Lacking a holistic understanding of their target audience limits marketersâ ability to create the most effective strategies. Yet they often prioritize the concrete metrics of quantitative data, such as sales numbers and website traffic that seem easier to measure and analyze, over subjective observations. Consequently, relying solely on quantitative data can lead marketers to overlook the human element of consumer behavior and miss out on valuable insights that only qualitative data can provide.
Qualitative data reveals vital information about customersâ emotions, motivations, preferences and perceptions. Through methods such as interviews and focus groups, marketers can gather rich, nuanced data that goes beyond mere numbers, illuminating a bigger picture that allows them to better tailor strategies, messaging and products to what consumers want. Below, 15 members of Forbes Agency Council explore the role that qualitative data can play in the era of big data and artificial intelligence, sharing how their agencies leverage it to better meet the needs and desires of target audiences.
1. To Get To The Quantitative Data
Without the qualitative data, you canât get to the quantitative data. All the ad creatives, messaging, campaign structures and so forth that take place behind the scenes are going to feed the big data monster with the engagement, clicks and interactions that can be improved upon. AI helps us get 10 times more iterations and optionsâbut nothing runs without the creative thought that fills the machine. – Bernard May, National Positions
2. To Create A Better User Experience
We use qualitative data to create a better UX for Web design projects. Through user testing, interviews and usability studies, we gain insights into user needs, preferences and pain points. This information guides the design process, ensuring that websites and digital platforms are not only functional, but also enjoyable to use, enhancing user satisfaction and engagement. – Goran Paun, ArtVersion
3. To Understand Sentiment And Brand Perception
Qualitative data adds depth to our understanding of consumer behaviors, emotions and motivations, complementing quantitative insights. Our agency uses it for sentiment analysis and brand perception studies to craft personalized messaging that resonates authentically with target audiences. – Pascal Wilpers, Streamerzone.gg
4. To Discover Unique, Actionable Insights
Einstein said, âNot everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.â In marketing, qualitative data is vital to understanding human emotions and decisions. Despite abundant data, actionable insights require human intuition and experience, especially in hyper-personalized marketing. Global Prairie excels at this by harnessing qualitative data to discover unique insights. – Tom Hileman, Global Prairie
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5. To Provide Color And Context
Consider qualitative data as the color providing context and sentiment around the rigid boundaries of quantitative data. Often, both types of datasets are needed to derive business value and audience interest. Qualitative data is the âgut checkâ for the âinstinctsâ you may follow while evaluating datasets. Data cannot always be simplified into a dashboard; sometimes it requires deep analysis. – Tyler Back, Mitosis
6. To Identify Pain Points, Gains And Jobs To Be Done
Customer interviews provide qualitative data that is increasingly vital for identifying pain points, gains and jobs to be done, as well as shaping your communication strategy. However, quantitative data from clients and prospects is also crucial. It informs us about what messages to convey, as well as where and how to communicate them more effectively. – Kate Vasylenko, 42DM Corporation
7. To Connect PR Efforts To Client Goals And Show ROI
Qualitative data is essential to connecting PR efforts to clientsâ business goals and showing the ROI of our work. At Next PR, we go beyond reporting on quantitative KPIs, such as number of media placements, and instead focus on qualitative results that support clientsâ objectives, such as leveraging Google Analytics to demonstrate how a media placement contributed to increased brand awareness. – Heather Kelly, Next PR
8. To Get Insights That Yield Marketing Recommendations
Qualitative data speaks to the emotion behind customersâ decision making. We use interviews, open-ended surveys, observational studies and focus groups to gather such data. Quantitative techniques capture numerical data (website visits, customer satisfaction scores), revealing trends and correlations in customer behavior. Combining both, we develop insights that yield marketing recommendations. – Robert Finlayson, Bold Marketing and Communications
9. To Understand Our Clientsâ Audiencesâ Motivations
AI allows us to analyze large sets of data to provide necessary context. The contextual frameworks need to be filled with emotions and insights beyond the numbersâin short, qualitative data. Itâs all about storytelling, so leveraging user feedback and social listening helps us understand the motivations and preferences of our clientsâ audiences and turn them into meaningful marketing strategies. – Christoph Kastenholz, Pulse Advertising
10. To Get As One-To-One As Possible In Our Messaging
Qualitative data is important, as it allows us to get as one-to-one as possible in our messaging and content. Right now, weâre seeing a lot of junk via email, LinkedIn and content in search engines and other places that, in many cases, is either wrong at worst or okay at best. Higher-quality data allows for brand messaging and content that meets the prospect or potential customer with value, not noise. – Corey Morris, Voltage
11. To Develop Briefs And Leverage Winning Insights
Qualitative data is increasingly precious in an age of data commoditization. Comments on social media are the new briefs, and invariably, the majority of winning insights are the consequence of qualitative inputs from customers. – Aasim Shaikh Zubaer, LPS Brands
12. To Understand Why What Works Is Working
Qualitative data goes deeper than quantitative data. It gives you the âwhy.â While big data and AI can tell you what works, understanding why it works will help your organization develop a larger story arc to guide customers across the full journey. – Alicia Arnold, AK Arnold
13. To Develop Richer Audience Personas
In the era of big data and AI, qualitative data helps marketers and advertisers gain a deeper understanding of customersâ motivations and preferences. Our agency plans to leverage it by developing richer audience personas, which can help clients get a clearer picture into their customersâ values, inspirations and challenges. – Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile LLC
14. To Inform Campaigns And Evaluate Results
Qualitative data remains a crucial tool for marketers and advertisers. It plays a complementary and valuable role alongside quantitative data, offering deeper insights and richer understanding of consumers. Our platform uses it to conduct research and analysis, develop customer personas for our clients, inform campaign development and measure and evaluate campaign results. – Tanuj Joshi, Eulerity
15. To Accurately Model B2B Audiences
Qualitative data is incredibly important for B2B agencies such as Napier. For example, itâs often not possible to get statistically significant samples to accurately model audiences quantitatively. Itâs also important to note that AIâs âpattern matchingâ capabilities are not quantitative analysis; in fact, I believe AI has introduced a golden age of qualitative data analysis. – Mike Maynard, Napier Partnership Limited