suggested using technology to simplify the process of gathering data rather than sifting through mountains of information by hand. Today, we understand BI as such; using technology to compile and analyse data, translate it into useful information, and then making strategic decisions based on the results.

The recurring trend in next-generation BI tools is that of simplicity. Complex data analysis has become a breeze with the introduction of self-service analytics platforms. Advances in BI technology alleviate the stress and labour hours of gathering, sorting, and using data to make informed business decisions. But how have these changes affected businesses in the last few years – and what’s to come.

Self-service analytics

Self-service analytics has consistently topped the list of BI trend predictions each year, showing the increasing accessibility of BI tools and the positive impact of putting data back in the hands of individual teams, departments and leaders within organisations. The rising adoption of self-service analytics enables users to gain deeper insights to drive data-focused initiatives across the entire organisation—without having to rely on IT.

The rise of self-service analytics has also brought more attention to the growing necessity for modern organisations to adopt a data-driven culture. Businesses all over the world are using elegant visualisations and dashboards to tell their data story, and they’re doing it without using up a massive amount of IT resources. As advances are made in BI technology, the process of implementing a BI tool has become much less of a daunting task. Implementation and adoption time have been almost cut in half, data integration tools stepped into the ring, and talk of data governance/security solutions became common watercooler conversation.

Integrating technology

2017 was a major year for the BI industry. Significant advances were made in the way new technology integrated with existing BI processes, along with the development of tools that allowed data from separate applications or data stores to unite and display the big picture. The cloud was widely adopted due to advanced security and accessibility. Machine learning increased revenue for businesses by tracking buyer behaviour and analysing databases faster than ever before. AI became more prominent, and trials began to determine if AI could eventually replace human data scientists altogether.

By 2018, data analytics became a routine part of daily duties for most organisations. The value of using a BI tool had become a given, but the question then moved to choosing the right tool to fit an organisation’s unique and specific needs. Leaders began to take a look at common pain points in the business and started to learn more about how they could get the most value from a BI tool by asking questions such as, what do we want to achieve from analysing our data? How can BI help us reach our business goals? How can we use data to improve employee retention? Or measure turnover? Can we see which product drove the highest volume of sales in Q1? Could these insights really help us locate and obtain net new clients?

BI has never been a one-size-fits-all answer. That’s the reason it initially gained popularity, as different departments have different data. Sales won’t need the same Monthly Advertising Report that Marketing will use to create next month’s budget. BI was the hottest new tool that could help any person, in any position, in any company use their data to make fact-based decisions. These custom data reports guided businesses in the direction of the most important metrics; whether it’s HR, Marketing, Sales or Finance.

BI now and in the future

BI and data analytics technology is constantly evolving and the market shows no signs of slowing down. Business Intelligence makes data of any kind easy to digest with stunning visualisations, detailed historical analysis, and customisable reports. In fact, by the end of 2019, the Global BI and Analytics Market is expected to grow to $20 billion.

In 2020, experts say we will continue to see increased adoption of BI tools among businesses of all sizes that hope to speed up their organisation’s journey to success. Retail, construction, healthcare, banking and transportation are expected to make up the majority of new adopters. Additionally, the way data is created and handled will experience significant change in the coming years.

But what does the far future look like for BI? What was once just a tool for pinpointing patterns in an organisation’s data, has evolved into a robust, real-time solution focused on using  hard and fast data to not only see a snapshot in time, but to view the entire picture. BI enables companies to make the best possible decisions using their own data, and the organisations that capitalise on this technology that will reach their business goals.

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Brits falling victim to fraud via social media
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Social media could be responsible for an increasing number of young Brits falling victim to fraud, new research has revealed.

Data shows that 47 per cent of payment scams in the last year were among under 30s, with over half (52 per cent) believing they have been approached by scammers on social media.

A massive 85 per cent have shared details on Instagram that could leave them open to ID theft, and a shocking six per cent say they would allow someone remote access to their bank account.

A further four in ten also say they would provide personal and security detail to somebody phoning up claiming to be from their bank.

In a bid to educate young Brits about scams and fraud Santander has teamed up with Kurupt FM from BAFTA-winning BBC TV show People Just Do Nothing to launch its latest fraud awareness campaign, ‘MC Grindah’s Deadliest Dupes’.

The three episode mini-series follows MC Grindah as he goes undercover to investigate the murky underbelly of scams and fraud and has been created to grab the attention of younger audiences online.

They will feature identity theft, online scams and money laundering as the focal topics, and are set to run across Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube to capture the key audience.

Susan Allen, Head of Retail & Business Banking, Santander UK, said: “We’re committed to fighting financial crime and work hard to raise awareness of fraud and scams with all age groups.

“We recognised that to engage younger audiences with these important messages, we needed to do something different and memorable.

“We hope that everyone, no matter what age, will enjoy Deadliest Dupes and learn how to stay safe so they Don’t Get Kurupted.”

Deadliest Dupes follows previous fraud awareness campaigns run by Santander including its Phish & Chips van which toured the UK handing out free fish and chips and a side portion of advice on avoiding scams.

A Scam Avoidance School introduced in branches in 2018 has been attended by over 100,000 people to date.

A new online hub has been set up to support the campaign.

Those at risk can find out more about the tricks used by online fraudsters and test their own ‘scam smarts’ with a specially designed quiz.

Your free VIP ticket for the Print & Digital Innovations Summit
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There’s a free VIP place reserved for you at this autumn’s Print & Digital Innovations Summit on November 14th.

RSVP today to avoid disappointment.

This unique event takes place at the Hilton London Canary Wharf.

The Summit will give you access to innovative and budget-saving suppliers for a series of pre-arranged, face-to-face meetings based on your requirements. You can also attend a series of seminars, and network with like-minded peers.

Lunch and refreshments are included with your free VIP ticket, as well as an invitation to the ‘after show’ drinks reception.

Please confirm your attendance here.

Places are limited, so register today to avoid disappointment.

Do you specialise in Conversion Rate Optimisation? We want to hear from you!
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Each month on Digital Marketing Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on different parts of the print and marketing sectors – and in August we’ll be focussing on Conversion Rate Optimisation.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help marketing industry professionals find the best products and services available today.

So, if you specialise in Conversion Rate Optimisation solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact James Howe on j.howe@forumevents.co.uk.

Here are the areas we’ll be covering, month by month:

Aug – Conversion Rate Optimisation

Sept – Digital Signage

Oct – Brochure Printing

Nov – Creative & Design

Dec – Online Strategy

For more information on any of the above topics, contact James Howe on j.howe@forumevents.co.uk.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Public demands social networks combat ‘fake news’
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85% of people agree that social media companies have a responsibility to remove fake news, according to new research by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

The vast majority (79%) of people also believe that social media companies should be monitoring for fake news on their platforms. Only four in ten (39%) believe government shares this responsibility, running counter to points raised by former Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg now of Facebook, earlier this week.

The results of a nationwide survey of over 2,000 adults is being published ahead of the close of the Government’s consultation on online harms on 1 July and will feature in CIM’s submission to the consultation.

The results point to the fact that the Government’s White Paper doesn’t address the presence of fake news on social media unless it is causing a specific harm. Our research uncovered a widespread expectation that social media companies are responsible for removing fake news from their platforms.

Chris Daly, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, said: “At CIM, we are concerned about the damage fake content has upon public trust. As marketers we spend £3.9bn on internet display advertising with the aim of bringing value to our customers.* Our professional members and the marketing industry as a whole needs confidence they are spending their marketing budgets wisely.

The public are unequivocal in their belief that it is the responsibility of social media companies to find and remove fake news from their platforms. Yet the Government’s proposals for regulating social media platforms will not require them to monitor and remove it. In other words, even after the introduction of regulation, fake news may continue unchecked.”

Half of adults (51%) with a social media account say that they have seen something they would consider to be fake news in the past three months, with a third of people (31%) saying they had seen fake news in the past week.

This prevalence of fake news on social media is the likely cause of declining confidence in the accuracy of social media content. In a similar survey in 2014, the Chartered Institute of Marketing found that 62% indicated that they trusted content on social media (giving a score of 6 out of ten or more). By 2019, this had fallen to 34%, with only 1% saying that they are very confident (a score of nine or ten out of ten) that information on social media is accurate or genuine.

The Government’s proposals also provide an exemption for private messaging. However, when asked as part of the survey most of the public believe that there should be some level of monitoring of private messages on platforms like WhatsApp.

  • Monitoring of messages made by people with a history of problematic behaviour online is backed by 41%
  • While 31% believe private messages should be monitored for “buzz words”
  • Only one in four (26%) said that they did not believe private messages should be monitored

Image by Pixelkult from Pixabay

GUEST BLOG: Science and sales – A match made in heaven 
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It’s no secret that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is having an immediate effect on how businesses operate today. However, one area of business where AI is having the biggest impact is sales, with UK sales leaders anticipating AI adoption in their industry to grow over 150% by 2020. 

Executed correctly, AI now has the potential to revolutionise sales and marketing processes, enabling companies to increase the speed, accuracy and output of lead and revenue generation. AI can not only assist in identifying and targeting ideal customers, but it can be leveraged to align sales and marketing activity and deliver integrated campaigns, ensuring the right person can be contacted at the right time, in the right way, with the right message.

James Isilay, Founder and CEO, Cognism, outlines how lead generation has transformed to become far more scientific than ever before, and how companies that use relevant, intelligent, accurate and timely data will reap the rewards.

The sales funnel is broken 

The introduction of GDPR undoubtedly disrupted the way marketing teams carry out inbound digital marketing and sales strategies. However, it has been a long overdue wake up call for the industry: organisations have realised the poor quality of their data which until now, has resulted in inefficient and ineffective marketing outreach.

GDPR has forced companies to take a look at the data they are using and how they are using it. A key aspect of the regulation is ensuring that data is fully up to date; a welcome side effect of this is that it means every outreach is more relevant and effective. And it’s not just about ensuring the contact details are up to date: it is about leveraging detailed, up to date insight to rapidly identify new revenue streams.

Strategy and data 

Customer and prospect data can be an incredibly valuable resource, but it can also be a liability. Poor quality contact and lead data is certainly one of the most frustrating aspects of any B2B outbound sales campaign. From job changes to company acquisitions, data is always in motion. In fact,  approximately a third of CRM data degrades every year with most sales teams using data that is 60% out of date. Improvements to the sales process must be supported by a completely different approach to data sourcing: static CRM is no longer good enough, so B2B sales organisations need access to fresh, accurate and GDPR compliant data.

New business relies on new opportunities. From identifying an existing customer that moves to another company or champions promoted within an existing customer, there is always an opportunity to upsell or find a new prospect. In order to regain data confidence, fix the broken sales funnel and ultimately achieve revenue growth, a more scientific and strategic approach to data sourcing is required.

Data with a fourth dimension

Relevant data is essential if businesses want to ensure they are reaching the right contacts. In addition to the two dimensions of company and people, adding the third dimension of events and fourth dimension of real-time data completely transforms the way in which a business can identify and reach its total addressable market. But how can companies bring the science into their sales strategy and ensure their data is fresh and up to date? The answer is AI.

Bringing science to sales 

From LinkedIn Profile to company websites to corporate announcements, these data points are crucial sources of information for the sales team when it comes down to adding a fourth dimension of time into data. Artificial Intelligence powered data tools can provide a deep data resource, allowing sales teams to access the information they need to ensure strategic and effective outreach. Data profiles include skill sets, education, time in certain roles, even specific technologies that are in use which is everything needed for a successful sales call to identify hot leads.

This sales intelligence extends across the globe and into every industry allowing B2B lead generation to be based on specific triggers allowing the sales team to hone their pitch and improve responses. The fourth dimension of time remains key in this strategy as it enables the sales team to exploit specific events such as funding rounds or geographic expansion and target the right prospect at the right time.

What makes this strategy truly smart and strategic is the feedback that is provided by Revenue AI. With each new outreach campaign, responses are fed back into the system, providing further insight and a better understanding of personas and their reaction to specific messaging – it is Revenue AI’s constant feedback loop that ensures the sales and marketing activity retains momentum and continues to deliver value.

Conclusion

With current outreach activity wasting time by using out of date contacts and failing to maximise revenue growth, the case for sales to be underpinned by a scientific strategy is clear. Few companies have achieved a truly scalable, integrated and harmonised B2B sales operation that maximises opportunities, but those who have are certainly reaping the benefits and seeing significant growth.

Like science, B2B sales success is all about the metrics – it’s about understanding and refining the process and ensuring that the right team structure is in place. With the right sales model that is underpinned by AI, a company can quickly and effectively explore and exploit a source of accurate, fresh, real-time data to achieve fast, targeted and timely B2B lead generation and sales activity that is effective and efficient.

Image by TeroVesalainen from Pixabay

This could be your schedule at the Print & Digital Innovations Summit
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The Print & Digital Innovations Summit is a highly-focused one-day event that will help underpin your strategy for 2020 and beyond.

It takes place on the 14th November at the Hilton London Canary Wharf and is entirely free for you to attend.

This could be your schedule on the day:

8.00am: Registration
8.45am: Opening presentation
9.40am: Seminar sessions
10.30am: Pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings with suppliers of your choice
1.30pm: Lunch & networking
2.20pm: Pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings with suppliers of your choice
4.35pm: Event closes

The Print & Digital Innovations Summit could be the best day you spend out of the office in 2019.

Secure your complimentary place here.

Can you help our buyers looking for these digital solutions?
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We will have 60 senior marketing & retail professionals and other digital signage buyers attending the Digital Signage & Interactive Solutions Summit this autumn.

Specifically, these buyers are looking for suppliers in the following categories (% of delegates looking for those solutions):

3D Digital Signage – 42%
Audio Media – 33%
Cloud Based Digital Signage – 33%
Content Management – 33%
Digital Billboards – 42%
Display Mounts – 42%
Interactive/Touchscreen – 58%
Integrated Digital Signage Solutions – 33%
Internet of Things – 42%
Marketing – 42%
Mobile Interactivity – 58%
POS Displays – 33%
Projection Displays – 33%

If you operate in any of these areas and would like to join us on September 23rd & 24th at the Hilton London Canary Wharf, contact us today!

EPIC/2019: Everything’s possible – Register today
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EPIC/2019 is a conference designed around your needs as a marketer; delivering knowledge, insights and powerful thought leadership from great minds of the advertising and marketing world to inspire you across multiple channels.

July 3rd, Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 2LS

Keynote speakers

• Peter Docker Co-Author of ‘Find Your WHY: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team.’
• Karen Fraser MBE Director of Credos and Head of Strategy, The Advertising Association
• Mark Wright Founder of Climb Online and 2014 BBC Apprentice Winner

To find out more and book your tickets today, please visit epicthinking.net

WFA launches ‘Voice Coalition’ to help brands leverage Alexa-style devices
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The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) has unveiled the Voice Coalition, a group designed to help brands understand more about the impact voice will have on the way consumers select brands.

Founded in partnership with Fast-Up Partners (FUP), the group has been created following research into the way consumers use voice-enabled assistants to guide their purchase decisions.

It will aim to improve knowledge and understanding for brand marketers across all voice platforms, helping them benefit from this exciting new communications channel.

The coalition already brings together a number of WFA members, including Mastercard, and is open to any clients interested in exploring the potential of voice commerce.

Raja Rajamannar, CMCO of Mastercard and WFA President, said: “Research just conducted by WFA with The Economist Group shows voice to be a relatively low priority today to many marketers. But when quizzed on upcoming priorities, 55% of WFA members say voice will be big – and on par with influencer marketing. Given voice commerce goes well beyond marketing, it’s going to be of major strategic importance to companies going forward.”

The launch coincides with new research conducted for the WFA by independent research group BVA into current consumer behaviours among owners of Alexa devices in the UK and US. Based on 1,500 respondents in the US and UK and augmented by focus groups in New York, the study represents the most accurate look at interactions between Alexa and brands to date.

It found that 35% of those surveyed used voice to check prices, 30% use it to add items to their shopping list and 18% use it to add items to a cart/basket. Fifteen percent have used it to make a purchase.

The study highlights the impact voice assistants have on the wider purchase journey with 81% of those who had added an item to the cart ending up buying it later. The impact is even more dramatic among those who have an Alexa with a screen.

Sixty-seven percent plan to use voice commerce at some point for adding items to cart and 60% are willing to use it to purchase directly. More than two thirds (68%, rising to 81% among 16-34s) are willing to let Alexa recommend brands and 77% are happy for Alexa to recommend an appropriate Amazon brand.

The categories most affected by voice are electronics/technology (40%), food and groceries (47%) and petfood/petcare (31%).

The study also highlighted that many have yet to use their Alexa for voice commerce with 36% saying they haven’t had a need to do so yet and 32% saying they just haven’t got round to it.

“Given its hugely untapped potential, this is an ideal time to be exploring the opportunities presented by voice. The coalition aims to help its members in trying to navigate this exciting new channel”, said Stephan Loerke, CEO of WFA.

“Voice offers a huge opportunity and this initiative will help brand owners develop a greater understanding of voice through bespoke research, support and knowledge sharing”, said Frederic Colas, CEO Fast-Up Partners.

Image by HeikoAL from Pixabay