Data Storytelling Brings a Creative Spin to Your Rich Datasets
In positioning a brand, companies strive to communicate the most genuine and relevant insight into the success of their services. Consumers yearn to see those valuable links a brand creates between its efforts and ultimate goals. The proof is in the numbers, but sometimes those numbers can drown out the messages marketers are trying to convey. Thus, strong data storytelling provides a backbone to properly differentiating a brand against the competition.
Pair content with creativity.
Data interpretation may seem like a frightening feat to tackle, which is why many companies oftentimes do not take full advantage of their numbers at hand. The key to great data visualization is creativity. When marketers bring a humanized touch to the flood of statistics, a valuable story is crafted for their audience. Data storytelling goes far beyond simple metric reporting; it bridges the gap between information and understanding.
Stand out amongst the competition.
When integrating hard data into a brand’s message, you are crafting a story unlike any other. The rich data extracted from any marketing effort is completely unique to your own brand. Data storytelling is a perfect way to map out your story and provide concise and appealing communication to your consumer. Using concrete points to stand out against the mass influx of fluffy content will bring a level of trust between you and your audience.
So how can a brand accomplish powerful data storytelling?
Bring the numbers to life.
Many people automatically jump straight to charts and graphs when given the task to visualize data points. However, powerful data storytelling goes far beyond simply presenting the information at hand. Data storytelling extracts the most vital pieces of information and reiterates it in a way that easy for a consumer to conceptualize.
If you are attempting to portray more conceptual information, try creating diagrams, illustrations, case studies, or even whiteboard sessions to communicate the entire story surrounding the data visualization. If you are displaying larger, more complex data, creating an interactive means of data storytelling may help you convey the important information more fluidly. Don’t forget that bar charts, pie charts, and comparison graphs are also valuable points of data visualization that will help to communicate a simple narrative.
Find the right data.
The best and most original data will always come right from your own findings. Dive into customer analytics, surveys, growth reports, etc., to find valuable information that will help boost your brand’s image. Just keep in mind that data is easy to manipulate or misinterpret. Make sure that whatever story you are attempting to convey about your brand is backed up with solid evidence.
Keep the consumer in mind.
The point of data visualization is to create a clear and concise approach to audience communication, so keeping the target consumer in mind is key. Attempting to satisfy the needs of a wide audience would be counterintuitive to the data’s niche focus. Think about the actionable item you hope will derive out of a consumer viewing your data, and focus on visualizing those points. Answer questions that will influence meaningful actions to your brand. By sticking to two or three key issues, you’ll be able to craft a concise and appealing story that your audience can easily relate to.
Be a guide.
Remember that through your data, you are narrating your brand’s image. Do not simply provide data visualizations and charts with no context to the end user. Use data storytelling to guide a user through any obstacles or new finding you came across throughout this journey.
When an audience understands the means behind a company’s growth and success, they will feel more confident in trusting you to bring them similar success. Contact the creative professionals at Kraus Marketing to learn more about successfully narrating your brand’s identity.